Importing from the UK - definitive guide (Q&A)

copacetic

Soarer wrote: »

I'm not talking about the tax. It's the vrt, and its based on co2 whether the car is 07 or 08.

So basically there's no way of finding out what the vrt will be in January until January?

I know, I was trying to explain that the 07 cars are on the old tax system and 08s on the new.

So you estimating that 08 cars will have similar OMSPs to 07s come January is totally invalid if they are low emissions and hence low tax for 08s and high tax for 07s. 08s will not go down to anything like equivalent.

timmy4u2

The co calculations are clearly defined.

0g/km up to and including 80g/km 14% or €280 whichever is the greater
More than 80g/km up to and including100g/km 15% or €300 whichever is the greater
More than 100g/km up to and including 110g/km 16% or €320 whichever is the greater
More than 110g/km up to and including 120g/km 17% or €340 whichever is the greater
More than 120g/km up to and including 130g/km 18% or €360 whichever is the greater
More than 130g/km up to and including 140g/km 19% or €380 whichever is the greater
More than 140g/km up to and including 155g/km 23% or €460 whichever is the greater
More than 155g/km up to and including 170g/km 27% or €540 whichever is the greater
More than 170g/km up to and including 190g/km 30% or €600 whichever is the greater
More than 190g/km up to and including 225g/km 34% or €680 whichever is the greater
More than 225g/km 36% or €720 whichever is the greater

The change of VRT payable based on age is clearly defined by revenue.

Age VRT Reduction
> 3 months and < or equal to 1 year 10%
> 1 year and < or equal to 2 years 20%
> 2 years and < or equal to 3 years 40%
> 3 years and < or equal to 4 years 50%
> 4 years and < or equal to 5 years 60%
> 5 years and < or equal to 7 years 70%
> 7 years and < or equal to 10 years 80%
> 10 years and < or equal to 30 years 90%
>

Soarer

Thanks Timmy.

So going by those figures, and if I'm reading it right, the vrt on my 2008 car won't change come January as it's now 5 years old, and will be 6 in January?

And the 70% reduction being talked about about is the reduction from new price?

timmy4u2

Soarer wrote: »

Thanks Timmy.

So going by those figures, and if I'm reading it right, the vrt on my 2008 car won't change come January as it's now 5 years old, and will be 6 in January?

And the 70% reduction being talked about about is the reduction from new price?

It is based on the open market selling price plus all taxes levied in the state, if applicable.

Open market based selling price can fluctuate. It can go up if there is a demand for such a car. An example of this is when, not too long ago, those bringing in a Ford Capri that was perhaps a year away from pension-30 years old- were charged €1180.00 VRT.

And remember that going for a 08 car especially for the co2 road fund license can backfire on you.
Some cars, for instance some types of Focus and Astras, just to mention two, can actually be dearer to tax on co.
If you import a car first registered between Jan 08 and July 08 you can choose which taxing regime you want to go for.

timmy4u2

Revenue Operational Manual 8.3Valuation of Used Vehicles 8.3.1 Determination of the OMSP In order to calculate the amount of VRT to be applied to a used vehicle imported into the State, Revenue is required to determine the price, inclusive of all taxes and duties, which, in the opinion of the Commissioners, the vehicle might reasonably be expected to fetch on a first arm’s length sale thereof in the State by retail. This is known as the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP). Used vehicles may be divided into 3 groups: 1.Used vehicles where the identical model is currently available new and for which an OMSP has been declared by a manufacturer or sole wholesale distributor; 2.Used vehicles where the identical model, while not currently available, was available at some stage in the past and for which an OMSP was declared by a manufacturer or sole wholesale distributor; 3.Used vehicles where the identical model was not available on the Irish market and for which an OMSP was never declared by a manufacturer or sole wholesale distributor. This group will include:       Vehicles for which “similar models” are or were available in the UK, or Northern Ireland market, but not in the State; Used vehicles from Japan; Used vehicles from other countries; Modified vehicles; Motor caravans; Classic/collectible vehicles. 8.3.1.1 Used vehicles where it is possible to determine values on the basis of market values within the State This will normally apply in the case of vehicles, referred to at 1 and 2 above, which are or were at some time distributed as new vehicles in the State and were at some time the subject of a declaration of OMSP by a sole wholesale distributor. OMSPs of used vehicles will be directly related to the current market prices for vehicles of the same make, model and version with the equivalent specification in the State. These prices will be determined following research of trade data (e.g. price lists, sales guides, websites, direct enquiries with trade sources). For vehicles that are no longer available as new vehicles, the last retail price as new, will be used as the current OMSP. 8.3.1.2 Used cars where it is not possible to determine values on direct comparison with market values in the State

testicle

Anyone happen to know if the VRT rates on revenue.ie have been updated yet?

timmy4u2

testicle wrote: »

Anyone happen to know if the VRT rates on revenue.ie have been updated yet?

