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

Isambard

I suppose with the UK road tax situation, they don't want the hastle of tickets coming in to them if he drives off with it still in their name, thus they want to transfer it to his name, which can't be done, and they are willing to lose a sale rather than have the hastle.

Fingal Raven1

Hi, I spoke to them there, they said they can't let me drive off with no tax, they could transport to the port or they said use someone in England's address

DrZeuss

Fingal Raven1 wrote: »

Hi, I spoke to them there, they said they can't let me drive off with no tax, they could transport to the port or they said use someone in England's address

Ah that seems understandable alright.
I know I tried unsuccessfully to tax a car over in the UK, I tried a few different address's but the UK gov online system wouldn't accept any of them.

If they can transport it to the port for you that would be all the better, takes away a lot of hassle for you.

bazz26

Fingal Raven1 wrote: »

Hi, I spoke to them there, they said they can't let me drive off with no tax, they could transport to the port or they said use someone in England's address

They can tax it for you for 6 months using their address or another UK address and your debit/credit card. They may not want to use theirs though.

Amouar

I paid for the UK road tax using my revolut card and it worked without the need of a UK address.

Grumpypants

Did my VRT today and got my new Irish plates, just have to tax it tomorrow and I'm fully legit. Now I'm finished here are a few thoughts on the process.

1. It is much much easier than I thought. Once I found the car I got an AA inspection and a Carcheck done. Once both came back ok I booked a weekend off and I flew over with Ryanair for €50 on Friday evening. And drove 500+miles home on Saturday. And it was a breeze. Cruise control on the motorway, and good talk radio on and the time flew.

2. Ferry home, pay for the Premium ticket. It was about €20-30 more but you can cancel up to 2 hours before setting off for free. Just in case you get delayed. You also get into the Premium lounge and can watch TV, have a coffee/Tea, glass of wine, coke etc. Some fruit and crips all for free. You can order decent food to purchase, and you are first off the boat on the other side.

3. Logbook - Download the DVLA booklet called (INS160) and send it to the seller beforehand. This explains what the seller has to do when the buyer is from outside the UK. IE They give you all the V5C form. Otherwise, it can get awkward as he will want to fill it out and post it to Swansea. But you need it to register the car here.

4. Don't rule out Private Sales. I spent a long time looking at cars from garages that were clearly ex-company cars. I found mine from with in the EV community. It was very reasonable money from someone who loved electric vehicles. (He was upgrading both his wife and his own to full EV). The seller was very honest, the car was as he described, in great condition, fully spec'd with lots of extras. I even stayed with him and the family the night before so I would be rested for the drive home!

5. VRT inspection today was fine, I didn't bring the right utility bills and she let me email her a bank statement while I was waiting for the test to start. Picked up the plates too. Final fee was €1509, exactly what the calculator said. (You get up to €2500 off your VRT if you buy a Plug-in Hybrid)

6. The MOT counts as an NCT here. You can fill out a form and get an NCT disk to match the MOT date. It is free at the moment.


Overall:
Car was £13K (€14,450)
VRT €1509
Flights, Ferry, Petrol, Food. = 51, 150, 80, 20 = €301
Car inspections €200

Total = €16,460.

Average on Carzone = €23,260

So around €6-7k saved. And that's not even including the 2K in extra's that were added.

DrZeuss

Grumpypants wrote: »

...

2. Ferry home, pay for the Premium ticket. It was about €20-30 more but you can cancel up to 2 hours before setting off for free. Just in case you get delayed. You also get into the Premium lounge and can watch TV, have a coffee/Tea, glass of wine, coke etc. Some fruit and crips all for free. You can order decent food to purchase, and you are first off the boat on the other side.

...

Yep, highly recommended.
I bought premium too with the same plan as yourself, some free food and coffee with a guaranteed seat and first on/off too.
But my booked ferry was cancelled and the later one didn't have any premium so the guy at the desk offered a private bunk which was absolute music to my ears.... a few hours kip went down a treat, the premium easily paid for itself!

