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

eastie17

Am I correct in saying there is just no point brining in a 2013 - 2015 1L car from the UK anymore financially?
I have done this a few times over the past few years for my own kids and some relations as their first car. The attraction being you could get a very low mileage, well maintained, higher spec car for less cash outlay (plus resultant actual resale) than you ever could here even with transport, VRT etc.
Those days are no more I take it from reading though this thread - thoughts?

reubenreuben

eastie17 wrote: »

Am I correct in saying there is just no point brining in a 2013 - 2015 1L car from the UK anymore financially?
I have done this a few times over the past few years for my own kids and some relations as their first car. The attraction being you could get a very low mileage, well maintained, higher spec car for less cash outlay (plus resultant actual resale) than you ever could here even with transport, VRT etc.
Those days are no more I take it from reading though this thread - thoughts?

It's not worth it especially if a diesel as nox charges are extortionate. My car that I imported pre 2021 would have almost double import fees now due to mainly the nox.
This is going to dramatically change the cars we see on Irish roads over the next few years.

reubenreuben

Dr Dave wrote: »

Just a thought.
A classic car >30 years old (that's 1991 BTW!!!), costs €200 VRT to import.
So, would it be the case that one from NI would only be the VRT and one from the UK (not NI) would have customs and Vat as well?

Thinking about this, is the NOx charge payable on such a classic,> 30 years old?

No nox charge, just vrt.
And the ridiculous thing is, these cars are pumping out the fumes yet a 2014 or 2015 car is fairly clean emissions wise but importers are hit with sky high nox charges.

Seriously, who made this one up?

eastie17

reubenreuben wrote: »

It's not worth it especially if a diesel as nox charges are extortionate. My car that I imported pre 2021 would have almost double import fees now due to mainly the nox.
This is going to dramatically change the cars we see on Irish roads over the next few years.

Thanks, its an awful pity, one of the few areas of actual value that was left to us.
Well it probably wasn't value, it was more like paying a more appropriate amount for what the car was worth, unlike the gouging Irish motorists have had to become all too familiar with when operating on the domestic market. Something that is probably only going to get worse now it sounds like.

reubenreuben

eastie17 wrote: »

Thanks, its an awful pity, one of the few areas of actual value that was left to us.
Well it probably wasn't value, it was more like paying a more appropriate amount for what the car was worth, unlike the gouging Irish motorists have had to become all too familiar with when operating on the domestic market. Something that is probably only going to get worse now it sounds like.

It almost makes sense now to buy a 30 year old car , pay tiny road tax, tiny vrt, bad for environment but what else are we to do?

artheb

Hello!

I have been reading through this thread to understand as much as possible about importing cars from GB (not NI) post Brexit and avoiding double VAT. One paid in the GB and one paid in ROI upon import. Here is my understanding.

I am VAT registred person in ROI.
I can use my IE VAT in GB to purchase VAT qualifying vehicle VAT free.

That would work in two ways:
1. Provide my VAT number to the GB dealer and they will produce VAT free invoice.
2. Claim VAT through GB revenue or customs service.

Once imported to ROI, I pay VAT at 23% (new rate) + Customs 10% + VRT (whichever rate it is)

I also understand that once I pay ROI VAT upon import I can register and tax the car for personal use, not a business.

Is this what everyone else thinks?

Thanks!

gally74

artheb wrote: »

Hello!

I have been reading through this thread to understand as much as possible about importing cars from GB (not NI) post Brexit and avoiding double VAT. One paid in the GB and one paid in ROI upon import. Here is my understanding.

I am VAT registred person in ROI.
I can use my IE VAT in GB to purchase VAT qualifying vehicle VAT free.

That would work in two ways:
1. Provide my VAT number to the GB dealer and they will produce VAT free invoice.
2. Claim VAT through GB revenue or customs service.

Once imported to ROI, I pay VAT at 23% (new rate) + Customs 10% + VRT (whichever rate it is)

I also understand that once I pay ROI VAT upon import I can register and tax the car for personal use, not a business.

Is this what everyone else thinks?

Thanks!

Customs 10% doesn’t apply for uk origin cars, for instance mini or some land rovers qashqai I think

eastie17

reubenreuben wrote: »

It almost makes sense now to buy a 30 year old car , pay tiny road tax, tiny vrt, bad for environment but what else are we to do?