It is not that simple. Many matters have to be taken into consideration.

Mr Justice R Murphy ajudicated last March in a long running case brought by UCII-Used Car Importers Irl Ltd-V Revenue on the basis of the application of VRT.
Incidentally he ruled in favour of the Government:D .
This is a link to the judgement as it is too long to post the full judgement here.

LINK
http://www.courts.ie/Judgments.nsf/597645521f07ac9a80256ef30048ca52/34bc1c12226375c380257b430050267e?OpenDocument

If you skip the first several pages you will get a very good insight into how VRT is applied and calculated.
It is long but very interesting as I do not know where else you will get such a comprehensive insight into the workings of the application of VRT.

sunnysoutheast

Insurers who do / do not insure UK-reg car?

Hi all - does anyone know of any Irish insurers who definitely will not insure a UK-reg car in Ireland, or those who definitely will (obviously subject to usual underwriting criteria)?

Reason for the question is that we only have 3g internet and no landline at the mo, and it's very difficult searching on it so I'd like to narrow it down if possible.

Thanks a million!

timmy4u2

sunnysoutheast wrote: »

Insurers who do / do not insure UK-reg car?

Hi all - does anyone know of any Irish insurers who definitely will not insure a UK-reg car in Ireland, or those who definitely will (obviously subject to usual underwriting criteria)?

Reason for the question is that we only have 3g internet and no landline at the mo, and it's very difficult searching on it so I'd like to narrow it down if possible.

Thanks a million!

Without checking it out and as you are posting in the VRT thread I am assuming that you are asking the question as you are importing such a vehicle.
In that scenario I would not expect any insurance Company not to quote but all Insurance Companies must inform the Authorities if the vehicle so insured is not registered on Irish plates within 30 days.

Soarer

We're with Aviva, and they covered us no problem. Even sent us out a cert and disc with the English number on it.

The_Conductor

Soarer wrote: »

We're with Aviva, and they covered us no problem. Even sent us out a cert and disc with the English number on it.

Ditto Axa, and Zurich.

DieselPowered

timmy4u2 wrote: »

but all Insurance Companies must inform the Authorities if the vehicle so insured is not registered on Irish plates within 30 days.

Its 42 days actually, but this could vary between companies. A couple of years ago it was as high as 60 days before they notified Revenue.

bazz26

Most insurance companies will temporarily cover you on UK plates but the best thing to do is check with them prior to arranging cover.

timmy4u2

DieselPowered wrote: »

Its 42 days actually, but this could vary between companies. A couple of years ago it was as high as 60 days before they notified Revenue.

To get the exact information out there the Finance Act requires the Insurance Companies to inform the revenue on a monthly basis all policies that have been issued for A period in excess of 42 days

sunnysoutheast

timmy4u2 wrote: »

Without checking it out and as you are posting in the VRT thread I am assuming that you are asking the question as you are importing such a vehicle.
In that scenario I would not expect any insurance Company not to quote but all Insurance Companies must inform the Authorities if the vehicle so insured is not registered on Irish plates within 30 days.

Cheers for the information all

We are actually re-importing a car which was Irish in the first place (we moved back to Ireland just before Xmas) and was re-registered in the UK.

I think my missus was insured with 123.ie beforehand so we'll try them first!

djPSB

If a dealer has a car listed for say £9000 on Autotrader, what would one be expecting to buy it for? Without trading in a car.

djPSB

Also, would I be in right in saying that if a car has one year UK MOT on it, it has still has to be NCTed straight away once bought and brought down South.

discombobulate

djPSB wrote: »

If a dealer has a car listed for say £9000 on Autotrader, what would one be expecting to buy it for? Without trading in a car.