Brussels Sprout

Is there a price differential between buying cars in the North of England and the South (all else being equal)?

plodder

Grumpypants wrote: »

6. The MOT counts as an NCT here. You can fill out a form and get an NCT disk to match the MOT date. It is free at the moment.

Wasn't aware of that. What documentation do they need to do that?

I agree with the rest of what you said. What I've found is that main dealers (in NI at least)
are very familiar with export procedures, but private sellers or even Joe Soap type dealers
operating out of their house are not, and it's essential to clear it with them before hand
that they give the whole form to you. Learned that one the hard way.

Grumpypants

plodder wrote: »

Wasn't aware of that. What documentation do they need to do that?

I agree with the rest of what you said. What I've found is that main dealers (in NI at least)
are very familiar with export procedures, but private sellers or even Joe Soap type dealers
operating out of their house are not, and it's essential to clear it with them before hand
that they give the whole form to you. Learned that one the hard way.

https://www.ncts.ie/1112

If you import a second hand vehicle from another EU Member State and the vehicle has a current EU Roadworthiness Certificate, you can have the unexpired portion of the certificate recognised by exchanging your out-of-state roadworthiness certificate for an Irish issued EU recognition certificate.

In order to obtain an EU recognition certificate for a private vehicle you must complete an Mutual Recognition Application Form and return the completed application form and required fee of €15.50 (this fee is being waived until further notice) with the original or a certified true copy of the out of state roadworthiness certificate (if the certificate is not in English, please ensure you provide a translation of the certificate in the English language) to the following postal address: Certificate Administrator, Applus Car Testing Service Ltd, Citywest Business Campus, Lakedrive 3026, Naas Road, Dublin 24, D24 RC8V.

The Irish issued EU recognition roadworthiness certificate will be issued by post to the current registered owner of the vehicle.



Further information on the importation of your vehicle can be found on the VRT section of this website and also by visiting Revenue

Amouar

Now that I received my car registration certificate, the import process is officially completed therefore I feel like this is a good time to share my full experience.

I decided to look for a car in Liverpool, Manchester and cities around them (within 40 miles), and found the car that I wanted for sale in a main dealer in Preston.

They had a video of the car and plenty of photos which gave me a great idea on the condition of the car.

I decided to give them a call to know more about it, and I told them that I would like to arrange for an AA inspection. They told me that I'm welcome to do so, but they do a lot of checks on cars before taking them and they can share with me their full inspection report (over 150 points check) that their mechanic did for the car when they accepted it for trade in. They also sent me an HPI check free of charge.

The HPI check and their comprehensive inspection report were enough for me therefore I didn't need to get the AA inspection done. I paid a 250£ deposit on the phone and they agreed to hold the car for me for 2 weeks. This gave me enough time to find cheap Ryanair and ferry tickets. I booked the earliest flight to Manchester, and the latest possible return, all for 25 euros. I booked a return flight in case I decide to not buy the car. I also booked a premium ferry ticket which I could cancel free of charge up to 2 hours before departure.

I booked a VRT appointment before traveling and was able to find an appointment in 4 days after my intended return date. (I highly recommend booking the VRT appointment before traveling in order to secure a date within a short time of bringing the car to Ireland).

After test driving the car, I decided to buy it and I used Revolut and N26 debit card to pay for the car. The reason why I used both is that Revolut has a daily card limit of 5000 euros, therefore I paid the balance using N26. I also used Revolut card to pay for the UK road tax. Using these cards saved me a decent amount in currency exchange fees.

After receiving the full V5C, the service book, the MOT certificate and a dated invoice, I drove to Holyhead.

The ferry experience was very good and I enjoyed the premium lounge. I was also first to get into the ferry and first to get out

Went to the VRT appointment and it took about 20 minutes to complete everything and to receive my Irish reg number. Got the plates done and drilled to the car and contacted the insurance to change to the Irish reg. I also sent the MOT to the NCT and received my NCT certificate in the post.

I also sent a letter to the DVLA in Swansea to claim a tax refund.

