Buying a 4x4 Commercial from the UK

DanGlee

Hi,

I have a question regarding buying a 4x4 (Namely a Nissan Navara) from the UK. Over in the UK (where I'm originally from) as far as I know anybody can go into a showroom and buy a pickup, but here it seems harder because they are commerical.

I was looking at getting a doublecab 05 Navara, they around £4k to £6 (depending on usual milage, condition etc...) but I have a few questions about getting it into Ireland and driving it here legally.

I checked the VRT calculator, but they are not listed? Why is this? and how much would it be (ish?)

If I wanted to tax and insure it here, could I? I know a couple of people that have businesses, so would I be able to go through them for the road tax and or insurance for it? Or would this be deemed super illegal or something!

I really like the car and I live out in the bog and it would be perfect for the roads and they look the biz but I just don't know if I can drive one here unless I own my own business or if I have to find a dodgy way around the system, but still works out that I am legally driving it, registered with Irish plates, insured and taxed...

Any help, hints or experience buying a commerical vehicle from the UK would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
DG.

Hair's Pam

You can buy from the uk alright, anyone can drive a commercial vehicle,plus you'll only pay commercial road tax which is cheaper over here too,
Vrt on All commercials was €50 before the new tax system came in, in july but i dont think it changed much at all i think it was 5%, Some insurance companys have a problem insuring people on them when its just for social and domestic use, but thats just so they cant charge you extra for carring tools if you ask me,

one little thing i would be weary off is the fact i seen a program on utv couple of weeks ago bout Navaras and there giving engine trouble which nissan wont cover, Think there just seizing up, correct me if im wrong.

Best of luck

DanGlee

Thanks HP, thats excellent info. So the only thing I need to worry about is choosing the right insurance company that will insure me and whether I want the Navara now (I'll read some reviews). I need a double cab for the baby seat...! (I drive a smart at the mo... so do the math on the room in that)

Its an awful lot easier getting the commercial than a normal car if the VRT is only a small amount...

Is there not hassle with VAT (do you pay there here or in the UK) I assume if I were a company the only difference would be that I would be claiming that back. So I would think that if I found a car for example for £5k I would have to pay the 15% VAT in the UK, after that I'm good to go, cheap road tax (the father in-law to be has one, said its only €240 per year and its a 2.5L diesel, which is cheap! and insurance... well, I have 10 years NCB, so should be OK with that hopefully!

If I go for this it would be some change from the smart to a big dirty 4x4 narava... haha

thanks again.

Hair's Pam

not sure on the vat end, think you pay customs when your importing it but then again, i bought a car in uk and all i payed was vrt when i came home, commercial could be different, but i doubt it, but as you said you cant claim vat unless your registered.
Pam

Farls

Goto revenue.ie and use the VRT calculator there, choose the 'Type B' vehicle and put in the relevent details.

The VRT will cost you 13.3% of the OMSP in Ireland.

You will have to pay VAT also if your not VAT registered, it's cheapest to just pay this in England when your purchasing the vehicle if thats the case as there VAT rate has recently dropped to 15%, that is of course if VAT has not already been paid on the vehicle.

You should have no problems getting insurance then for social and domestic use here in Ireland

Also the road tax is 270 something euro I think per annum for commercial, I'm too lazy to check my own windscreen!!

Anyway happy motoring!

DanGlee

Oh... because I eventually found a website that said something about VRT for commercial was €100 or something. A set price... which I thought with rip off Ireland was a bit strange (and cheap) because if that was the case everybody would be bringing in commercial from the UK.

Farls

DanGlee wrote: »

Oh... because I eventually found a website that said something about VRT for commercial was €100 or something. A set price... which I thought with rip off Ireland was a bit strange (and cheap) because if that was the case everybody would be bringing in commercial from the UK.

Well now!! Haha

It used to be flat fee of 50 euro but that all changed especially with the money to be made on the crew cabs when they got selling about right!

mrfamilyguy

If you're bringing in a Crew Cab you'll pay 13.3% of the omsp in VRT.

Tax will be somewhere up around the 270, you'll also need to get it doe'd.

Most crewcabs in the uk are priced plus vat which you'll have to pay over there if you dont own a business here. You cant claim it back so best to look out for one owned by a private individual who'll have absorbed the VAT charge.

You wont be liable for any VAT here.

Take a look at nissan-navra.net-some good info from guys in the know.

Ive had mine 6months and its a brilliant jeep for work and play.

Hope that helps, any questions just pm me..

foxhunter

DanGlee wrote: »

Hi,

I have a question regarding buying a 4x4 (Namely a Nissan Navara) from the UK. Over in the UK (where I'm originally from) as far as I know anybody can go into a showroom and buy a pickup, but here it seems harder because they are commerical.

I was looking at getting a doublecab 05 Navara, they around £4k to £6 (depending on usual milage, condition etc...) but I have a few questions about getting it into Ireland and driving it here legally.

I checked the VRT calculator, but they are not listed? Why is this? and how much would it be (ish?)

If I wanted to tax and insure it here, could I? I know a couple of people that have businesses, so would I be able to go through them for the road tax and or insurance for it? Or would this be deemed super illegal or something!

