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

DieselPowered

randy hickey wrote: »

So, to be clear, you are saying that Manufacturer's Warranty can ONLY be honoured if you buy the car in question from a dealer?

No, I'm saying that on some second hand car sales from UK main dealers inside or outside of original warranty, you may get a specific extra years warranty from the dealer that is transferable to Ireland, you won't get any extra warranty from a private sale.

Original warranty may or may not be covered in Ireland on transfer, each brand may be different, but you have a better chance to find this out through a dealer.

Main dealers will/should include mileage/history HPI check, service, valet, as part of your purchase cost.

randy hickey

DieselPowered wrote: »

No, I'm saying that on some second hand car sales from UK main dealers inside or outside of original warranty, you may get a specific extra years warranty from the dealer that is transferable to Ireland, you won't get any extra warranty from a private sale.

Original warranty may or may not be covered in Ireland on transfer, each brand may be different, but you have a better chance to find this out through a dealer.

Main dealers will/should include mileage/history HPI check, service, valet, as part of your purchase cost.

I've genuinely never heard of this happening ( i.e.the bit in bold type).

Are you 100% this happens?

DieselPowered

randy hickey wrote: »

I've genuinely never heard of this happening ( i.e.the bit in bold type).

Are you 100% this happens?

OK - with BMW for example, when you purchase a new car, you can buy extra warranty (covers servicing, oil changes, brake pads, etc) called service inclusive for say €400. To purchase this after the car is sold (if you decide later) could cost you say €1400.

Some UK main BMW dealers may offer this for free with second hand car sales as an incentive to purchase from them. (so you are getting extra warranty that you normally would not get on a second hand car). There is no way to get this free from a private sale (unless the owner purchased it new from the dealer at the time and then it is transferrable).

randy hickey

So this "extra" warranty(NOT Manufacture's Warranty) that you'd be paying extra for in the UK,-will this be honoured by BMW dealers here?

And, if the answer to this is yes, how many other brands do this,or is it just BMW?

DieselPowered

randy hickey wrote: »

So this "extra" warranty(NOT Manufacture's Warranty) that you'd be paying extra for in the UK,-will this be honoured by BMW dealers here? And, if the answer to this is yes, how many other brands do this,or is it just BMW?

You would be getting it free with the purchase in the UK and Yes, it is transferable/honoured by BMW dealers/BMW Ireland here. Just an example of one brand.

My point is you have more bargaining power/better support with a main dealer than a private sale. you would need to check for the brand/type you are interested in to see what you can get with your purchase.

but please purchase as you decide yourself what is best.

Marcusm

randy hickey wrote: »

So this "extra" warranty(NOT Manufacture's Warranty) that you'd be paying extra for in the UK,-will this be honoured by BMW dealers here?

And, if the answer to this is yes, how many other brands do this,or is it just BMW?

Many of the approved secondhand sales in the UK come with these branded warranties. There's no particular reason that they should be geographically limited. You're not restricted to going back to the selling dealership either.

The_Conductor

randy hickey wrote: »

So this "extra" warranty(NOT Manufacture's Warranty) that you'd be paying extra for in the UK,-will this be honoured by BMW dealers here?

And, if the answer to this is yes, how many other brands do this,or is it just BMW?

Volvo are similar- you can transfer an extended warranty to a main dealership here. Volkswagen for whatever will not honour an extended UK warranty here. Don't know about other manufacturers. Its £1,400 for the extended warranty for a Volvo (not sure what Volkswagen charge). By the way- this is an extended manufacturers warranty- which is why it transfers to main dealerships (thats my understanding).

DHFrame

challengemaster wrote: »

Not really an answer, but it makes more sense to initially get a draft for a few hundred less than the asking and pay the difference in cash. That way you've room for negotiation without needing a new draft

Thanks! It was kinda obvious really wasn't it! lol

pdelacy

Hi
Is the OMSP the price likely to be achieved in Ireland including or excluding the VRT that would already have been included on first registration of the same car at an Irish motor retailer? i.e. is OMSP the current retail price in Ireland less the applicable VRT or are they double counting... charging VRT on a VRT inclusive price?

