Nissan Leaf UK import

boardzz · 09-12-2015 4:20pm #1

Hi all,
I'm currently trying to source a Nissan Leaf from the UK and import to Ireland.
I believe it's free to VRT the car when I get here however, how will I get the car here.
Can I register for the fast chargers in UK and pay by minute once off?
I know from my 24hr test drive, some of the fast chargers in Ireland don't even require the ESB card to use, just plug in. Is this still the case.
If not I will not be able to charge in Ireland when I reach here.

Has anyone gone through this process already and have some tips fro me?.

Thanks.

Rafal · 09-12-2015 5:01pm

Be careful about VAT. If the car is new, I think under 6 months, or even older, but under 4K miles or so, it will be subject to Irish VAT at 23% payable at Irish registration, even though you will get VRT written off. So, to make it all make sense, you would need to buy it in UK without paying the UK VAT on it, which means having it never registered in UK, not allowed to drive it, and having to use a company to import it for you—or buying an older one in UK. You would need to pay this even if you were to re-register it some time in the future, and anyway, you are legally required to register it in Ireland within a day of arrival if you are importing it.

Overall, after considering it, I decided against the import because it was a bit too much hassle, but there are many people who import cars from UK quite successfully. Read more at citizensinformation.ie (I am not allowed to post a full link as boards.ie rejects it) just search for "importing car ireland vat"

mr.dunkey · 09-12-2015 5:31pm

boardzz wrote: »

Hi all,
I'm currently trying to source a Nissan Leaf from the UK and import to Ireland.
I believe it's free to VRT the car when I get here however, how will I get the car here.
Can I register for the fast chargers in UK and pay by minute once off?
I know from my 24hr test drive, some of the fast chargers in Ireland don't even require the ESB card to use, just plug in. Is this still the case.
If not I will not be able to charge in Ireland when I reach here.

Has anyone gone through this process already and have some tips fro me?.

Thanks.

I regularly import EVs for customers, so have done this a good few times.

Vrt is not free on EVs but an allowance which normally covers the cost of most EVs. The same Vrt reduction is applied to new cars in Ireland.
You can register for UK charge points, there are lots of companies so you must first of all find out how which one you are going to use on your route and then apply for the card. Ecotricity being the main one.Some are free some need a fee paid.

ESB have changed it that nearly all Chargers now need cards. You can still get activated by ringing up the call center,

You will need a lot of planning to pull it off, many have done it successfully. Buying a LEAF in UK is not straight forward, In the UK the battery can be leased called a Flex. You cannot import these cars and the battery belongs to Nissan. These cars are often priced cheaply and not clearly marked as so. Nissan Main dealers, some are OK some are not,(the bad ones not really knowing EVs just salesmen)
Watch the Pound and decide how your going to pay the seller, fees etc.

Do a History check, there are cheap LEAFs that are cat D or C repaired, avoid, these will seem like a good deal.

If your buying a Gen 1 car 2011-2013, white interior there is no battery lease
If your buying Gen 1.5 Dark interior they may be a battery lease.

I would stay away from high mileage Gen 1 cars,

PM me if you have any specific questions that i can help with or stuck

boardzz · 09-12-2015 6:05pm

Are you in the business of importing cars for people? Would I be able to use your services rather than doing this myself?

10-12-2015 12:05am

I would also avoid Gen 1 Leafs if doing a lot of mileage, the capacity drops much faster than the current gen but you should see many years of doing small daily mileage.

If you can get a July 2013 (built) not registered but built, then it should have the newer battery, the darker interior is in the Gen 1.5 Leaf bright for the Gen I.

The current battery is proving to be very reliable.

mr.dunkey · 10-12-2015 1:13am

boardzz wrote: »

Are you in the business of importing cars for people? Would I be able to use your services rather than doing this myself?

Pm sent

BoatMad · 10-12-2015 9:41am

I would have thought that with euro sterling moves over the last 2 years that 2nd hand purchases in the uk are very bad deals at present.

10-12-2015 4:34pm

Might not be worth it if you take into account transport and accommodation if needed, the hassle alone might make it not worth it.

You could lease a new leaf for 3 years depending on the 2nd hand cost, the difference being you own the car after 3 years if you import it.

cros13 · 10-12-2015 5:04pm

BoatMad wrote: »

I would have thought that with euro sterling moves over the last 2 years that 2nd hand purchases in the uk are very bad deals at present.

