I am importing an EV from the North...
Hi,
I am looking at getting a new electric car, and availability/waiting time for the model I'm looking at seems better in the North than here, even if the price saving is limited, so I am looking at buying from a dealer in NI and importing the car.
I have two questions:
1. What's the current status of VRT on imported (pure) electric vehicles? Do I have to pay 7% of OMSP, is there a €5,000 discount, or what?
2. SEAI offers a €5,000 grant for new EVs. However this is applied for/paid out via the dealer (who has to be in the State), and this doesn't make sense to me - it's surely meant to incentivise putting new EVs on Irish roads, and provided I import the car properly, where I bought it from shouldn't matter. In other words, why can't I get that grant on my new EV even if the car is properly imported rather than bought in the State - isn't there a Single Market implication here?
Thanks!
Patrick
Patrick Edmond (Limerick)Nov 2021 Filed under: importing
Expert answer
Hi Patrick,
Yes you can get the VRT back. That’s a maximum of €5,000 though, not a flat-rate rebate. So if your car is liable for, say, €3,000 worth of VRT, then that’s what you’ll get back.
The SEAI grant is a little trickier. According to the official information, you’re quite right — the dealer applies for the grant. However, the SEAI does state that: "A maximum grant of €5,000 is available for qualifying new electric vehicles when purchased privately.”
Obviously, you’d have to make sure that you fall between the minimum €14,000 price and the maximum €60,000 price, but in theory there’s nothing to stop you applying for the grant privately.
Why not try your luck by emailing [email protected]?
No torch in my Skoda Kamiq!
My new Skoda Kamiq has no removable torch in the boot, yet all the reviews I've read, including yours, say that it comes as standard.
Admittedly most of them say it's only in the "Ambition" up, but I have the "Style". I called to the dealer today and showed him one of the reviews including a photo. He told me I was looking at UK reviews and that the Irish cars don't have a torch. Can you throw any light on this? I'd really like a torch.
Patricia Costello (Clonakilty, Co. Cork)Aug 2021 Filed under: optional extras
Expert answer
Hi Patricia,
Yes, we can 'throw some light' on the situation for you. Skoda Ireland came back to us with this statement:
"The removable torch was removed from vehicles produced from July 2020 for all markets. There may have been stock around for a few months thereafter. It cannot be ordered as an option either."
That probably explains it.
How to get a Nissan Navara insured privately?
Hi,
I recently bought a Nissan Navara privately and I can’t seem to get it insured for private use. How do I get it insured and taxed privately?
Thanks
Gavin Dolan (Ireland)Aug 2021 Filed under: insurance
Expert answer
Hi Gavin,
It can be tricky, as some insurers — and we don’t know why, but Irish insurance and insurers are never less than needlessly awkward — seem less than keen to insure a commercial vehicle as a private car. Your best bet is usually to find a good, local broker who might be able to help you navigate the insurance waters a little more easily.
Can we import our two cars from the UK?
Hi,
With reference to your importing feature, I was wondering how much of this would apply to me? I am moving to Ireland with my partner who is an Irish citizen and we both want to bring our cars with us. Both are UK-registered in 2015 and both have been owned for around three years. Are we going to get charged large fees to do this or are we going to exempt due to having owned them and not just buying to import i.e. is the terminology related to the latter and we have nothing to worry about?
One of the cars is a 3.0-litre diesel, so wondering what tax band that would fall under?
Many thanks
Alex
Alex Parris (Gorey)Jul 2021 Filed under: importing
Expert answer
Hi Alex,
The good news is, you shouldn’t have to pay anything. As long as you can show proof of ownership for at least six months prior to your move, at your previous address, and can show documentation confirming your move to Ireland, you should be exempt from both VRT and VAT.
You can find more details on the Revenue website.
With regards to motor tax for your diesel, it depends when it was registered and, assuming it's post-2008, what its CO2 emissions rating is. Read our Motor Road Tax Prices in Ireland Explained feature for full details.
I have a unique import question from NI!
I have a two-part question. Can you offer clarification on the distinction between registering a car vs importing a car to NI/ROI after the Brexit cut-off date? Back story: I have a GB reg car and I've been the registered keeper of it for more than two years. I took it to NI in Sep 2020, before the Brexit cut off date of 1 Jan 2021. However, it has still been registered at a GB address, whilst I move between the two countries. I am now ready to register the car in NI at a permanent address.
1) Are there UK custom duties and VAT now attached to this if I register it in NI? Or because the car was taken (can I say imported?) to NI before the cut off date - just not registered - is the process the same pre-Brexit? It is still registered at an English address. I would specifically like to check if registering the vehicle in NI before the cut off date was necessary to avoid the extra UK import fees due to Brexit?
2) When I subsequently move to the ROI, will the car be subjected to Irish Customs Duty, VAT and VRT? I keep reading used cars from Northern Ireland will not be subjected to the new customs/VAT fees but I'm not sure if this is applicable to the car detailed above. Revenue.ie state: "You can register a vehicle registered before 1 January 2021 without any checks on the customs status if it was registered: i) in Northern Ireland or ii) to a person resident in Northern Ireland". So whilst it wasn't registered in Northern Ireland, it was registered to a person with an address in Northern Ireland before the cut off date.
Any information is gratefully received.
