importing car from uk

foureyes

do the same rules apply to buying and importing a brand new car from uk as apply to second hand buying and importing i.e vrt etc ?
can i purchase a new car in uk or must it be 2nd hand ?

DJ Hafez

foureyes wrote: »

do the same rules apply to buying and importing a brand new car from uk as apply to second hand buying and importing i.e vrt etc ?
can i purchase a new car in uk or must it be 2nd hand ?

AFAIK, the mileage has to be over 6000km and be 6 months old or else you will be required to pay VAT on top of the price.

Invincible

foureyes wrote: »

do the same rules apply to buying and importing a brand new car from uk as apply to second hand buying and importing i.e vrt etc ?
can i purchase a new car in uk or must it be 2nd hand ?

As DJ correctly stated,6 months registered in uk and 6k on clock,you'll get a better spec model though and will avail of new road tax and Vrt with 08 model.

Esel

Afaik, you should be able to buy it ex-VAT in the UK if you can prove you are exporting it.

Dwilly

esel wrote: »

Afaik, you should be able to buy it ex-VAT in the UK if you can prove you are exporting it.

I think that's only if the car is VAT qualifying and also if you're VAT registered in another EU state

dihedral8

Hi im pretty much in the same boat. Going to buy a second hand vauxhall astra 08 diesel, from cargiant.co.uk in lomdon. basically im hoping to get a better spec car and cleaner with lower mileage. my question, is it worth bringing a car from england with the vrt, ferry, fuel etc?

foureyes

hi there dihedral8,
it was 3 years ago when i went over and purchased a 2007 ford galaxy .
I flew to liverpool on friday , taxi to chester , hotel overnight,bought car on saturday morning € 14000,headed home via fast ferry from holyhead , was at home at 8.30pm saturday night, paid vrt €13000 on monday - saved €9000 compared to irish prices even by spending €800 on travel over and back.
I wouldnt be sure of the savings to be made now as if you had a lump of money and went into a garage here I imagine they would nearly strip naked and lay down in front of you just to make a sale.They have acres of cars and no cash buyers and this puts you in the driving seat , also if you buy here you shouldnt have any hassle with warranties - mind you having said that I had to bring the galaxy to my local ford garage in late 2009 and they fixed it under fords european guarantee which pleasantly surprised me.
Best of luck whatever way you go .

Goreygal

Hi all

I'm also considering purchasing in the UK as I am driving over any way in a couple of months and would like some advice please to those of you who know:

• how do you insure the car to get it home?
• how do I work out how much VRT I would have to pay?
• How long do I have to sort out paying VRT etc once I get it back here?

With thanks

Carr

foureyes

Hi Goreygal,
when i went over to purchase I knew the registration number of the uk car I was buying and had the insurance switched from my old car .
The revenue have an on line calculator - www.ros.ie for the vrt so just input the uk car details and you will get the cost. Also I think you technically have something like 24 hours to change the plates back here and pay your vrt and if you don't do it by that timeline the customs people can seize your car and leave you standing on the side of the road.
Best of luck

Goreygal

Thanks

nogoodnamesleft

foureyes wrote: »

Hi Goreygal,
when i went over to purchase I knew the registration number of the uk car I was buying and had the insurance switched from my old car .
The revenue have an on line calculator - www.ros.ie for the vrt so just input the uk car details and you will get the cost. Also I think you technically have something like 24 hours to change the plates back here and pay your vrt and if you don't do it by that timeline the customs people can seize your car and leave you standing on the side of the road.
Best of luck

It was the case that you had to in theory declare the vehicle to customs within 24 hours of importing the car however this has changed. You now have 7 days in which to make an appointment to have the ex-uk vehicle inspected by an NCT center (who are handling the VRT farce).

You from when you pay the VRT ( you will be given a receipt which includes your new Irish registration) you have 3 days in which to get your new Irish plates printed and on the car (at least this was the case when I imported in 2007).

dihedral8

foureyes wrote: »

hi there dihedral8,
it was 3 years ago when i went over and purchased a 2007 ford galaxy .
I flew to liverpool on friday , taxi to chester , hotel overnight,bought car on saturday morning € 14000,headed home via fast ferry from holyhead , was at home at 8.30pm saturday night, paid vrt €13000 on monday - saved €9000 compared to irish prices even by spending €800 on travel over and back.
I wouldnt be sure of the savings to be made now as if you had a lump of money and went into a garage here I imagine they would nearly strip naked and lay down in front of you just to make a sale.They have acres of cars and no cash buyers and this puts you in the driving seat , also if you buy here you shouldnt have any hassle with warranties - mind you having said that I had to bring the galaxy to my local ford garage in late 2009 and they fixed it under fords european guarantee which pleasantly surprised me.
Best of luck whatever way you go .

hi 4 eyes. jesus i cant believe the amount you paid in vrt which is the percentage of tax on the vehicle! anyway thanks very much for your help. It definately answers my question i think. Thing is i would only be spending about 10,000 euro inc vrt, so may not be worth my while. I know the Vauxhall astra, diesel 5dr hb will have 17 alloys etc, etc which i could not care less about but it looks like the same car at home will not have any of these extra features but still be more expensive. I would not look at going to England as being a hassle at all since i will be going there from germany where i am working, on the way to ireland.THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR HELP

dihedral8

Esel wrote: »

Afaik, you should be able to buy it ex-VAT in the UK if you can prove you are exporting it.

Hi. I am registered for vat in rep. of Ireland as i work for myself as a sole trader carpenter. First of all: am i exempt from paying the vat on the car im buying in London because of this? And how do you prove you are exporting car, ferry ticket? thanks

Esel

dihedral8 wrote: »

Hi. I am registered for vat in rep. of Ireland as i work for myself as a sole trader carpenter. First of all: am i exempt from paying the vat on the car im buying in London because of this? And how do you prove you are exporting car, ferry ticket? thanks

I don't know the answer to the VAT question, I'm afraid. You could check this with Revenue.

On the exportation proof: I never heard this mentioned before - after all, you don't know you are exporting the car until you actually buy it. I don't think there is any explicit need to prove this as such.