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Hi Michael,

Bit of a 'piece of string' question, as it depends entirely on what Revenue decides the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) for that car is, and VRT will be 13.5% of that number. Based on what a 2012 L200 Warrior sells for I'd say it'll be about €2,500, but then again, I don't work for Revenue...

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Hi James,

Well, the rule says that when a vehicle is imported it must be booked for an NCT inspection and VRT valuation within seven days of its arrival in the state. The process of registration and payment must then be completed within 30 days of arrival.

Now, it's just possible that there may be a a valid reason why this car hasn't been registered, or it may have been declared off the road at the time of entry. I think you need to get on to your local tax office and ask for help with this though as there could well be a fine in the offing, never mind a surcharge.

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Hi Michael,

None. If you’re importing a car from the UK that is older than six months old, the VAT is considered as paid and you only need to deal with the VRT charge.

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Hi James,

It depends on what you mean when you say 'classic.' If the car is more than 30 years old (taken from its first date of registration) then you'll only have to pay a nominal Vehicle Registration Tax fee (about €200) and motor tax will be €56 for a year. If it's younger than 30 years then you'll have to pay VRT at the full rate and depending on the car and its estimated value that could be quite expensive.

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Hi Laszlo,

I'm afraid not. When you import the car into Ireland it will have to pass through an NCT (National Car Test - our equivalent of the MOT) before it can be legally registered here. That shouldn't be a problem though - any car that can pass an MOT should also pass an NCT. The problem is that because you have owned the car for less than six months, you'll get caught for Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) when you bring it in to the country - and on a 2.5-litre V6 engine that's going to be 36 per cent of what the Revenue Commissioners judge the vehicle's market value to be. This could get very expensive and you might be better off selling the car before you move and buying something new here.

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Hi John,

Yup, you'll have to pay the VAT I'm afraid. The rule says that if a car is less than six months old or has less than 6,000km on the clock, it's liable for Irish VAT upon entry into the state. You'll be charged it along with your Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) at the time of inspection.

Read our guide to importing a car from the UK here

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Hi Martin,

There are a few, actually. Volvo sells the V60 D5 Twin Engine here in Ireland, which is a plug-in diesel-electric hybrid, while Citroen sells the DS 5 Airdream Hybrid4 200. Peugeot used to sell the 3008 HYbrid4 too, but it doesn't appear to be on the price list now, while Mercedes-Benz has had diesel-electric hybrid tech for a few years.

In fairness, we don't expect them to get any more plentiful or popular. Hybrid technology is expensive to produce and diesel technology is more expensive than petrol, so putting two expensive sets of components together inevitably means a high purchase price, even if the emissions are low and the VRT is kept in check.

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Hi Peter,

It depends on the year and service history to be honest but it sounds ok from here. Make sure you know the ins and outs of importing the car though. Has the seller paid the VRT yet? Has it been properly re-registered? Worth doing a thorough history and background check too, on any car, with Cartell.ie, but especially a UK import.

Read our guide to importing a car from the UK here

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Hi Paul,

Sometimes it can, actually. It's all a matter of doing your sums carefully. Yes, the drop in the value of the Euro has made things much more marginal, but the fact is that UK cars are often still good value compared to Irish equivalents. Just do your homework, don't forget to include travel and accommodation costs in your calculations and keep your fingers crossed come VRT inspection time.

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Hi Jim,

Nope, certainly not any more. The rules say you must book a Vehicle Registration Tax assessment (which is carried out at an NCT centre) within seven days of the car's arrival in Ireland, and the registration process, including the payment of any VRT and VAT owing, and the use of the new Irish number plates, must be completed within 30 days.

 Or, you know, fines, courts, thumb-screws, all that jazz.