I would definitely agree if you have the ability to fix it yourself, that to me would be the key to owning an older cheaper car.
However, didnt insurance companies almost unilaterally decide they weren't insuring anything over 10 years old without a hefty premium addition? Realise you can get cheap vintage insurance but that limits your mileage I think, the expectation being that you are only using it for weekends or leisure driving.

artheb

gally74 wrote: »

Customs 10% doesn’t apply for uk origin cars, for instance mini or some land rovers qashqai I think

Good point! I stated customs as I am looking at one of the audi hybrid models.

User1998

eastie17 wrote: »

Am I correct in saying there is just no point brining in a 2013 - 2015 1L car from the UK anymore financially?
I have done this a few times over the past few years for my own kids and some relations as their first car. The attraction being you could get a very low mileage, well maintained, higher spec car for less cash outlay (plus resultant actual resale) than you ever could here even with transport, VRT etc.
Those days are no more I take it from reading though this thread - thoughts?

Last year there was still value to be had in certain models as some manufacturers became Euro 6 compliant as early as 2014. 2015+ there was still plenty of value. With VAT and customs now applicable you can pretty much forget about importing all together.

The only viable way to do it now is to buy a VAT qualifying vehicle from the UK (typically maximum of 3 years old, ex fleet or rental vehicles)

You can claim back the UK VAT (20%) and pay Irish VAT here (23%)

The problem is the Irish VAT is based on purchase price of vehicle + shipping + 10% customs so its not really the case of one cancelling out the other.

And theres also the increased WLTP VRT, and possible customs broker and port fees (€250)

User1998

To follow up on my previous post..

So lets say pre brexit you were importing a car worth £10,000 (€11,570) to Ireland.

It would cost you €11,570 + shipping + vrt

So using todays Google exchange rate and a shipping cost of €250, and assume VRT of €2,000

It would cost €13,820

Now post brexit, you buy a car in the UK worth £10,000 (€11,570). You can buy the car minus 20% VAT, so it only costs you £8,333 (€9,641) + shipping (€250). A total of €9,890

You then pay 10% customs of that amount (€989)

So far its cost €10,870

You then pay 23% VAT of the amount (€2,500)

So now it’s costing €13,372

Add in the customs broker fee and port charges and your looking at €13,620

You then pay VRT. I assumed VRT to be €2,000. But now there is the increased WLTP based VRT so I’m going to assume €2,400. Not the most technical way to calculate it but some cars are more and some cars are less.

So that gives a grand total of €16,000

Pre brexit/VRT increase it was €13,820

So even importing a VAT qualifying car it seems there is not much value to be had. I’d hazard a guess that importing a UK origin car would still make good financial sense. As there is no 10% customs, it then significantly lowers your VAT payment too.

Thoughts?

artheb

User1998 wrote: »

T

Now post brexit, you buy a car in the UK worth £10,000 (€11,570). You can buy the car minus 20% VAT, so it only costs you £8,000 (€9,260) + shipping (€250). A total of €9,500


Thoughts?

Fo the record 10000 inc 20% VAT would be 8333.33 without 20%vat.
8333.33*1.2=10000

so the total is (8333.33+250)*1.1*1.23=11613.25

User1998

Thanks. Fixed my post

reubenreuben

User1998 wrote: »

To follow up on my previous post..

So lets say pre brexit you were importing a car worth £10,000 (€11,570) to Ireland.

It would cost you €11,570 + shipping + vrt

So using todays Google exchange rate and a shipping cost of €250, and assume VRT of €2,000

It would cost €13,820

Now post brexit, you buy a car in the UK worth £10,000 (€11,570). You can buy the car minus 20% VAT, so it only costs you £8,333 (€9,641) + shipping (€250). A total of €9,890

You then pay 10% customs of that amount (€989)

So far its cost €10,870

You then pay 23% VAT of the amount (€2,500)

So now it’s costing €13,372

Add in the customs broker fee and port charges and your looking at €13,620

You then pay VRT. I assumed VRT to be €2,000. But now there is the increased WLTP based VRT so I’m going to assume €2,400. Not the most technical way to calculate it but some cars are more and some cars are less.

So that gives a grand total of €16,000

Pre brexit/VRT increase it was €13,820

So even importing a VAT qualifying car it seems there is not much value to be had. I’d hazard a guess that importing a UK origin car would still make good financial sense. As there is no 10% customs, it then significantly lowers your VAT payment too.

Thoughts?

And add on the nox charge which is the killer now on older diesels.

