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Hi Christopher,

We asked Opel Ireland about this and it says there was no reimbursement scheme, but it may be part of an outstanding recall notice. To check this, bring the VIN into your local Opel dealer to have it checked.

Best of luck

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Hi Colin,

In fact, you can choose to have the old "ZV" style plate if you wish. If you stick with the county one instead, it starts at a higher number for imports - and that starting number varies by county. Revenue has not published the starting number for Donegal that we know of.

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Hi Stephen,

This car will be in the top band for VRT due to its high CO₂ emissions, so 41 per cent of the OMSP.

Now, as you probably know, this Open Market Selling Price is what Revenue believes the car to be worth after registration in Ireland, and it's very difficult to predict that value for a niche model such as the Honda.

If you take the top level of the price band as €18,000, then VRT would be €7,380.

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Hi Terence,

I'm assuming you and the car are not in Ireland. If so, then I'm afraid VRT is still payable on importation into Ireland regardless of the fact that the car is a gift.

It is paid on what Revenue calls the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP), which is the value Revenue believes the car to be worth following registration.

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Hi Terence,

The reg itself isn't what Revenue looks at, but it certainly looks at the customs status of the car. If it was brought into Northern Ireland from GB (England, Scotland or Wales) just to be sold on and not actually used in the North by an owner, then VAT and customs duty will be due on importation south of the border.

If it was imported into the North and used there “for a reasonable amount of time” (Revenue's words), and you need to be able to prove that with a paper trail, then no VAT or duty should be required.

So don't just go by the reg on the car.

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Hi Michael,

Given what you said, we'd assume that there is no import duty or VAT in that price, just VRT and the NOx levy.

VRT is based on the CO₂ emissions band and the so-called Open Market Selling Price (OMSP). The latter is not the price paid for the car, but the value Revenue believes it to be worth after importation in Ireland.

And while the CO₂ emissions rating might be 187g/km, that is likely to be the old NEDC rating. Revenue 'uplifts' that to be comparable to the newer WLTP standard, which would put this Cayenne into the top band for VRT, at 41 per cent of the OMSP.

It's not easy to estimate what Revenue might say the OMSP is, as that's a rare car in that specification, but for example, if it said it's worth €30,000 in Ireland, then the VRT alone would be €12,300.

On top of that is the NOx levy, which can be really expensive for big old diesels. We'd estimate that could be just under €3,000 for the Cayenne S Diesel.

Unfortunately, therefore, the price you've been quoted to bring this car into Ireland isn't at all surprising.

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Hi Pauric,

I'm afraid your local motor tax office has it right. When a commercial vehicle is taxed for private use, it is done by the engine size, reverting back to the old pre-2008 system, even for a relatively new van such as yours. It has nothing to do with CO₂ emissions.

So a van with an engine of 1,401-1,500cc capacity does indeed cost €413 per year to tax for private use.

Read our Motor Road Tax Prices In Ireland Explained guide for full details.

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Hi Christopher,

That is mostly correct, though the car must be registered to someone at the Northern Irish address and I don't believe that petrol receipts will suffice as proof. An MOT in the North should though. Revenue isn't very precise in its information around this, unfortunately.

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Hi Bryan,

Ask the dealer for a copy of the customs declaration covering the vehicle's movement from Great Britain into Northern Ireland (showing the VIN), or a T2L document.

That is the documentation Revenue is referring to when it mentions the Windsor Framework requirements.

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Hi Angie,

Insurance companies can be a little funny about Japanese imports, even if the cars are identical to those sold new in Ireland. I'm a bit surprised the company demanded proof of it having an immobiliser though – that's not the norm, in that most of the time they take your word for it. Perhaps do some more shopping around on the insurance side?

If the Auris looks the same and has the same powertrain as the cars sold in Ireland, then I wouldn't worry about parts.

In terms of warranty, get the longest one you can of course.