Yup. From what I've seen on autotrader and carzone it's have to justify buying in the UK as 2nd hand Leafs are now cheaper here.

boardzz · 10-12-2015 5:47pm

It's just the choice. There is only a handful available in Ireland.

Pfinn07 · 11-12-2015 3:00am

There is such a better selection of leafs in the uk and although it is daunting arranging to travel over to bring back a car I am pretty determined to do so.

I have booked a flight for only €9.99 and have commissioned an engineer to inspect a 2013 car prior to my arrival, at worst if the car report is negative it will have cost me about €190, a lot to lose yes but better than thousands on a lemon which I could also be buying here too.

I viewed 2 leafs here, one at dealers which would be costing me 21k for a 2015 model and another 2013 leaf which the private seller swore was never damaged but thankfully my early couple of years working in a repair shop helped me spot the tell tale signs so I walked away.

If I get this done in the next week I will put up a few more details if anyone interested.

Any tips or advice beforehand appreciated, we can all learn something new.

11-12-2015 10:25am

I would advise a battery check via Leaf Spy and a bluetooth to OBD II V 1.5 Dongle but since you're looking at the Gen 1.5 I don't think it's necessary with reasonable mileage but always better to be sure. The Gen 1.5 battery readings will vary depending on usage, leafs sitting and not driving for days or weeks at a time will report much lower Ah and health readings than leafs used daily.

See if Nissan U.K can verify the mileage, all Leafs with car wings send the mileage, battery condition and charging data straight to Nissan Motor Co in Japan but I don't know if the dealers will be allowed access this information. This function can be disabled though but I doubt most people would bother.

Pfinn07 · 11-12-2015 10:42am

Thanks Mad Lad,

I have only seen the basic indicator of the 12 bar LCD on display showing and considering the car is a one owner with just over 12k I am pretty confident over the battery.

I have looked at a CatD repaired leaf also in the same area which is tempting as it is a higher spec, I am not overly concerned about such a car as the damage was light needing a wing and front bumper.
Assuming everything checked out repairs wise would there be anything to be aware of importing a CatD car into Ireland as regards NCT, VRT or Insuring the car afterwards?

11-12-2015 10:45am

The problem with repairs is that you never know how the paint was done, if it was done correctly or not and you could end up with rust or pealing or orange peal. It may look spot on but you never know how it will age.

Pfinn07 · 11-12-2015 11:30am

Deleted User wrote: »

The problem with repairs is that you never know how the paint was done, if it was done correctly or not and you could end up with rust or pealing or orange peal. It may look spot on but you never know how it will age.

I can appreciate and agree totally with what you are saying, that is why I have sought an inspection with an engineer who also has experience working with car repairs, it will be costing me £129 which is a lot but not if you take into consideration the peace of mind that a top quality, reputable, insured professional has given you a 196 point pre inspection including paintwork and panel alignment.

11-12-2015 11:35am

I've seen some top repairs that passed inspection that even I would not consider professional and have seen other repairs after a few years end up with lacquer peeling and rust forming, a repair can't ever be the same, on a positive note though, it can always be resprayed .

BoatMad · 11-12-2015 1:21pm

with all the unknowns over long term battery life, Id have to say unless I was getting a absolute humdinger of a deal I wouldn't touch a second hand leaf with a barge pole. There is simply no data

PS if the paint job is done by a proper repair centre, its as good as the original coating. I've had loads of cars repaired over the years and the repaint in only one ( the plasticiser was left out on a plastic number respray)

in a second hand leaf the paint would be the least of my worries

11-12-2015 1:36pm

I would say out of warranty there are risks but the battery in the current gen 1.5 is proving to be much more reliable. The Leaf electronics are pretty much bullet proof and have shown only early teething problems with the 2011-12's which are resolved at this stage I would say.

I'd have no hesitations recommending a 2nd hand 2013 July built + leafs.

11-12-2015 1:41pm

OP how many Kms are you doing average daily/yearly ?

BoatMad · 11-12-2015 1:43pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I would say out of warranty there are risks but the battery in the current gen 1.5 is proving to be much more reliable. The Leaf electronics are pretty much bullet proof and have shown only early teething problems with the 2011-12's which are resolved at this stage I would say.