Esel

pdelacy wrote: »

Hi
Is the OMSP the price likely to be achieved in Ireland including or excluding the VRT that would already have been included on first registration of the same car at an Irish motor retailer? i.e. is OMSP the current retail price in Ireland less the applicable VRT or are they double counting... charging VRT on a VRT inclusive price?

Yes, the VRT amount is included in the OMSP.

Carlosd

Most dealers won't accept credit card or drafts. I brought a rav for the wife up north, had it independently checked which I got the dealer to cover/discount from the car price.

Banks were too slow and expensive so registered with Transfermate.com the day before, once I saw the jeep I booked same day transfer in the morning and they paid the car dealer same day, far better rate than the bank.

Also brought copy of the cheapest model I could find for that year on Carzone to the vrt office to bring down the valuation and not get overcharged on the vrt

Esel

Carlosd wrote: »

Most dealers won't accept credit card or drafts. I brought a rav for the wife up north, had it independently checked which I got the dealer to cover/discount from the car price.

Banks were too slow and expensive so registered with Transfermate.com the day before, once I saw the jeep I booked same day transfer in the morning and they paid the car dealer same day, far better rate than the bank.

Also brought copy of the cheapest model I could find for that year on Carzone to the vrt office to bring down the valuation and not get overcharged on the vrt

I don't think doing this would have any effect on the NCT staff who collect the VRT these days though.

Carlosd

Market value can be disputed if you can show evidence that their valuation of the car is wrong. They won't update at the same rate market prices naturally update. You are entitled to contest the valuation if the price appears out of synch

The_Conductor

Carlosd wrote: »

Market value can be disputed if you can show evidence that their valuation of the car is wrong. They won't update at the same rate market prices naturally update. You are entitled to contest the valuation if the price appears out of synch

The problem with most of the cars being imported from the UK- is its quite difficult to find a comparable example of a particular model to benchmark against, here.

Carlosd

I think a lot of that is rhetoric to be honest. Sure a lot of te cars may be 'slightly better kitted out' but in most cases a passant is a passat so they shouldn't discriminate.

Esel

Carlosd wrote: »

Market value can be disputed if you can show evidence that their valuation of the car is wrong. They won't update at the same rate market prices naturally update. You are entitled to contest the valuation if the price appears out of synch

Yes, you are entitled to contest the valuation, but only after you have paid the VRT.

When did you import the car?

snaps

is it still worth buying in UK and paying the vrt, the exchange rate isn't the best now?

Harcrid

Depends on the car. Some are worth it and others are not.

Dranno

Apologies if this is a dumb question or if it has been addressed in the previous 185 pages....

When you buy a car in the UK does the price include imbedded UK VAT ? And, if it does, can it be reclaimed when a vehicle is exported to Ireland ?

Thanks for your help.

aujopimur

As far as I know VAT refund only applies to new cars, you'll still have to pay it when you reg. it here.

Esel

aujopimur wrote: »

As far as I know VAT refund only applies to new cars, you'll still have to pay it when you reg. it here.

You have to pay VAT here if the car is under 3 months old or has less than 6000km on the clock, afaik. You can get the UK VAT refunded in this case.

Dranno

Thanks.

So, and probably this was totally clear to most folks already,the tax situation is this -

VRT is paid on the market value of the imported car. VAT is only paid in the uk and in Ireland on new or almost new cars. Thus for a used car, the price in the uk does not specifically identify vat and there is nothing to refund. On the other hand, there is no vat to pay in ireland.

Thanks again.

Esel

Dranno wrote: »

Thanks.

So, and probably this was totally clear to most folks already,the tax situation is this -

VRT is paid on the market value of the imported car. VAT is only paid in the uk and in Ireland on new or almost new cars. Thus for a used car, the price in the uk does not specifically identify vat and there is nothing to refund. On the other hand, there is no vat to pay in ireland.

