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

irishuser2222

Thanks. Yeah exactly. Can't see why OMSV is increasing a month later.

Unfortunately didn't keep the old calculation but I must have done it 10 times and the NI dealer did a sanity check on got the same so was doing it correctly. I have one screen shot of the VRT result but not of the calculation. Has VRT at 1191 euro on the 10 Dec 20 (Rate of VRT = 14%).

Sounds like I will just have to try build a case for appeal. One of the reasons I bought car was low VRT so although not a massive rise, would have paid more up front and in general I just don't like giving anything to revenue beyond what they deserve

Gabico

The VRT band is lower from 14% last year to 9% this year, but the hybrid grant is gone which depending on car age is between 1k-2k

Bikeface

Isambard wrote: »

possibly VAT but that's not the case with this enquiry.

I wonder could you help me. I bought a car that was registered in Mainland UK and moved it to an address in Derry a year back, no change in reg. where will that leave me when bringing it into the south? its over 30 years in July, its my intention to do so then. Thanks

Isambard

i'm only reading stuff on the 'net, I think you'll be OK but you'd probably need the paperwork all sorted to prove it was "properly" brought into the NI. You'd best ask Revenue to be sure. Me, I'd leave it a while, let the Brexit dust settle.

Brewster

Gabico wrote: »

The VRT band is lower from 14% last year to 9% this year, but the hybrid grant is gone which depending on car age is between 1k-2k

Correct, this is the issue. VRT figures in 2020 included the VRT rebate, in 2021 its gone. I brought in a T8 and I benefit from this change.

deezell

colm_mcm wrote: »

Price fixing is where you control the price of something.
VRT is a tax on an estimated value, it applies to everybody the same, so in no way fixes the price.
The price fixing that historically took place between dealers was mainly to do with fixing trade in prices as opposed to new prices.

OMSP is fixed. OMSP includes VRT. Therefore VRT is fixed. There is no transparent source for OMSP.

reubenreuben

Got this from here: https://www.moneyguideireland.com/imports-of-used-cars-in-ireland.html

A car produced in a UK factory – with 40% content from Japan would be classed as UK Origin with 0% duty on import as a used car to Ireland.
A car made in Germany sold new in the UK and then sold as used to Ireland 2 years later – 10% Duty
A Car made in South Korea registered and used in the UK for 3 years and sold to Ireland – 10% duty

So importing a secondhand EU car from UK has 10% duty.

Who signed off on this deal??, I thought Ireland was in the EU. Been screwed over bigtime

gally74

reubenreuben wrote: »

Got this from here: https://www.moneyguideireland.com/imports-of-used-cars-in-ireland.html

A car produced in a UK factory – with 40% content from Japan would be classed as UK Origin with 0% duty on import as a used car to Ireland.
A car made in Germany sold new in the UK and then sold as used to Ireland 2 years later – 10% Duty
A Car made in South Korea registered and used in the UK for 3 years and sold to Ireland – 10% duty

So importing a secondhand EU car from UK has 10% duty.

Who signed off on this deal??, I thought Ireland was in the EU. Been screwed over bigtime

so landrover mini jag would be zero but a vw or Audi 10% ..... Seems nuts, I like !Ini s thou

ELM327

reubenreuben wrote: »

Got this from here: https://www.moneyguideireland.com/imports-of-used-cars-in-ireland.html

A car produced in a UK factory – with 40% content from Japan would be classed as UK Origin with 0% duty on import as a used car to Ireland.
A car made in Germany sold new in the UK and then sold as used to Ireland 2 years later – 10% Duty
A Car made in South Korea registered and used in the UK for 3 years and sold to Ireland – 10% duty

So importing a secondhand EU car from UK has 10% duty.

Who signed off on this deal??, I thought Ireland was in the EU. Been screwed over bigtime

this is exactly correct and a great representation (nuts as it is) of the current scenario



Whats the bets that GB realise what they have done to themselves and come back in 5 years to join the EEA?

reubenreuben

ELM327 wrote: »

this is exactly correct and a great representation (nuts as it is) of the current scenario



Whats the bets that GB realise what they have done to themselves and come back in 5 years to join the EEA?

