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Hi Alan,

Yes, you’ll have to pay import duty, which will be ten per cent of the price of the car, plus transportation costs. You’ll also have to pay VAT twice — once to the UK authorities and again when you complete the import process here. If you’re VAT-registered you should be able to claim back the VAT at this end, but claiming it back  from the UK will be much trickier.

In theory, the Brexit trade agreement allows for such things, but the paperwork’s a mess at the moment, and no-one really seems to know what’s going on. You could make things a little easier for yourself by buying from a dealer in Northern Ireland — you’ll not have to pay the ten per cent import duty and, although you’ll be stung for the VAT, the NI authorities are a little more switched on as there are reciprocal cross-border tax arrangements. 

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Hi Bevan,

Sadly, insurance is the critical thing here, and it’s the bit we can help you with least as Irish insurers — as ever — ladle on the risk when it comes to young drivers. Any ballpark figure we give you could be €1,000 — or more — out.

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Hi Jason,

It’s not a bad thing, at any rate. As far as campers are concerned, you get charged the same 13.3 per cent VRT rate as regular panel vans at the point of import (based on the Irish market price, of course), but the good news is that once you have it converted it’ll only cost you €102 to tax it for a year. 

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Hi Eddy,

Unfortunately, yes you will. Thanks to the debacle that is Brexit, any UK drivers coming to Ireland after Dec 31 2020 will need to have a green card for insurance. Worth getting an international driving licence too...

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Hi Gerry,

Yes, that’s right. You need to fill out form VAT411, which allows a private individual — whether you are registered for VAT or not — to reclaim the VAT. However, there will be an extra cost involved — UK VAT is charged at 20 per cent, but Irish VAT is 21 per cent (temporarily)...

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Hi Catherine,

Yes, it will do as long as you get the conversion done before you import the car. Camper vans pay the same 13.3 per cent of Irish market value in VRT as regular vans, which is helpful, but you will need to make sure that your Caravelle is signed off by a ’suitably qualified individual.’ In other words, if you’ve done the work yourself, you may need to get it inspected  and approved by an official authority (a vehicle assessor who can check that it conforms to DVLA standards, for example) and make sure you have that paperwork with you when processing the import. Assuming that it passes muster in this regard, you’ll also qualify for cheap road tax — just €102 per annum for a camper van, regardless of size.  

However,  you do say that you’re ‘moving back to Ireland’ from the UK and bringing the car with you. That could mean that  you’re exempt from paying any VRT, once you can show proof of ownership (tax and insurance) for at least six months, as well as proof of change of address. Have a look at the Revenue.ie page here.

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Hi Séamus,

A CoC should (emphasis should) be easy to get. You could go back to the person you bought the van from and ask them from which Mercedes UK dealer it was originally purchased. That dealer should still have the original CoC on their files, as they were the original registrar of the vehicle when it arrived in the UK from the factory.

Alternatively, we’ve contacted Mercedes-Benz Irish importer, Motor Distributors Limited, and it says that it can get a duplicate of the CoC from Stuttgart, but that process costs €100 and would take 2-3 weeks. 

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Hi Bob,

Generally speaking, I’d say that you’d be better nabbing one before Christmas, as, for a business buyer, overall, it works out a little better before the VRT rates and rebates change in January. However, it’s a moot point, as Tesla’s Irish website is currently quoting Model 3 delivery for February, so you don’t really have a lot of choice (unless you want to buy one second hand, of course).

The good news is that the zero per cent BIK rate is locked in until at least the end of 2022, which is arguably of more benefit to you overall than any of the rebates and grants.

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Hi Fergal,

Sadly, for all us Mondeo fans, it will die in its current form soon (most likely in the next 18 months or so). Now, it will be replaced, but most likely not by another saloon, but a crossover of some description instead, sitting above the Kuga in the current Ford range, and likely with a seven-seat option. 

Happily, there are still a few proper, full-sized four-door saloons around for you to choose from, and they’re good ‘uns. Our list starts with the Skoda Superb (massive inside, smooth to drive, handsome to look at and really good quality) and the VW Passat (all of the above but not quite so big inside). The Mazda6 is a big favourite of ours, too, not least because it’s so engaging to drive, and has such high quality and reliability levels, but Mazda is dropping the diesel engine option, so you might want to snap one up soon, before they’re all gone.

If you fancied going down the hybrid route, then Toyota’s excellent Camry is well worth a look, and there’s the Opel Insignia (probably one of the most underrated cars on the market) to consider too. If you fancy something a little moore stylish, check out the very slinky Peugeot 508. 

You could go up a grade, as you suggest, to the likes of a BMW 3 Series or Audi A4, but the problem is you need to spend a LOT extra to get one with decent spec, so our recommendation would  be to stick with one of the mainstream brands.

Here are our relevant reviews to help you decide:

Skoda Superb reviews

Volkswagen Passat reviews

Mazda6 reviews

Toyota Camry reviews

Peugeot 508 reviews

Opel Insignia reviews

BMW 3 Series reviews

Audi A4 reviews

Expert answer

Hi Catherine,

It will depend on the car's CO₂ rating. We believe that is 163g/km. Assuming that this car is already registered in Ireland, then the annual motor tax for that car is €570 up to the end of 2020, and €600 thereafter.

Full details on the Irish motor tax system can be found in our Motor Road Tax Prices in Ireland Explained article.