Thanks again.

Your clarification is not exactly correct though. If you are importing a car with less than 6000km on the clock, no matter how old it is, VAT will still be charged.

Esel wrote: »

You have to pay VAT here if the car is under 3 months old or has less than 6000km on the clock, afaik. You can get the UK VAT refunded in this case.

zrdrozd

Robertr wrote: »

For those looking to save a few quid here is my difinitive guide to importing cars from the UK based on my own experiences.

Firstly here is the best information you can get: Revenue.ie - VRT

When you want to get a car from the UK there are a few rules to follow:

(1) You will have to pay VRT on any car coming into Ireland from any country unless over 30 years old.
(2) You will have to pay VAT on all cars coming from outside the EU, so always buy in the EU as an additional 21% will never bring it under the Irish price.
(3) You will have to pay VAT on all cars under 6 mths old or less than 6,000kms even if they are from within the EU.

VRT

When you are looking at the price of different cars in the UK (Autotrader.co.uk is the best site) it might seem like the prices are great. This can be true for some cars but others this is not the case.

Obviously, you will firstly have to convert the price into EURO using the most up to date rate that your bank will Sell GBP (This can be quite different from the daily exchange rates that you might see in the papers).

Then you will have to calculate the VRT. This can vary in a number of ways:
(1) The % of VRT is based on the engine size of the car. You can see the table using the above link.
(2) It is not based on the price you bought the car for but the Open Market Selling Price or OMSP. This is a value decided by the Revenue. In my experience these can be way off. Sometimes they are way above the retail value and sometimes they are less than the Trade value. Depends on the car. I've noticed that they will value an Audi at about trade or less but BMW's are above what you would expect to pay on a forecourt.


Procedure for Buying:

(1) Get a shortlist of cars that you are interested in knock off about 5% of the listed price for a cash discount. Should get more off but leave that as a nice surprise.

(2) Call your local VRO office (listed in the contact page on Revenue.ie) and ask for a VRT quote. They should be able to give you the amount straight away unless it is a high-end luxury car (over say €60,000). They will then need the chassis number and they will get their VRO Department in Rosslare to do up a valuation - usually 1 day.

(3) You will now have the cost of the car.

(4) Factor in expenses, usually about €1,000.
- Flights
- Ferry
- RAC/AA inspection (has to be done!!!)
- HPI Check

(5) Contact the Dealer (never buy privately) you want to buy from and give them as many questions as you can think of. Tell them that you will be getting an inspection done so they may as well tell you everything now. If you are not 100% happy with all answers, walk away!!!!! Every Tom, Dick and Harry has a 'car dealership' in the UK, loads of guys operating out of their back gardens, so be wary. Don't bother getting a warranty from the dealer if the car is still covered by the manufacturer's warranty, in fact you should be able to get money off if you tell them you don't want it.
**EU law states that a manufacturer must stand over their warranty in every EU country regardless of which country the car was originally purchased so if something goes wrong you can go to your local dealership and you will be covered by the warranty. This does not cover Dealership warranties, only Manufacturer!!

(6) Once happy, you will have to pay a deposit, (by Credit Card) don't worry, once it’s by credit card you are covered from fraud. Make sure it is subject to the inspection not showing up anything that will change the overall value of the car from his decryption.

(7) Get inspection done. Make sure you get the expensive one. An engineer will call you to discuss the car and these guys do a great job. One time he even told me that there was a tiny dent the size of a 10P coin in one of the speakers in the back door. When I got the car it took me ages to find it. They do a really good job.

(8) Agree a date to travel over and get the Dealer to collect you from the closest Airport.

(9) Get a bank draft for the remaining GBP balance to pay the dealer.

(10) Call you insurance company and ask them to transfer your policy to the new car. They will only issue a temporary cover for a non-Irish reg that lasts for 1 month.

(11) You should have no trouble of making the journey in one day if you leave early in the morning you will be back in Dublin that night.

