Expert answer

Hi Maria,

Nope, it’ll have no effect. Camper vans are charged on the commercial vehicle VRT rate, which is 13.3 per cent of the Irish market selling price, and the emissions don’t come into it. 

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Hi Donal,

They’re not VRT exempt; it’s that Revenue applies a rebate of VRT, up to a maximum of €5,000, on an imported electric car, as long as it’s a regular production model, up to a maximum OMSP of €50,000 (that’s the current Irish market value as defined by Revenue). So, as a rough example, if the car you’re importing has an OMSP of €35,000, you’ll technically pay VRT of seven per cent, at €2,450, but that is obviously covered by the VRT rebate, so you effectively pay nothing. However, the car has an OMSP of €60,000, you’ll pay €4,200 in VRT and won’t get any rebate.

If you’re bringing a car in from the England, Scotland or Wales, even if it’s an EV, you’ll be liable for 21 per cent VAT (charged on the OMSP value) and ten per cent import duty (charged on what you paid for the car plus the costs of getting it here). If you're bringing it in from Northern Ireland, as long as it’s either previously been registered to a person or company resident in the North, or you’ve bought it from a dealer, then you won’t pay the import duty, and you’ll only be charged VAT if the car is younger than six months, or has fewer than 6,000km on the clock.

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Hi Babs,

It depends on how much over the 30 days you’ve gone. Between 30 and 60 days, you’ll pay a penalty equivalent to five per cent of the car’s Irish market value. If it’s more than 60 days, but less than six months, then it’s ten per cent. If it’s more than six months, then it’s an additional five per cent of the value for every month that you’re overdue. 

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Hi Ailin,

OK, I think the best advice is to buy as soon as you possibly can. According to Revenue, you MAY be able to claim exemption on VRT, VAT and customs duty if you’re bringing your car in as part of a permanent move. You need to have owned the vehicle for ‘at least six months’ so being as we’re into February already, the clock is ticking. Make sure you keep every receipt and proof of address, road tax and insurance (and maybe keep them for the car you have now too, just to extend the paper trail). 

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Hi Desmond,

OK, while the DB9 is a tricky car to value (mostly because there aren’t that many for sale in Ireland), let’s take €50,000 as a ballpark. If you’re bringing one down from Northern Ireland, it’s pretty straightforward — you’ll pay 37 per cent VRT, which will come to around €18,500. Ish. That’s assuming Revenue agree with our finger-in-the-air valuation. 

If you’re bringing it in from the rest of the UK, then there’s going to be 21 per cent VAT on top of that (€10,500 again assuming our €50,000 guess is about right) plus the NOx levy of €600 and then, finally, the ten per cent customs duty, which will be calculated on the actual price paid for the car (not the notional Irish value as for the VRT and VAT) plus whatever shipping and delivery expenses you incurred. 

The good news is that DB9 prices have actually dipped below £30,000 in the UK (although you’ve got to be careful buying at that price level) so there are bargains to be had. The best thing to do would be to get in touch with the guys at Aston Martin Belfast who could give you a much more precise steer on the whole thing. 

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Hi Paul,

In theory, all crew-cab vans fall into Category B for VRT purposes, which Revenue defines as: "commercial vehicles, designed and constructed for the carriage of goods and not exceeding 3.5 tonnes. These vehicles are European category N1 and generally have three seats or less. VRT Category B also includes motor caravans.”

In Category B, you’ll be charged 13.3 per cent of the OMSP, the Irish market selling price as defined by Revenue. There are some vans that fall into a slightly different category, and are charged a flat rate of €200, but these are vans that (a) always had less than four seats and (b) have at any time a laden mass greater than 130% of the mass in service. You should be able to find out which category your Vito fits into by quoting the VIN number when booking your VRT inspection.

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Hi Dermott,

Indeed, we’ve heard from more than a few readers about difficulties getting private insurance on a commercial. The first thing you need to do is to change the tax status of your pickup by phoning your nearest motor tax office, and ask them to transfer you to the private car taxation setting. That should help. The next thing to do is to get hold of a good insurance broker who can help you navigate through the sticky quicksand of Irish car insurance. There are no insurers who specialise, as far as we know, in commercial-to-private insurance

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Hi James,

Basically, the situation is as before — as long as the van is older than six months old or has more than 6,000km on the clock, then you’ll pay the usual VRT at 13.3 per cent of the OMSP (the Irish market price as defined by Revenue). As it’s from the North, you’ll also avoid the ten per cent customs duty. Once you do get the camper conversion done, the good news is that motor tax for a camper is only €102 a year.

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Hi Damien,

OK, as you don’t have a VAT number, you’ll have to pay the VAT on the Hilux at the time of purchase. But the good news is that, as you’re bringing it in from Northern Ireland, there won’t be any extra charges (no import duty and no Irish VAT) on top of the usual VRT payment. VRT will charged at 13.3 per cent of the Irish market value. That value should (emphasis on the should) be around €29,000, so VRT will be in the region of €3,900.

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Hi Conor,

You say you’ve already taxed the Yeti privately, is that right? Once you’ve informed your local motor tax office of the change of status, that should be sufficient for any insurer. That said, Irish insurers will find any excuse in the book to either not quote you, or to give you some astronomical quote just to make you go away. Our advice is to find a good insurance broker who can help you navigate the ins and outs.