Do I need to tax a UK car on the way home?

The UK car I want to buy does not have UK road tax and the dealer says I need to buy it to drive on UK roads to get up to Holyhead. You can only buy UK road tax for a minimum of six months, do I need to get it if only driving there for a day?

Bill Foster (Dublin)

Oct 2019 Filed under: importing

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Expert answer

Hi Bill,

Technically, and strictly legally speaking, yes you do I’m afraid. It’s an offence to drive a car on the public road in Ireland or the UK without having paid motor tax. You could be fined £80 on the spot in the UK, and potentially have to pay as much as £1,000 if the case went to court. All in all, it’s just not worth the risk.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Advisor
@neilmbriscoe