Cheers
Caroline Ponsonby (Lisburn)Mar 2021 Filed under: importing
Expert answer
Hi Caroline,
Right, this is a bit of a tricky one. The good news, first off, is that there’s no issue with moving a car between England and Northern Ireland — no duties nor VAT to pay, all you have to do is inform the DVLA of the change of address.
Bringing that car south might then represent a difficulty, but it will depend on how long you wait between your registering the car in the North and bringing it south. Technically, Revenue have told us that there is no specific timeline when it comes to having a car registered in Northern Ireland and not having to pay import duty and VAT when importing that car into the Republic. However, they have also said that they will be carefully monitoring the paper trail of each car to ensure that no-one is trying to game the system. If there’s only going to be a short gap between you registering the car in the North and then importing it into the South, that could get antennae twitching at Revenue, even if you’re technically above board.
Help me understand import costs please!
Hi,
I am interested in importing a used 3.0-litre V6 Jaguar XF from England (2013-2014 and about £12,000). I am finding the real cost of doing so very confusing especially the VAT implications. If I have to pay the Irish VAT rate of 21% is it possible to avoid paying VAT on the car in the UK or will I be paying VAT in both countries? Also, since the XF is manufactured in the UK does this mean that it is exempt from the 10% customs duties incurred since Jan 2021? Any insight would be much appreciated.
Eoin Murray (Dublin)Mar 2021 Filed under: importing
Expert answer
Hi Eoin,
VAT isn’t charged on second hand car sales in the UK, so while technically you will be paying a residual portion of the car’s original VAT cost, on a car that’s between seven and eight years old, it’s not going to be a particularly big proportion. You could — technically — claim it back from the UK authorities on export, but the process is byzantine and time consuming, and generally not worth the effort.
You will definitely have to pay Irish VAT, though, which will now be charged at 23 per cent as the rate has gone up since the 1st of March. Unlike VRT, which is charged according to the OMSP, the Open Market Selling Price or what Revenue thinks the value of the car would be on the Irish market, VAT is charged on the price you paid for the car, plus shipping costs.
As for the import duty, you may well get away without paying that, as the XF’s structure and engine (the V6 diesel was made by Ford in Dagenham) were built in the UK, which should push it over the minimum value necessary. You’ll have to fill out a customs declaration form first, though, which should help you figure all of that out.
What do I pay on a VAT-qualifying car?
Hello,
If I buy a VAT-qualifying car from the UK, am I correct in saying that I deduct the VRT, customs and VAT paid upon entry from the following selling price here and am then liable for Irish VAT on that figure?
E.g. SP = €20,000 - tariff €1,000 - VAT €1,230 - VRT €1,500 = €16,270 so VAT liability of €3,043?
Thanks for any clarification you can give me.
Kathryn O'Connell (Dublin 16)Mar 2021 Filed under: importing
Expert answer
Hi Kathryn,
Not quite. You don’t deduct the VAT and VRT to find out the OMSP — Open Market Selling Price — as that’s a figure arrived at independently by Revenue. It’s on that figure, whatever it might be, that your VRT and VAT will be calculated.
Does this VRT bill for a 2016 Golf seem right?
Hi,
I am looking to buy a 2016 VW Golf 1.6 Match Edition TDI. The car is imported from Northern Ireland. When I use the VRT calculator it gives me a VRT rate of almost €8,000. Does this mean that I have to pay €8,000 on top of the €13,000 I’m already spending on the car?
Kindest regards,
Tony
Tony McBrien (Dublin 8)Feb 2021 Filed under: VRT
Expert answer
Hi Tony,
Are you sure you’re putting the details in correctly? As we’ve just run a quick calculation for a 2016 Golf Match 1.6 TDI and it’s giving us a VRT charge of just under €4,000, which sounds a lot more like what we’d expect.
Did you perhaps put in the wrong NOx emissions figure? We’re estimating that at 129mg/km, but if you put in a higher figure that could give you a much higher combined VRT charge and NOx levy.
On the other part of your question: yes — you pay VRT in addition to the cost of buying the car, and it’s calculated as a percentage of the Irish market price (as defined by Revenue) not the price you actually paid for the car.
How much to insure a Transit privately?
How much would a 171 Ford Transit Connect cost to insure privately?
Maire Twiss (Milltown )Feb 2021 Filed under: insurance
Expert answer
Hi Maire,
Unfortunately, you might as well ask us how long a piece of string might be. Irish insurance companies are something of a law unto themselves, and the cost of insurance will depend more on you and your record than on the vehicle itself. On top of which, some of our readers have been telling us that they have been finding it difficult to get some insurers to cover commercial vehicles as private cars at all. Our advice is to get hold of a good broker, who can help you navigate through all this.
Can I register my UK car here two years later?
Hi,
I moved from UK to Ireland end of 2019 and brought my car while I was still paying car finance in UK. I didn't register my car yet but would like to do that now but struggling to do it as there is much information on the internet. I understand that if I was the owner of the car, there are some exemptions from some payments. What do you think?
Thanks!
Marcin Bubik (Mallow)Feb 2021 Filed under: importing
Expert answer
Hi Marcin,
I’m afraid you may have gotten yourself into a bit of bother here, because the Revenue rulebook states that any vehicle being brought into the state must be announced to Revenue within a week of its arrival and have gone through he VRT process within 30 days.
Failure to pay VRT on time results in a penalty. Between 30 and 60 days overdue, 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.