Overall, it was a very painless process which saved me around 2000 Euros compared to the price of similar cars in donedeal and carzone and these cars have a higher mileage.

bonkers67

What did you buy?

Amouar

bonkers67 wrote: »

What did you buy?

Peugeot 3008

uck51js9zml2yt

We're did you buy from?

Samson1

Amouar wrote: »

After test driving the car, I decided to buy it and I used Revolut and N26 debit card to pay for the car. The reason why I used both is that Revolut has a daily card limit of 5000 euros, therefore I paid the balance using N26. I also used Revolut card to pay for the UK road tax. Using these cards saved me a decent amount in currency exchange fees.

.

Do you know what the daily limit for the N26 debit card is please?

Amouar

Samson1 wrote: »

Do you know what the daily limit for the N26 debit card is please?

It's 5000 euros as well.

Doug Stamper

Would just like to add my positive experience of importing from the UK. Without this thread I wouldn't have been able to start looking never mind get a car bought!

Bought a Skoda Octavia 2015.

Having decided on my budget and car I wanted I searched online and narrowed down my searches by going for high specced Elegance or SE L in the colours I liked. I contacted all the sellers by email and then chose the one I'd like to get checked by Dekra.

First one was with CarTime in Bury - absolute disaster! Very poor to deal with and in the end complete liars - thank goodness I got Dekra to inspect the car - a crock of ****! Very poor customer service. Would advise all to avoid.

Then spotted an identical model in Leeds Motor Company - contacted by email and then phone. Very upfront and easy to deal with. It was a ex Lex Autolease with only one key. All sorted and inspected within 3-4 days with flight and ferry booked.
Flew to Leeds and collected by garage. Transferred the money by Transfermate. They were really helpful - problems with PTSB transfer but they got it sorted for me (PTSB a disaster to deal with!). Money was transferred within two hours after me giving the go ahead.

Car was as expected from the salesman's report (Kevin) and my Dekra report. Drove out of garage in 20mins - very seemless. Car was taxed by garage. Only downside the car had very little fuel (petrol station next door) but that was more down to my poor haggling skills than anything :rolleyes:

Got a ferry from Hollyhead - nice drive, stopped off in Bangor for lunch a stretch of the legs (to buy gifts for kids etc).
Got ferry on time & back to Dublin & home. Could have made an earlier sailing but it was cancelled.

Overall saved €4.5k on a lesser spec in my local dealer (including VRT €2.5k, inspections, spare key €130 & my travel expenses).
Very enjoyable experience, besides the CarTime BS! but this just showed me the value of getting a Dekra inspection done. Well worth the extra bit of work and the saving was great - but should have gone for a Superb :cool: (need more space!!).

Mervyn Skidmore

What's the best UK car checker website? Checking a NI reg.

omri

Mervyn Skidmore wrote: »

What's the best UK car checker website? Checking a NI reg.

Motorcheck does UK and Irish. Not sure if they're best but that's the one I used.

darragh o meara

Has anyone bought a used VW with warranty and managed to get warranty coverage over here? I'm currently looking at a 2015 Passat CC and trying to weigh up the advantages of buying from a main dealer over a non main dealer. If this Das welt auto warranty works here it seems a no brainer.

P_Cash

can someone tell me if i done my deal on a Saturday in the UK, does transferwise process work at the weekend?

does transferwise pay and will it show in the Dealers bank account all on the same day ( at the weekend)

regards
P Cash

CrankyHaus

omri wrote: »

Motorcheck does UK and Irish. Not sure if they're best but that's the one I used.

I don't think they give the same detail on each MOT as some UK services which list all fails and advisories in detail.

I found Totalcarcheck.co.uk to be good.