Roadtoad

Is there ANY private activity at the moment, or is everyone watching, trying to understand what the game rules are?
If so, is there any value in the market of direct shopping in UK? Yeah, Covid is queering the pitch too.

The direct shopping was a great way of keeping the local (Irish) dealers somewhat in line.

My personal focus is probably something like a Nissan Qashqai, about €10-15k.

Dr Dave

reubenreuben wrote: »

It almost makes sense now to buy a 30 year old car , pay tiny road tax, tiny vrt, bad for environment but what else are we to do?

Yes, but don't make a point of doing it and rubbing it in their face or they will just bump up the taxes on these as well.

cranefly

My advice would be for irish car buyers to buy direct from private irish sellers, stay away from the dealers, they are fleecing there customers, they were going up north or to the UK and buying up high mileage, low spec cars and selling them down here at a premium, nearly all the dealers sell these cars with barely any difference in price between them, god help a dealer that tries to lower the price on these cars, there must be some type of cartel operating in the irish market.

bazz26

Just remember that buying private is all good and well with lower value cars but when you start getting into 5 digit figures people want the protection and peace of mind of a warranty as well as some sort of protection under the sale of goods act. You have absolutely zero comeback buying privately. Some people also have a car to trade in against the new one and want to avail of finance. As always shop around and have an idea of what the value is of the car you are interested in.

cranefly

bazz26 wrote: »

Just remember that buying private is all good and well with lower value cars but when you start getting into 5 digit figures people want the protection and peace of mind of a warranty as well as some sort of protection under the sale of goods act. You have absolutely zero comeback buying privately. Some people also have a car to trade in against the new one and want to avail of finance. As always shop around and have an idea of what the value is of the car you are interested in.

You will always have certain people buying from the dealer with all the warranties and sale protection they offer, but, its not like it was 20 or more years ago, when warranties and protection was much more needed, modern cars, in fact most from the last 15 years or so, are much better engine wise, and with the newer roads and motorways in Ireland now, its not like it was years ago trundling down even the national roads hitting potholes every 100 yards. Most of the cars on say Donedeal, pre-loved are very well taken care of by the owners, and you could get a real bargain. With the UK cut off for most buyers for the foreseeable, with a small bit of knowledge or have a mechanic give it the once over, you could find the perfect car, in any price bracket.

bazz26

You make it sound so rosy buying private when in fact it can be a minefield and the stakes are higher with large sums of money where any problem you have are your problems, period. And modern cars are far from being less risky from breakdowns, they are far more complicated than they were years ago and more expensive to fix when they do go wrong. I also don't share you view that donedeal is full of pre loved well taken care of cars being sold by honest owners. I'd say for every honest seller you have probably 3 trying to flog a car with a hidden history or altered mileage. Buying a 5 figure car privately is far from being as glamorous as you making it out to be imo.

mgn

bazz26 wrote: »

You make it sound so rosy buying private when in fact it can be a minefield and the stakes are higher with large sums of money where any problem you have are your problems, period. And modern cars are far from being less risky from breakdowns, they are far more complicated than they were years ago and more expensive to fix when they do go wrong. I also don't share you view that donedeal is full of pre loved well taken care of cars being sold by honest owners. I'd say for every honest seller you have probably 3 trying to flog a car with a hidden history or altered mileage. Buying a 5 figure car privately is far from being as glamorous as you making it out to be imo.

Posts like this reminds me of around 4 or 5 years ago when the private buyers were starting to go over to the UK and source their own cars, everyday on these threads we used to hear the same sort of thing from the dealers but that time it was along the lines, a lot of UK cars are clocked, write offs, company cars being wrecked etc.

The all went very quiet when the started filling up their own forecourts with UK imports over the last few years.

bazz26

mgn wrote: »

Posts like this reminds me of 4 or 5 years when the private buyers were starting to go over to the UK and source their own cars, everyday on these threads we used to hear the same sort of thing from the dealers but that time it was along the lines, a lot of UK cars are clocked, write offs, company cars being wrecked etc.

The all went very quiet when the started filling up their own forecourts with UK imports over the last few years.

Take a breath and read my post again in context this time. I never said don't go to the UK and buy a car. I'm merely replying to the previous poster who was making out donedeal to be full of bargains being sold by lovable angels from their homes. My last 5 cars have all been from the UK btw.

mgn

bazz26 wrote: »

Take a breath and read my post again in context this time. I never said don't go to the UK and buy a car. I'm merely replying to the previous poster who was making out donedeal to be full of bargains being sold by lovable angels from their homes. My last 5 cars have all been from the UK btw.

