Are there savings on importing a UK-made car?

Can I buy a UK-manufactured car in the UK for importing into Ireland? And what are the savings versus a non-UK-manufactured car?

Frank

Oct 2025 Filed under: importing

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Expert answer

Hi Frank,

There's nothing stopping you importing a car from the UK regardless of where it was made, though there are potential savings so long as you can prove the car and most of its components were made there.

That's potentially tricky to do, as the car would have to qualify as UK-origin goods under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).

All it saves is the import duty, however, typically 10 per cent of the customs value. You'd still have to pay VRT (including the NOx levy, potentially) and VAT if it's coming from England, Scotland or Wales.

Shane O' Donoghue - Complete Car Advisor