But Ireland was involved in the discussions too
They have screwed over their own people

ELM327

Ireland has not screwed anyone. We got the NI exemption to avoid the hard border.
Importing cars from the UK is not life threatening. A few businesses that were dodgy may go under, but from speaking to a few traders that are legitimate businesses selling UK cars, there's ways about some of this to avoid the vat or duty or both, legally.

deezell

reubenreuben wrote: »

But Ireland was involved in the discussions too
They have screwed over their own people

Brexit has drawn attention away from the recent changes to VRT and the introduction of Nox charges. It would have been easy to adjust the new rates to match WLTP emissions so that the VRT take was the same, but not with Greens involved. The combination of these has hugely increased new car prices on all but the dinky and hybrid models. Add in brexit duty, vat, on used imports, then factor in the 26% drop in 2020 regs, it means decent used cars will be scarce as hens teeth. The dealers will offer bigger trade ins on new when it becomes apparent that we have no source of affordable quality used. The age, quality and safety of our fleet will deteriorate, thats a statistical fact. Expect people in the 3-4 year old used bracket being forced down to cars a couple of years older. That's how it was before we had good imports.

reubenreuben

ELM327 wrote: »

Ireland has not screwed anyone. We got the NI exemption to avoid the hard border.
Importing cars from the UK is not life threatening. A few businesses that were dodgy may go under, but from speaking to a few traders that are legitimate businesses selling UK cars, there's ways about some of this to avoid the vat or duty or both, legally.

Didn't say life threatening, but it will be downright more expensive due to the shoddy deal done.

ELM327

We could start importing from the EU.
LHD is not an issue, plenty of LHD on our roads as it is. I imported a ton of US cars and drove them here no worries. I even imported a Roller from the UK via Kuwait that was LHD.

I'm looking at used cars on German and French auction sites now, I speak German and some french so could facilitate a purchase.


I reckon this will expand as others do the same. It used to be possible in the early '00s to buy RHD cars new on the continent.

deezell

ELM327 wrote: »

..
...speaking to a few traders that are legitimate businesses selling UK cars, there's ways about some of this to avoid the vat or duty or both, legally.

That's interesting, it ties in with my previously stated suspicion that the status quo on imports would remain the same, but only for the elite. It's what they wanted all along, exclusive right to import used. We've seen their hand previously, with private importers being denied sale of forecourt cars of certain brands, while the Irish dealers were filling yards with them. Not wishing to name brands etc. Actually I will. BMW and MB.

reubenreuben

And it just feeds into a black market with some shady dealers involved.

Brewster

Yes the money guide Ireland site at least confirms I wasn’t seeing things and that the revenue page did update a couple of times already this year.

Summary points as I see them

No VAT or customs on used NI registered cars. This is a positive.
VAT only on new NI cars

U.K.- new and used imports of U.K. origin, No customs, but VAT due.
U.K. used EU origin cars, e.g. BMW, VW, VAT and customs due
U.K. new EU origin cars, VAT due, not sure about customs?

Brewster

Would be interesting to know if U.K. are paying customs duty on imported German cars?!

reubenreuben

Brewster wrote: »

Would be interesting to know if U.K. are paying customs duty on imported German cars?!

Exactly. It's not as if we will be importing 2nd hand rhd beemers from Germany. We buy them from GB.
Ireland's been screwed over if this stays this way.

ELM327

We'll start buying LHD cars I think now

I'm already pricing up Teslas in Germany, much cheaper than here, only problem would be that they are LHD and the VRT (7%)

Casati

reubenreuben wrote: »

Exactly. It's not as if we will be importing 2nd hand rhd beemers from Germany. We buy them from GB.
Ireland's been screwed over if this stays this way.