P_Cash wrote: »

can someone tell me if i done my deal on a Saturday in the UK, does transferwise process work at the weekend?

does transferwise pay and will it show in the Dealers bank account all on the same day ( at the weekend)

regards
P Cash

I have been told it does not.

darragh o meara

P_Cash wrote: »

can someone tell me if i done my deal on a Saturday in the UK, does transferwise process work at the weekend?

does transferwise pay and will it show in the Dealers bank account all on the same day ( at the weekend)

regards
P Cash

Best way to confirm is to ring them, Could be a bit hit and miss on a weekend though, banks aren't the quickest to respond when not open.

darragh o meara

darragh o meara wrote: »

Has anyone bought a used VW with warranty and managed to get warranty coverage over here? I'm currently looking at a 2015 Passat CC and trying to weigh up the advantages of buying from a main dealer over a non main dealer. If this Das welt auto warranty works here it seems a no brainer.

Just got a definitive answer from the dealer, Warranty is not valid here in Ireland unless I can bring the car to the North

omri

darragh o meara wrote: »

Just got a definitive answer from the dealer, Warranty is not valid here in Ireland unless I can bring the car to the North

You should check with vw ireland maybe rather than a dealer.

masit

darragh o meara wrote: »

Just got a definitive answer from the dealer, Warranty is not valid here in Ireland unless I can bring the car to the North

Its a bit of mix I think. Bought a Golf up north last year from a VW main dealer who said I'd have to bring it back to them for any work that needed doing. I had a 2015 passat and got some work done on it under warrenty by my local VW garage. Brother in law had a 2007 passat from the UK and the injectors went on it and they were replaced under warranty here too. Even if you ring VW Ireland direct just to be sure.

darragh o meara

masit wrote: »

Its a bit of mix I think. Bought a Golf up north last year from a VW main dealer who said I'd have to bring it back to them for any work that needed doing. I had a 2015 passat and got some work done on it under warrenty by my local VW garage. Brother in law had a 2007 passat from the UK and the injectors went on it and they were replaced under warranty here too. Even if you ring VW Ireland direct just to be sure.

I made a call to VW Ireland yesterday. The Das Welt Auto warranty that a 2nd hand car is sold with doesn't apply in Irish garages but any portion of the remaining manufacturers warranty does apply as does subsequent future recalls etc.

Having spoken to the UK dealer, he is happy to reduce the cost of the car somewhat to reflect the fact that the 1 yr warranty will not work for me.

Brussels Sprout

Does anyone have any experience of buying privately from the UK?

I'm just wondering should I be ruling it out entirely. I am particularly interested if any of the following would present extra difficulties for that kind of sale:

• obtaining the V5C form
• Paying the short term Motor Tax
• Getting an AA/Dekra check done
• Making the payment to the seller

If you have done this in the past would you mind briefly outlining the steps you went though with the above?

Harcrid

I've bought privately in the UK but all were cars outside of the manufacturers warranty period. I didn't see any point buying from a dealer and paying a premium for their own warranty that was going to be of no use to me. One of the main things is to educate the seller as to the process and sending them the DVLA link that shows them the steps they need to do helps.

The other complication is that with a dealer you can at least have some understanding of their reputation and reliability whereas dealing with a private seller you have to go with your gut and get a feel for the person and the car based on your conversation with them. Sometimes getting the car inspected can be trickier as you are reliant on co-operation from the seller and the car is not sitting like in a dealer easily ready to inspect at any time. So there is some more leg work involved with private sales.

Amouar

Harcrid wrote: »

I've bought privately in the UK but all were cars outside of the manufacturers warranty period. I didn't see any point buying from a dealer and paying a premium for their own warranty that was going to be of no use to me. One of the main things is to educate the seller as to the process and sending them the DVLA link that shows them the steps they need to do helps.

The other complication is that with a dealer you can at least have some understanding of their reputation and reliability whereas dealing with a private seller you have to go with your gut and get a feel for the person and the car based on your conversation with them. Sometimes getting the car inspected can be trickier as you are reliant on co-operation from the seller and the car is not sitting like in a dealer easily ready to inspect at any time. So there is some more leg work involved with private sales.

It's not only the warranty that comes from the dealer, but also the consumer rights. This means that even if the warranty is useless, if they end up selling you a car with mechanical faults, then you'll have some rights, and the seller must rectify the problems even if this means bringing the car back to the UK if it's a serious issue.