Expert answer

Hi Joseph,

We're not convinced. There are some advantages for sure, such as getting a car that is often in better condition than an Irish-market model of the same age, and sometimes with more equipment for the price as well.

But there are loads of downsides, including potential issues with sourcing parts if it's not identical to the car that was sold in Ireland and increased insurance. Many Japanese cars do not come with alarms or immobilisers, either.

For rare cars that have value then it's certainly worth looking at, but for a regular car such as the Toyota, we'd advocate for seeking out cars already in Ireland.

If you want to investigate it further, it's definitely worth working with a reputable importer that will do it all for you, up to registering the car on Irish plates, as that in itself can be tricky. We don't have first-hand experience of any one company though so can only suggest you do some Googling and looking for independent reviews of the companies you find.

And make sure you read our Guide to buying Japanese imports.

Expert answer

Hi Pat,

VRT first as that's an easy one - no matter where it's coming from, as it's over 30 years old, VRT will be just €200.

No NOx levy applies.

I'm assuming the car is not coming from Northern Ireland, but if it is, and it has been in Northern Ireland a long time, then there will be no further charges other than the VRT outlined above.

Coming from England, Scotland or Wales, there will be VAT at 23 per cent due, unfortunately. This is calculated on the customs duty (bear with me) plus the 'customs value', which is generally accepted to be the purchase price, plus the transport costs, plus the insurance costs.

There may actually be no customs duty if the car was manufactured in the UK, though you'll have to prove that. If not, it'll be 10 per cent of the customs value above.

Hopefully that all makes sense

Expert answer

Hi Karen,

You can add windows for ventilation, and it shouldn't affect your commercial tax class as long as the van stays a two-seat commercial. If in any doubt, ask Revenue beforehand. 

But you should tell your insurer, because any bodywork modification counts.

It's quick to do, and they'll almost certainly be fine with it.

Expert answer

Hi Colin,

Adding a rear seat to a 2012 Defender is mechanically straightforward, but legally and financially complex. In most cases it triggers reclassification from commercial to passenger vehicle, leading to significant VRT liability, higher annual motor tax and insurance implications.

Unless the vehicle clearly meets Revenue's crew-cab criteria (which many Defenders do not), you should expect the change to be costly.

There are many older Defenders with aftermarket seats that have not been declared as converted, but we would not advocate going down that route.

Expert answer

Hi Evan,

Thanks for your kind words, but we're not sure it warrants a full guide as vintage motor tax is quite simple - once the car is over 30 years old, it qualifies. 

Some insurers do specific classic car insurance as well, but that's quite a separate thing and each of them have their own terms and conditions when it comes to mileage and access to another car.

Expert answer

Hi Sean,

Irish insurance companies clearly do insure Japanese imports, or else there wouldn't be so many of them on the road.

Without knowing the full details of the car, yourself and the policy it's impossible for us to know why you had difficulty, but there are cases when the car isn't recognised by an insurer database. Separate to that, an insurer may see a given car - or driver - as too big a risk. Most of the time they'd quote a ludicrously high premium instead of an outright refusal, however.

Expert answer

Hi Sean,

It is of course possible to do this, but I'm not convinced it's worth all the extra hassle, and it might even cost more...

If you buy a new car in the North, you will be charged VAT there at 20 per cent, then also VAT - at 23 per cent - and VRT on importation to Ireland. We don't believe there is a way, as a private individual, to buy a new car VAT-free in the North. This method likely makes the car more expensive than just buying it from an Irish dealer.

As a demo in the North, it may be possible that the car would be classified as 'VAT-qualifying', and hence the UK VAT could be reclaimable, but that very much depends on how the dealer treated the VAT throughout.

Even so, you are highly likely to be liable for VAT and import duty, along with VRT of course.

As an EV, VRT is seven per cent of the OMSP (Open Market Selling Price), which will be the retail price in Ireland of the car, not what you pay for it in the North. I.e. the OMSP would be €179,000 as on audi.ie today and VRT would be €12,530 - assuming there are no optional extras added...

We don't believe import duty would be payable in the situation where you buy a new car in the North, but for a used model it can be 10 per cent of the customs value, which is defined as the purchase price plus cost of shipping and insurance, all before VAT is applied.

Expert answer

Hi Laura, 

The conditions will vary by insurer, but generally yes, this should be possible - though only on a temporary basis. You may need the car's VIN as well as its foreign registration, and you will need to book it in for its NCT/VRT inspection within seven days of arrival as usual.

Expert answer

Hi Neeraj,

Try all the big companies first to check, then a broker such as GMIB or even Paddy Compare. We've not used them ourselves, but they appear to be familiar with imports.

Expert answer

Hi Ronnie,

On the face of it, that's not difficult. You just buy a van you like the look of and inform your motor tax office that it will be used privately. The motor tax then changes to a rate defined by the van's engine size (regardless of how new it is).

Your bigger challenge could be finding insurance, and I urge you to check that out before committing to buying any vehicle.