No, unless they are importing English made used cars from Germany

irishuser2222

Gabico wrote: »

The VRT band is lower from 14% last year to 9% this year, but the hybrid grant is gone which depending on car age is between 1k-2k

Thanks alot for clarifying. Didn't even know about this! Was it well published? Seems mad that I'm being asked to pay 47% more for VRT now based on this, so clearly the reduction in VRT band doesn't compensate with the rebate as they say by design. Not a good luck for them supposedly trying to promote petrol hybrids and plug in petrol hybrids.

Will use this info to appeal based on them not being able to adequately service 2020 car purchases in the calendar year.

Thanks

Bobeagleburger

Is there a higher insurance premium on LHD cars? I presume so..

User1998

I think most insurance companies will refuse you cover on a LHD car. One of the first questions they ask is “Is it standard left hand drive, no modifications etc etc. A friend of mine had to export his car back to Poland because he couldn’t get insurance on it

Brewster

irishuser2222 wrote: »

Thanks alot for clarifying. Didn't even know about this! Was it well published? Seems mad that I'm being asked to pay 47% more for VRT now based on this, so clearly the reduction in VRT band doesn't compensate with the rebate as they say by design. Not a good luck for them supposedly trying to promote petrol hybrids and plug in petrol hybrids.

Will use this info to appeal based on them not being able to adequately service 2020 car purchases in the calendar year.

Thanks

It was fairly well flagged. It was a VRT rebate that has been paid in recent times, it was built into VRT ROS system. As I say on my T8, I am better off. Look a lot of people got caught out on cars being registered in 2021 as opposed to 2020. Many people drove over 100 miles to get an appointment in 2020. Worth a shot on the appeal I guess.

User1998

irishuser2222 wrote: »

Thanks alot for clarifying. Didn't even know about this! Was it well published? Seems mad that I'm being asked to pay 47% more for VRT now based on this, so clearly the reduction in VRT band doesn't compensate with the rebate as they say by design. Not a good luck for them supposedly trying to promote petrol hybrids and plug in petrol hybrids.

Will use this info to appeal based on them not being able to adequately service 2020 car purchases in the calendar year.

Thanks

I don’t mean to be bad but they announced it 6 months ago that the grant was ending and its widely available on the internet. Agreed that they shouldn’t get rid of it so soon. It’s still available on full EV’s

Edit: Actually no, even worse for you it was announced over 2 years ago that it would be ending in 2021 we were just reminded of the fact 6 months ago.. Sorry

pale rider

Sad story..

Deposit taken on my current car, heart set on a 2018/19 E Class 220d AMG Line, found car, price agreed, did the numbers, the VRT is €9825, it was €6235 before WLTP kicked in, so, shortly will have no car and the door is slammed shut on a replacement at a fair price from NI current car stock or from GB.

myshirt

It looks like no VAT or Customs duty is payable on the basis you import a car from the North.

However here is the sting:

Cars imported to NI from Britain will be hit with UK vat. This means a couple of things
1. Closes off any 'back door' mechanism of importing a car to the ROI
2. Increases costs for NI sellers who's business model is to import from the UK. They will seek to avoid having to import, and seek to meet demand via cars that were first registered in NI. On the plus side the price of their stock on the yard will increase
3. Reduces supply of cars in the 2nd hand market in the north
4. Increases pressure on the NI used market to meet demand, from NI and from ROI

Overall it will drive up prices in NI as dealers try meet the demand of NI and of ROI. It's likely the case that the price of a used car in the north may jump close to the equivalent of simply importing it from the UK. Our friends in the north are going to be pissed off.

For us, it may ultimately mean it's cheaper to just buy straight from the UK and pay the VAT and VRT.

But in the interim there will be deals to be had if you can source your car from the North, or if your NI dealer can source a car from the UK on the margin scheme. No VAT or Customs. But prices going to go up quickly.
Right now, used car importers are buying as many from the North as they can. Again, pushing up prices.

TL;DR: No VAT or Customs on imports from NI, but buy soon would be the advise before demand side market impacts meet supply side constraints and it all falls to sh't.

Isambard

i wonder what the position would be for a car on NI plates but in GB.....saw a nice Cortina earlier for sale.

We might actually start seeing Northerners buying used cars from the south now. Something they would have sneered at in the past.