Hi Darragh,

Bad news on both counts, we’re afraid. The 2006 Defender 90 used the 2.5-litre Td5 engine, which emits 282g/km of CO2 and was not EU4-compliant. Now, luckily, because it’s a pre-2008 car, road tax goes on engine capacity instead of emissions, so with 2,495cc you’re looking at an annual bill of €1,080, which is still hefty. In terms of VRT, it’s worse news: assuming an Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) of around €18,000 for the 90 as is, that 282g/km means you will first of all be paying 36 per cent of its OMSP in VRT alone, which means €6,480. And then you will incur the maximum NOx tax for diesels on top of this, which is €4,850. So, to import a used Defender now, you’re looking at spending a further €11,330 of import and registration duties on top of the €18,000 to purchase it in the first place. Regrettably, the NOx tax was brought in at the start of this year to prevent the import of just this type of vehicle (an older, more polluting diesel) and so you are going to be much better off trying to find a used example of an Irish Defender, even if it costs up to €10,000 more for its advertised price than the one you’re intending to import.