(12) Get a bank draft for the amount you were quoted when you got the VRT quote. Knock off about 10% from the draft and bring cash as some time will have passed and the amount they want will have gone down.

(13)With in 24hrs of arriving in Ireland you are required to present the car at the VRO. You will have to fill out a few forms and then they will have a look to see if you have honestly described the car. Don't worry about telling them about every extra, they don't seem to care as long as the Make, Model and Year as are you said. (So make sure that it’s fully loaded).

(14) They will then give you a document that will have your new Irish Reg on it. Go and get some plates done up and put them on the car.

(15) Get your insurance changed to the new reg.

(16) A few days later you will receive the Vehicle Registration Cert. This is not the same as the one that you usually have as it in only the initial cert. and is used to Tax a car for the first time only.

(17) Go to the Tax office and tax that puppy!

(18) In a few days you will have you proper Vehicle Registration Document.



In general, even with VRT, most cars are cheaper from the UK. Obviously, there more expensive the car the more you will save. Anything under €15,000 - €20,000 may not be worth your while but there are some exceptions out there!!

Anyways, hope this helps everyone. I've been doing it for a while and its had its ups and downs, so always use your commen sense and don't let the really cheap ones get the better of you.

Any questions, let me know

Good Luck!!!

Hi Robert,

The below is an excellent post - very useful. Not sure if you are still interested in discussing this subject but I am hoping you will be able to give me some direction. After considering number of purchase options at home I am thinking of importing a car from UK.
I found 11 month old (6,000 miles) BMW 120D M Sport (with UK BMW dealership) for slightly less than £20K and few nice extras (Driver, Interior and Visibility packages). The new equivalent car costs around €41K here in Dublin. THis then sounds like a good opportunity given that VRT appears to be around €4.5K plus charge for extras.

Given your experience, would you know how much revenue can charge in overall for this car (extras are around €3K (looking at BMW Ireland website)?
I am intending to call revenue to get a quote and I understand that I need to factor additional €1K for travel expenses, but all together this looks like a very good option to get a decent car, saving more than €10K. Or this sounds too good to be truth?

Kace

Check out the VRT here by entering the UK Reg of the car. I'm not sure about the extras, but I wouldn't expect them to add more than about 20% of the cost of them.
http://www.motorcheck.ie/blog/vrt-calculator/



No harm giving them a call anyway, but this should give a good guide.

sfwcork

Hi Guys

apologies if this has been asked before

Would I need to pay the VRT if the car is taxed asap?

How long could I delay it by? Would i get spotted on a UK reg car or would i get away with it for 6months

Harcrid

You cant tax it without it being registered in Ireland first. And who knows how long you would get away with delaying it. Could be stopped in 2 days or 2 years.

aujopimur

sfwcork wrote: »

Hi Guys

apologies if this has been asked before

Would I need to pay the VRT if the car is taxed asap?

How long could I delay it by? Would i get spotted on a UK reg car or would i get away with it for 6months

Your insurer will notify Revenue after 30 days, it can't be taxed until VRT is paid.

leedslad

Celtxx wrote: »

And who knows how long you would get away with delaying it. Could be stopped in 2 days or 2 years.

What's to gain by not registering the import within 30 days? Did i not read somewhere that you have to produce the original bill of sale for the import when presenting for VRT inspection at NCT centre?
So how does it benefit anyone to be driving the car around for 6/9 months and putting an extra 20k on the clock? Ok the car is a year older or whatever and has an extra 20k on the clock, which in theory would make the import cheaper if it wasn't for the fact that the date of purchase has to be proven.
Am i missing something?

zrdrozd

Kace wrote: »

Check out the VRT here by entering the UK Reg of the car. I'm not sure about the extras, but I wouldn't expect them to add more than about 20% of the cost of them.
http://www.motorcheck.ie/blog/vrt-calculator/



No harm giving them a call anyway, but this should give a good guide.

Thank you! This returns the amount in line with the Revenue VRT calculator, got the VIN number from UK dealership so will give Revenue a call to get the final quote. Thanks again!