Car Dealer Compliance in Ireland: CO2, Finance

The rules for car adverts in Ireland

7 rules decide what a dealer in Ireland has to show on the car, in adverts and in financing examples. Each one, and what it asks of you:

S.I. No. 339/2001
European Communities (Consumer Information on Fuel Economy and CO2 Emissions of New Passenger Cars) Regulations 2001, as amended by S.I. No. 230/2008 and S.I. No. 477/2018
Authority Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) as the authorised body; enforcement by the local authorities
Every new passenger car displayed for sale or lease at your premises needs a label on or next to it, in the format and with the content SIMI specifies in writing. SIMI does not publish that specification; members generate the label per VIN or per make in its members portal. Vehicle Hub therefore prints no Irish label of its own and reminds you to fit the SIMI label.
S.I. No. 339/2001
Poster or screen per make at the point of sale (applied through S.I. No. 230/2008)
Authority Local authorities
Each point of sale shows a poster of at least 70 x 50 cm, or a screen of at least 25 x 32 cm, for every make it sells. The models are grouped by fuel and listed by rising CO2 emissions, with two fixed sentences on the fuel economy guide and on driving behaviour. The poster is updated every six months, a screen every three.
S.I. No. 339/2001
Fuel consumption and CO2 in promotional literature and promotional material
Authority Local authorities
Printed literature and promotional material for a specific new car model, including electronic displays, online adverts and other electronic formats, must state the official fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, easy to read and no less prominent than the main text. Consumption is given in l/100 km with one decimal and CO2 in g/km as a whole number. Pure brand advertising without a model is exempt, and TV and radio only need the values when the advert names an engine-related performance figure.
S.I. No. 339/2001
Fuel identifiers under EN 16942 and EN 17186, and the fuel economy guide
Authority Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI); local authorities
Fuel identifiers under EN 16942 and EN 17186 belong on the car and its filler cap; the manufacturer applies them. The fuel economy guide that SIMI publishes must be handed out free of charge at the point of sale when a buyer asks. Vehicle Hub reminds you of the guide; it does not print fuel identifier symbols.
CCA 1995, S.I. No. 281 of 2010
Consumer Credit Act 1995 and European Communities (Consumer Credit Agreements) Regulations 2010
Authority Central Bank of Ireland
As soon as an advert shows an interest rate or any cost of credit, a monthly payment included, it needs a representative example. It names the borrowing rate as fixed or variable, the total amount of credit, the APR, the term, the cash price, the deposit, the total amount payable, the instalment, the number of instalments and the type of finance.
S.I. No. 81 of 2025
Central Bank (Supervision and Enforcement) Act 2013 (Consumer Protection) Regulations 2025
Authority Central Bank of Ireland
Since 24 March 2026 every credit advert carries the arrears warning, and a fixed-rate offer also carries the warning on charges for paying off early. Both stand in a box, in bold, at least the size of the main text. The APR must be at least as prominent as the term, the deposit and the instalments.
CCA 1995, S.I. No. 281 of 2010
Credit intermediaries: authorisation and scope of powers in advertising
Authority Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC); Central Bank of Ireland
A dealer who arranges finance for a commission is a credit intermediary and needs a CCPC authorisation plus a letter of recognition from each lender. The advert says whether you work exclusively with one lender, with several, or independently, and names the lender with the statement that it is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Car dealer compliance in Ireland comes down to two sets of rules: S.I. No. 339/2001 on fuel economy and CO2 for new passenger cars, and the consumer credit rules for any advert that shows a monthly payment. The first asks for the official WLTP fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in every printed and online advert for a new car, a poster per make in the showroom and the label in the format set by SIMI at each new car. The second asks for a representative example and, since March 2026, the Central Bank warnings in a box. Vehicle Hub keeps these values on the car itself and prints them in the wording the regulation uses, so the exposé, the car page on your website and the poster always say the same thing.

Irish units are strict: litres per 100 km with one decimal and CO2 in whole grams per km, never miles per gallon. Vehicle Hub rounds the values that way and labels them "Official fuel consumption (WLTP combined)" and "Official specific emissions of CO2 (WLTP combined)", with weighted combined values for plug-in hybrids. The cars come from your stock list, imported from mobile.de or a feed through dealer stock import, and appear on your own site through the Vehicle Hub widgets. Ireland is one of the 33 markets Vehicle Hub covers, each with its own rule set; all of them are on the car labelling directive by country overview. Vehicle Hub applies the rules; it is not legal advice.

Ireland's label at the car comes from SIMI, the values come from Vehicle Hub

The Irish label is not a template anyone can fill in. Since 2019 its format and content are whatever SIMI specifies in writing, and SIMI makes the label for its members per VIN or per make in its portal. The Department of Transport describes six parts: the car, the emission bands with the band of the car, CO2 in g/km, fuel or electricity per 100 km and per 18,000 km, the annual motor tax and the VRT rate, and notes on the guide and WLTP. Vehicle Hub does not imitate that label, because a home-made version would not be the SIMI format; it prints the same official values in your exposé, on your car pages and on the poster per make.