I'd have no hesitations recommending a 2nd hand 2013 July built + leafs.

nothing matters other then remaining battery life, since all we have on second gen batteries if about 4 years of data, buying a 3-4 year old leaf and maybe expecting a further 4 years is extremely brave

remember LI battery capacity does not decline linearly , its falls over a cliff at a point in time

Pfinn07 · 11-12-2015 1:47pm

I have emailed both Nissan uk and Iteland re warranty and they have basically informed me after providing damage details that warranty cover would not be affected unless any possible issue was caused by or as a result of damage/poor repair.

Regarding paintwork, I am of the opinion that having an eye for detail is important, sometimes you just have to look at a car to know something is not quite right.
A good quality repair should be undetectable.

Ps price for repaired car is severely tempting me.

Pfinn07 · 11-12-2015 1:53pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

OP how many Kms are you doing average daily/yearly ?

Primarily town driving with less than average 3000 miles annually.

Daily would be less than 10 - 20 mile max.

BoatMad · 11-12-2015 1:54pm

Pfinn07 wrote: »

Primarily town driving with less than average 3000 miles annually.

Daily would be less than 10 - 20 mile max.

buy small petrol car, save you lots , thats way to little motoring to benefit from electric usage cost savings

11-12-2015 1:59pm

Pfinn07 wrote: »

Primarily town driving with less than average 3000 miles annually.

Daily would be less than 10 - 20 mile max.

You would have no issues with any leaf at that rate, probably last you well above 10 years.

11-12-2015 2:00pm

BoatMad wrote: »

buy small petrol car, save you lots , thats way to little motoring to benefit from electric usage cost savings

Lol I would actually agree with you for once !

BoatMad · 11-12-2015 2:01pm

Deleted User wrote: »

......l above 10 years.

based on absolutely no facts and Mad-lads peculiar form of self justification

Im all for fan-boy enthusiasm, but lets try and stay with the known facts ( or lack of them)

BoatMad · 11-12-2015 2:01pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Lol I would actually agree with you for once !

Im just an engineer, numbers and facts , numbers and facts

11-12-2015 2:02pm

There's no way in hell the Leaf battery won't provide 10-20 mile daily mileage in 10 years.

BoatMad · 11-12-2015 2:03pm

Deleted User wrote: »

There's no way in hell the Leaf battery won't provide 10-20 mile daily mileage in 10 years.

you know this because...........???

with the mention of " hell" I'm beginning to think EV is a religion because of all the " faith " involved

Im an atheist

Pfinn07 · 11-12-2015 2:05pm

BoatMad wrote: »

nothing matters other then remaining battery life, since all we have on second gen batteries if about 4 years of data, buying a 3-4 year old leaf and maybe expecting a further 4 years is extremely brave

remember LI battery capacity does not decline linearly , its falls over a cliff at a point in time

Haha you are not helping my optimism, worst case scenario I will be looking to replace battery by which time they may have a less expensive replacement option or just use as trade in for scrappage.
If we want to go down that road an engine could just as likely give problems in a conventional car buying a used vehicle, it is just a matter of suiting my budget at the moment as I would be having to pay out an additional 10k to get a new leaf, I am not willing to burden myself with that extra payment.

BoatMad · 11-12-2015 2:13pm

Pfinn07 wrote: »

Haha you are not helping my optimism, worst case scenario I will be looking to replace battery by which time they may have a less expensive replacement option or just use as trade in for scrappage.

yes, but as yet we have seen no concrete data on battery replacement strategy or its costs , certainly in the near future over the lifetime of your leaf, its likely to be very very expensive to change a battery , a leaf with a effective dead battery will have no trade in value if there isn't an economic replacement path , we simply dont know these things ( back to the " faith" argument again)

If we want to go down that road an engine could just as likely give problems in a conventional car buying a used vehicle, it is just a matter of suiting my budget at the moment as I would be having to pay out an additional 10k to get a new leaf, I am not willing to burden myself with that extra payment.

yes but the costs of repairing a petrol and known, quantifiable amours and typically incremental in nature. replacing the battery pack is likely to be a sudden , very expensive single cost ( if available ) and without it , your car is virtually worthless

if you want to buy a car for emotional reasons , fire away , its your money ,, if you are doing little mileage and are on a budget buy the best 2nd hand petrol you can afford

Nissan Leaf UK import

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