No way of saying. My experience is that they have little wiggle room in UK garages. You might get some off if there's a long warranty as your unlikely to use it if your exporting the car etc. At a guess £8,500 minimum. Will also depend on how long they've had the car etc.

djPSB wrote: »

Also, would I be in right in saying that if a car has one year UK MOT on it, it has still has to be NCTed straight away once bought and brought down South.

Yes NCT required even if it has MOT

timmy4u2

discombobulate wrote: »

No way of saying. My experience is that they have little wiggle room in UK garages. You might get some off if there's a long warranty as your unlikely to use it if your exporting the car etc. At a guess £8,500 minimum. Will also depend on how long they've had the car etc.


Yes NCT required even if it has MOT

+1

djPSB

discombobulate wrote: »

No way of saying. My experience is that they have little wiggle room in UK garages. You might get some off if there's a long warranty as your unlikely to use it if your exporting the car etc. At a guess £8,500 minimum. Will also depend on how long they've had the car etc.


Yes NCT required even if it has MOT

I will most likely be buying from the North so the warranty may be of use. A warranty from the North is still valid even though the car is exported right?

discombobulate

djPSB wrote: »

I will most likely be buying from the North so the warranty may be of use. A warranty from the North is still valid even though the car is exported right?

Yes warranty would be valid. Cars are generally priced higher than mainland UK in the North though due to the ease of importing compared to going over the UK. Level of discount would be purely speculation though. Some garages price cars tight to sell quick for low margins. Others will be happy to hold onto them for a while etc.

What are you looking to buy?

djPSB

These are some of the cars I have my eye on. Any feedback appreciated.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201311230105581/sort/default/usedcars/radius/1500/ni-only/on/fuel-type/diesel/model/golf/engine-size-cars/1-4l_to_1-6l/make/volkswagen/postcode/bt39jp/maximum-age/up_to_5_years_old/price-to/9500/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/page/1?logcode=p


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201312050346566/sort/default/usedcars/price-to/9500/maximum-age/up_to_5_years_old/engine-size-cars/1-4l_to_1-6l/model/golf/ni-only/on/radius/1500/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/make/volkswagen/page/3/fuel-type/diesel/postcode/bt39jp?logcode=p

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201311220076988/sort/default/usedcars/price-to/9500/maximum-age/up_to_5_years_old/engine-size-cars/1-4l_to_1-6l/model/golf/ni-only/on/radius/1500/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/make/volkswagen/page/3/fuel-type/diesel/postcode/bt39jp?logcode=p

Harcrid

djPSB wrote: »

I will most likely be buying from the North so the warranty may be of use. A warranty from the North is still valid even though the car is exported right?

It depends what warranty it is. If its a dealer warranty you will most likely have to bring the car back to them for any work. If its a manufacturers warranty then it should be covered down here in the manufacturers dealer network, depending on how long the warranty is for.

Bear in mind that sometimes the UK warranty on a car may be for longer than the Irish warranty. For example in the past Audi offered a 3 year UK warranty in the UK but only 1 year in Ireland. So if you imported a UK Audi then you were covered in Irish dealers for the first year but would have had to visit a UK dealer for any work that needed to be done in years 2 and 3.

discombobulate

djPSB wrote: »

These are some of the cars I have my eye on. Any feedback appreciated.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201311230105581/sort/default/usedcars/radius/1500/ni-only/on/fuel-type/diesel/model/golf/engine-size-cars/1-4l_to_1-6l/make/volkswagen/postcode/bt39jp/maximum-age/up_to_5_years_old/price-to/9500/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/page/1?logcode=p


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201312050346566/sort/default/usedcars/price-to/9500/maximum-age/up_to_5_years_old/engine-size-cars/1-4l_to_1-6l/model/golf/ni-only/on/radius/1500/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/make/volkswagen/page/3/fuel-type/diesel/postcode/bt39jp?logcode=p

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201311220076988/sort/default/usedcars/price-to/9500/maximum-age/up_to_5_years_old/engine-size-cars/1-4l_to_1-6l/model/golf/ni-only/on/radius/1500/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/make/volkswagen/page/3/fuel-type/diesel/postcode/bt39jp?logcode=p

Have you had a look in Ireland also?