Exposé of a new car for an Irish branch: the official WLTP fuel consumption and CO2 line in the regulation's wording, price with VAT, financing example with the Central Bank warnings

Mandatory details in Ireland

Official fuel consumption (WLTP combined) in l/100 km, one decimal
Official specific emissions of CO2 (WLTP combined) in whole g/km
Weighted combined values for plug-in hybrids
CNG in m3 or kg per 100 km, hydrogen in kg per 100 km, as in the CoC
Poster per make: 70 x 50 cm, by fuel, rising CO2, the two fixed sentences
SIMI label on or next to each new car, fuel economy guide on request
Representative example with APR, term, cash price, deposit, total amount payable, instalments
Arrears warning, plus the early repayment warning for fixed rates, boxed and in bold
APR at least as prominent as term, deposit and instalments
Lender name and the scope of your powers as a credit intermediary
Manufacturer and EU responsible person, with a safety line
Any missing official value on a new car

What you get

Values in the wording of S.I. 339/2001
Your exposé and car pages print official fuel consumption and official specific emissions of CO2 with the WLTP label, in l/100 km and g/km, rounded the Irish way.
The poster per make, ready to hang
Vehicle Hub sorts the new models of each make by fuel and rising CO2 and adds the two fixed sentences. Print it for the showroom wall at 70 x 50 cm.
Finance examples the Central Bank expects
The Loan Calculator builds the representative example, gives the APR its due weight and adds the arrears warning, and the early repayment warning when the rate is fixed.
Your intermediary sentence, in every example
Enter your lender and whether you work with one lender, several or independently. Vehicle Hub asks for these fields only because you have a branch in Ireland.
A reminder where SIMI's label is needed
Vehicle Hub does not fake the SIMI label. It tells you which new cars need it on the forecourt and that buyers can ask for the SIMI fuel economy guide.
The same values on your own website
Car pages from the Vehicle Hub widgets carry the same official values and finance example as the exposé, so a buyer from Cork or Galway reads one story.

See your first Irish exposé

Set your branch to Ireland, import a handful of new cars and open one. The exposé shows the official WLTP values in the regulation's wording and, if you finance, the example with the warnings. Anything missing is named before the car goes on your website.

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How to get started

Set your branch's main market to Ireland
In your KIMISUITE workspace, give the dealership branch Ireland as its main market. The Irish rule set S.I. 339/2001 and the Irish credit rules then decide what each car and each finance example needs.
Bring in your stock
Import the cars from mobile.de or a CSV or XML feed, or add them with the creation assistant. Fuel, drive and condition decide which values a car needs.
Check the values Ireland asks for
Look over the energy tab of each new car: WLTP consumption and CO2, weighted values for plug-in hybrids. If you advertise finance, add your lender and your intermediary scope under Financing.
Print and publish
Print the poster per make for the showroom and the exposé for buyers, fit the SIMI label at each new car, and place the widgets on your website.

Pricing

The Irish rule set, the exposé, the poster per make and the Loan Calculator are part of Vehicle Hub, from a fixed monthly price (see pricing) per dealership workspace. Your sales staff and the person who preps the cars work in the same workspace at no extra cost per person.

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Is it the right fit?

A good fit if

Main dealers and independent dealers in Ireland who sell new or nearly new cars
Dealers who offer hire purchase or PCP through a lender and show monthly payments in their adverts
Dealers who list on DoneDeal or Carzone.ie today and want their own website to carry the same values
Dealers with plug-in hybrids, electric and CNG cars in stock

Not the right fit if

Dealers who want Vehicle Hub to print the Irish label; the legal label is the one SIMI generates
Dealers who want listings created on DoneDeal or Carzone.ie from KIMISUITE; Vehicle Hub publishes only to mobile.de, not to DoneDeal or Carzone.ie
Dealers who need VRT or motor tax calculated for a car
Anyone looking for legal advice on a specific case; your solicitor or SIMI answers those questions

Frequently asked questions

What does car dealer compliance in Ireland cover for my adverts?

For new cars, S.I. 339/2001: official WLTP fuel consumption and CO2 in every printed and online advert, a poster per make in the showroom and the SIMI label at the car. For finance offers, the Consumer Credit Act 1995, S.I. 281/2010 and the Central Bank Consumer Protection Regulations 2025. Vehicle Hub covers the values, the poster and the finance example.

Why does Vehicle Hub not print the Irish CO2 label?

Because the law makes SIMI's format the label. SIMI does not publish the specification and generates the label for members per VIN or per make, so any other version would not meet the regulation. Vehicle Hub reminds you to fit it and prints the same values everywhere else.

Can I show fuel economy in miles per gallon?

No. Article 11 asks for litres per 100 km with one decimal and CO2 in whole grams per km. Vehicle Hub prints the values in exactly those units for an Irish branch.

Do used cars need the fuel and CO2 values?

The regulation covers new passenger cars, meaning cars not yet sold to someone who bought them for a purpose other than resale. A pre-registered car that was never sold to an end buyer still counts as new. Cars that have had an owner fall outside S.I. 339/2001.

What must a car finance advert in Ireland include?

A representative example as soon as you show a rate or a monthly payment, with the APR at least as prominent as the term and the instalments. Since March 2026 it also carries the arrears warning, plus the early repayment warning for a fixed rate, in a bold box. Vehicle Hub builds that example from your lender's terms.

What happens to the finance example when the new EU credit directive applies?

Ireland had not transposed the second Consumer Credit Directive by the end of October 2026. From 20 November 2026 Vehicle Hub pauses the Irish finance example until the new Irish rules are checked and loaded, rather than show an example built on outdated law. The vehicle values and the poster keep working.

Do I need an authorisation to advertise finance on my cars?

If you arrange finance for a commission, yes: you are a credit intermediary and need a CCPC authorisation and a letter of recognition from each lender. Your adverts state whether you work with one lender, several or independently, and Vehicle Hub adds that sentence.

Who supervises the buyer data my enquiries collect?

The Data Protection Commission, under the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Enquiries from your website go to your workspace and to CRM Business Hub, together with the car the buyer asked about.