I really like the car and I live out in the bog and it would be perfect for the roads and they look the biz but I just don't know if I can drive one here unless I own my own business or if I have to find a dodgy way around the system, but still works out that I am legally driving it, registered with Irish plates, insured and taxed...

Any help, hints or experience buying a commerical vehicle from the UK would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
DG.

Hi DG there is no problem importing a crew cab of any type into this country
but the law has changed concerning the road tax payable by you .
I know plenty of people that have been refused road tax on these types of vehicle because the did not have a vat number.
The only opyion they had was to tax the vehicle as a private car which costs somewhere in the region of €1200 I think.
I have an L200 myself and when I tried to get private insurance on it I was told it wasn't a private car and it could only be insured commercial so thats what I had to do.
If you tax it commercial you are limited to buisness use and could be fined for using it as your domestic car.

AsphaltRisin'

foxhunter wrote: »

Hi DG there is no problem importing a crew cab of any type into this country
but the law has changed concerning the road tax payable by you .
I know plenty of people that have been refused road tax on these types of vehicle because the did not have a vat number.
The only opyion they had was to tax the vehicle as a private car which costs somewhere in the region of €1200 I think.
I have an L200 myself and when I tried to get private insurance on it I was told it wasn't a private car and it could only be insured commercial so thats what I had to do.
If you tax it commercial you are limited to buisness use and could be fined for using it as your domestic car.

you need to change your insurance company, anyone can drive a commercial as their only car. as long as the little box is ticked on the tax paperwork to say it's not going to be used to carry other people's goods "for hire or reward". Once that's done it's grand. Im on trade insurance now but have had commercial jeeps/pickups/vans as my only vehicle many plenty of times and have even been asked "will you use it for business purposes other than getting to/from work?" i said no and they said fire away basically.

Farls

foxhunter wrote: »

Hi DG there is no problem importing a crew cab of any type into this country
but the law has changed concerning the road tax payable by you .
I know plenty of people that have been refused road tax on these types of vehicle because the did not have a vat number.
The only opyion they had was to tax the vehicle as a private car which costs somewhere in the region of €1200 I think.
I have an L200 myself and when I tried to get private insurance on it I was told it wasn't a private car and it could only be insured commercial so thats what I had to do.
If you tax it commercial you are limited to buisness use and could be fined for using it as your domestic car.

I rang the tax office and asked about this for a Mitsubishi L200 Crew Cab. Woman on phone said 'thats commercial tax' I said 'I don't have a VAT number now is that a problem?' Woman on phone said 'No'

Of course I didn't give any details just made an enquiry, but my local tax office knows nothing of this!!

foxhunter

Farls wrote: »

I rang the tax office and asked about this for a Mitsubishi L200 Crew Cab. Woman on phone said 'thats commercial tax' I said 'I don't have a VAT number now is that a problem?' Woman on phone said 'No'

Of course I didn't give any details just made an enquiry, but my local tax office knows nothing of this!!

It's typical Ireland really farls some of the tax offices will tax a car without nct cert and others wont but down here they are asking for a vat number to tax commercials.
Doctors differ and patients die.

Rochey23

Sorry to dig up an old thread but I'm thinking of getting an old Transit van to tow my race car around instead of using my road car. I have two questions;
If I import a van from the UK where can I find out how much I have to pay to register it?
Do I have to take out a seperate insurance policy for the van or can I transfer my private car insurance to it when I want to drive it as it'd only be used 8 weekends a year?

Many thanks

Farls

Rochey23 wrote: »

Sorry to dig up an old thread but I'm thinking of getting an old Transit van to tow my race car around instead of using my road car. I have two questions;
If I import a van from the UK where can I find out how much I have to pay to register it?
Do I have to take out a seperate insurance policy for the van or can I transfer my private car insurance to it when I want to drive it as it'd only be used 8 weekends a year?

Many thanks

You can check the www.ros.ie website, should find details there under the VRT calculator. Or you could ring your local customs office and find out.

AFAIK you can't transfer private insurance to a commercial vehicle so it would have to be insured seperately.

Hair's Pam

Vrt on any commericial is only €50 euro, you could try and transfer your private car insurance to your van for the weekend you need it, but check with your insu company first as some insurance companies wont allow trasferal of private insurance to comm vehicle

Bitten & Hisses

Hair's Pam wrote: »

Vrt on any commericial is only €50 euro

This is absolutely false. Category C commercials are the only ones which benefit from flat-rate VRT. All other commercials are taxed at 13.5% of their OMSP.

babel

I was looking at buying a commercial Nissan Pathfinder. The motor tax office informed me that I would have to tax it privately as I intend to use for this purpose. I dont think you automatically tax a commercial vehicle with commercial tax rates. It depends on the purpose of it.

Correct me if I am wrong.

Farls

babel wrote: »

I was looking at buying a commercial Nissan Pathfinder. The motor tax office informed me that I would have to tax it privately as I intend to use for this purpose. I dont think you automatically tax a commercial vehicle with commercial tax rates. It depends on the purpose of it.

Correct me if I am wrong.

Its upto you, I've only ever heard people on boards talk about this to be honest. I was asked in the tax office private or commercial I said commercial and not another word about it, I had to bring in a docket with the weight of the vehicle too to do this....cost a tenner to get it weighed at local quarry!