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Hi Ger,

It’s a tough car to value, the Amazon, not only because they’re so thin on the ground in Ireland, but also because they really, really, hold onto their value. I’d take a wild guess at a VRT charge of around €9,000 (based on a rough calculation of a €25,000 valuation), but Revenue could well take a different view. By the way, if you’re going to import one, do it before Jan 1st. The NOx emissions for a 4.2 diesel Amazon are 570mg/km, which means an extra VRT charge of €4,850...

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Hi there,

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Hi Gerry,

Yes, you can absolutely insure it as a private car, especially when you have taxed it as such. Just ring up your insurer and let them know of the change. There shouldn’t be any increase in cost, or at least only a small one.

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Hi Mark,

That’s right, you’ll miss the NOx tax if you bring it in before the 1st of Jan. After that though...

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Hi Andrej,

It all sounds a bit dodgy to us, to be honest. I’d tread very carefully, as if the seller has already brought the car into the country, and made an original appointment to have it inspected for VRT, then Revenue is already aware that the car is in the country. Given that there’s a 30-day limit from the date of arrival for VRT to be paid, I’d say that there’s not just an overdue payment, but possible penalties too. I think your best bet is to walk away — plenty of other cars available, from reputable sources, so you don’t need to be messing around with this sort of carry-on. 

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Hi Felicity,

Pretty much no. Technically any electric car being registered for the first time in Ireland gets a rebate on its VRT, up to a maximum of €5,000. That means effectively that you’ll pay no VRT unless the price of the car pushes the VRT rate above €5,000 of course. 

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Hi Gerard,

If the car is on the CO₂ taxation system that came into force in 2008 then we'd need to know a lot more than just its engine size to help you. If it's on the old, by-engine-capacity, system, then it depends on the precise engine capacity: 1,501-1,600cc is €514 a year, while 1,601-1,700cc is €544 a year.

Read our Motor Road Tax Prices in Ireland Explained feature for full details.

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Hi John,

It depends on the terms and conditions of the finance deal, but most of them would not allow that as you don't own the car until the final payment is made. You need to discuss the matter with the lender before making any decisions.

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Hi Frank,

The bad news here is that a 1966 Mustang probably has CO₂ emissions similar to that of a medium-sized coal-fired power station. The good news, though, is that for any car that’s more than 30 years old, you pay a flat-fee VRT charge of just €200. Big sigh of relief all round, I expect. There are some other charges that you’ll have to pay, though, as the car is coming in from outside the EU. You’ll have to pay VAT and customs duty, but thankfully these are calculated on the actual price paid for the car, not the Revenue-calculated OMSP price, which makes things much more straightforward. Customs duty works out at ten per cent of the purchase price, and then VAT will be 23 per cent of the purchase price plus the shipping cost. 

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Hi Eric,

It’s tempting to answer this with a simple ‘good luck’ and leave it at that… The problem, of course, is one of sheer rarity. The Thompson Motor Company at one point claimed to have made 100 Costins before the Wexford-based firm went bankrupt in 1987, but the general consensus is that this was entirely made up. The actual production figure seems to have been around 40, maybe slightly fewer. We can currently find none for sale in Ireland or the UK at the moment, but it could be a question of simply taking your time and trying to make some contact with those in the know. I’d suggest having a chat with the guys at the Irish Veteran & Vintage Car Club and the Irish Jaguar & Daimler Club, and make sure you visit the next Terenure classic show.

Or, alternatively, make friends with cycling superstar Stephen Roche. We think he has two...