I just did a quick search and any of these would likely come in around the same price after VRT is added on:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/10-vw-golf-1-6-tdi-cline/6204282

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/vw-golf-2010/6225812

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2010-vw-golf-1-6-tdi-new-model/6066099

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2010-volkswagen-golf-1-6-tdi-s-diesel/5471543

The cars you linked would be €10-11k plus around €2k VRT. Here's all 2010 Golfs under €13k in Ireland on DoneDeal

djPSB

discombobulate wrote: »

Have you had a look in Ireland also?

I just did a quick search and any of these would likely come in around the same price after VRT is added on:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/10-vw-golf-1-6-tdi-cline/6204282

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/vw-golf-2010/6225812

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2010-vw-golf-1-6-tdi-new-model/6066099

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2010-volkswagen-golf-1-6-tdi-s-diesel/5471543

The cars you linked would be €10-11k plus around €2k VRT. Here's all 2010 Golfs under €13k in Ireland on DoneDeal

I have looked on done deal etc.

Alot of these cars seem to have been imported too and they seem to import quite low spec models with the hope of making a few pound on them.

I would prefer to go up and pick out a spec that I like myself, with service history and a warranty too.

timmy4u2

Harcrid wrote: »

It depends what warranty it is. If its a dealer warranty you will most likely have to bring the car back to them for any work. If its a manufacturers warranty then it should be covered down here in the manufacturers dealer network, depending on how long the warranty is for.

Bear in mind that sometimes the UK warranty on a car may be for longer than the Irish warranty. For example in the past Audi offered a 3 year UK warranty in the UK but only 1 year in Ireland. So if you imported a UK Audi then you were covered in Irish dealers for the first year but would have had to visit a UK dealer for any work that needed to be done in years 2 and 3.

Was that not successfully challenged?
I find that an Englishman moves very little from his original price. No like some Irish sharks who up the price and will quite happily sell at perhaps €2000 higher to a buyer who does not know how to break him down when he is prepared to drop the price by that amount to a seasoned bargainer

discombobulate

djPSB wrote: »

I have looked on done deal etc.

Alot of these cars seem to have been imported too and they seem to import quite low spec models with the hope of making a few pound on them.

I would prefer to go up and pick out a spec that I like myself, with service history and a warranty too.

Didn't look much into the spec etc. Didn't see much in this one for example other than the upgraded alloys. I'd imagine you'd get a better deal looking in mainland UK also but wouldn't have the warranty unless it was a VW dealer.

Also keep in mind if your not near the garage that if you need to use the warranty and the car is broken down etc. it might cost you a lot to get it to the garage up North or you may do further damage on the drive up etc.

If it's spec your after i'd look in mainland UK and get an AA check done on the car personally rather than a warranty. I'd put more value in that than a 6 month warranty from a garage I don't know much about.

djPSB

discombobulate wrote: »

Didn't look much into the spec etc. Didn't see much in this one for example other than the upgraded alloys. I'd imagine you'd get a better deal looking in mainland UK also but wouldn't have the warranty unless it was a VW dealer.

Also keep in mind if your not near the garage that if you need to use the warranty and the car is broken down etc. it might cost you a lot to get it to the garage up North or you may do further damage on the drive up etc.

If it's spec your after i'd look in mainland UK and get an AA check done on the car personally rather than a warranty. I'd put more value in that than a 6 month warranty from a garage I don't know much about.

Tbh the warranty to me is almost just a guarantee from the dealer the car is genuine. I suppose in most instances a 3/6 month warranty isn't used. If a dealer isn't willing to offer a 6 month warranty with a car then it wouldn't fill me with confidence.

djPSB

Also you mention I should get an AA check done.

Does this cover HPI check and RAC check and how long does it usually take to get these checks done?

Any other checks like this that need to be done?

discombobulate

djPSB wrote: »

Also you mention I should get an AA check done.

Does this cover HPI check and RAC check and how long does it usually take to get these checks done?

Any other checks like this that need to be done?

Yup covered the HPI as far as i remember. I got it done 2 days after ringing. Dealers by law have to give a 3 month warranty anyway.

Plenty of threads here though about dealers not standing over a warranty though. If a warranty is a big must then buy from a dealer or garage recommended to you.

The AA check is pricy but their very very detailed and they ring you to point out anything they see wrong. Even slight scrapes etc. as well as provide a report.