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Hi Paschal,

You can avoid VAT and import/custom duties completely if the car was imported into the North and then used there by someone (i.e. not just imported by a car dealer to sell on) or indeed if it was registered in Northern Ireland when new. You will need to have paperwork to prove this to Revenue on import to the south. And of course you will have to pay VRT and the NOx levy regardless.

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Hi Michael,

XPeng Ireland confirmed that it is indeed tinted as standard, but it is possible to customise it with clear glass instead. It's suggested that you speak to someone in a dealer to talk through this and what it will mean for delivery times.

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Hi John,

I'm afraid the answer is a simple no, that's not possible. 

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Hi Bill,

Just check when the car arrived in Northern Ireland first, and from where. If it was imported from the EU after Brexit then there may be consequences, but otherwise no.

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Hi Guy,

It’s never easy to estimate the VRT on rare cars such as this, primarily because the calculation relies on what Revenue deems the car to be worth registered in Ireland. That’s referred to as the OMSP (Open Market Selling Price), and it’s very difficult to predict what value it will place on a rare model such as that Porsche. Let’s take it to be €50,000 for our calculations, but you need to be prepared for a drastically different number from Revenue.

That car’s high CO₂ emissions will place it in the highest band for VRT, at 41 per cent of the OMSP, so that works out as €20,500.

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Hi Sean,

I'm afraid we don't yet have any pricing information on the car in Ireland. KGM has confirmed that the regular petrol model we tested will not be offered for sale on the Irish market due to high CO₂ emissions and the resultant high price.

However, a hybrid version of the Acyton is planned and that should go on sale in Ireland in early 2026. We do not have prices for it as yet. 

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Hi Dean,

If the car was not imported into the North properly then you may well be liable for custom duties and VAT as well as VRT. You need to determine whether it is considered to be a Northern Ireland vehicle or a GB import.

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Hi Damien,

We need to obtain the VRT band and guess the OMSP (Open Market Selling Price) first up. The latter is the value Revenue reckons the car is worth registered in Ireland and there’s no sure-fire way to obtain that. For the sake of our calculations, let’s say it’s €3,000.

Although the CO₂ rating of the 1998 525td might suggest it’ll be in a lower VRT band, the Irish government ‘uplifts’ the values of older models so that they can be compared with cars tested on the newer ‘WLTP’ system, and that will mean VRT of 41 per cent for this car.

If the OMSP is €3,000, then the VRT would be €1,230.

We can’t find a value for the NOx emissions, unfortunately, and if the car doesn’t have that figure on its certificate of conformity then you could be charged the maximum, which is a huge €4,850 for diesel cars.

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Hi Aurel,

I don’t believe there is any way for you to avoid paying VAT on importation into Spain in that manner unless you meet specific residency or relocation exemptions.

And unless you actually use the car in Northern Ireland for a reasonable period of time – and can prove it – the Spanish authorities are likely to view this as a tax avoidance scheme and will also charge you custom duties.

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Hi Edwin,

No, it's just the driver's seat.