Relex, when people start throwing statements like for every 1 honest seller on DD there are 3 crooks, the sceptic in me wonders why the would come out with a statement like that.

cranefly

bazz26 wrote: »

You make it sound so rosy buying private when in fact it can be a minefield and the stakes are higher with large sums of money where any problem you have are your problems, period. And modern cars are far from being less risky from breakdowns, they are far more complicated than they were years ago and more expensive to fix when they do go wrong. I also don't share you view that donedeal is full of pre loved well taken care of cars being sold by honest owners. I'd say for every honest seller you have probably 3 trying to flog a car with a hidden history or altered mileage. Buying a 5 figure car privately is far from being as glamorous as you making it out to be imo.

Clearly from your statements you have had nothing but bad luck from buying from private sellers, you are clearly a guy who will never buy privately but from a dealer, but please do not denigrate the thousands of honest sellers of pre-loved vehicles who sell cars privately, especially on Donedeal where they Greenlight many of those private individuals.

Wildly Boaring

Staying out of the argument

But Greenlight just means the logbook matches the car.
And not recorded as written off

cranefly

Wildly Boaring wrote: »

Staying out of the argument

But Greenlight just means the logbook matches the car.
And not recorded as written off

Not really an argument, just a difference of opinion, no doubt some have had a bad experience buying privately, and in years to come i might not be so lucky buying privately, then i would have another opinion. Maybe he was right, and i have been lucky so far, there is no doubt you do take a risk when not buying from a dealer, that is true, but, when you do all you can to make sure everything is legit, and maybe have a professional take a look over the car, there are some great bargains to be had out there.

bazz26

mgn wrote: »

Relex, when people start throwing statements like for every 1 honest seller on DD there are 3 crooks, the sceptic in me wonders why the would come out with a statement like that.

I'm perfectly relaxed, remember your the one that came on here kicking at my heels so maybe you need to take your own advice and cool your jets. You can be skeptical if you want or not, doesn't concern me as I'm not here to convince you either way.

cranefly wrote: »

Clearly from your statements you have had nothing but bad luck from buying from private sellers, you are clearly a guy who will never buy privately but from a dealer, but please do not denigrate the thousands of honest sellers of pre-loved vehicles who sell cars privately, especially on Donedeal where they Greenlight many of those private individuals.

And I'll reverse your statement as it works both ways.

You clearly had a bad experience or bad luck buying from dealers and now think they are all out to rip everyone off so please do not denigrate the many honest dealers out there. They are not all bad just like not all private sellers are bad as you claim.

cranefly

bazz26 wrote: »

I'm perfectly relaxed, remember your the one that came on here kicking at my heels so maybe you need to take your own advice and cool your jets. You can be skeptical if you want or not, doesn't concern me as I'm not here to convince you either way.



And I'll reverse your statement as it works both ways.

You clearly had a bad experience or bad luck buying from dealers and now think they are all out to rip everyone off so please do not denigrate the many honest dealers out there. They are not all bad just like not all private sellers are bad as you claim.

A misquote from you there. Quite clearly you are on some kind of trip about the dealers, maybe you are one for all i know. I have never bought a car from a dealership, quite simply because there prices are to high for high mileage cars with low spec, as you can clearly see, i am never in the market for a brand new car, only pre-loved. "Not all private sellers are bad as you claim" clearly a misquote. Lets end it there and let this thread get back on track.

dodzy

Popped into the booze BA thread. Loopers rambling on about bourbon not being bourbon. Left.

Popped into the COVID thread. Guess what? More gob****es. Left

Said I’d pop in here for a bit of normality. And here’s Cranefly talking more crap about the vast majority of DoneDealers being enthusiastic, car loving pampering owners selling gems to the lucky buyers.

Seriously?

dodzy

dodzy wrote: »

Said I’d pop in here for a bit of normality. And here’s Cranefly talking more crap about the vast majority of DoneDealers being enthusiastic, car loving pampering owners selling gems to the lucky buyers.

Seriously?

Are you implying the majority of cars on done deal are damaged cars sold by dodgy dealers. Do you seriously think we have that many damaged cars that the majority of cars sold on donedeal would be bad ones. Very very unlikely.

I am currently selling my car on donedeal. It's a great car looked after well, I have a workmate selling her car on it. Good car and well looked after too. My brother in law just sold his car on it last month. Another well looked after car.

Who are all these dodgy dealers that make up the majority?