What are the costs associated with importing car from UK to Ireland?

Costs Calculator

This article will walk you through how to calculate the costs of importing a car from the UK.
Since Brexit on January 1st 2021 the costs associated when importing a car has changed and in most cases you are now required to pay :

• Customs Duty
• VAT
• VRT
• NOX Levy

Why you need to understand the costs?

You have heard the stories of people saving huge amounts of money by importing a car from the UK to Ireland. You start browsing a UK used car website such as Auto Trader or Used Cars NI and you see a 2017 Audi A4 or Volkswagen Golf costs £13,500 in the UK and then you go to Carzone and the same car costs €23,500 in Ireland so you instantly think wow there really are huge savings to be made.
Here on this page we will help you understand the costs associated with importing a car from the UK to Ireland which will help you make an informed financial decision on the true costs of importing car from from the UK to Ireland.

The Key Costs

The are a number of costs associated with importing a car from the UK to Ireland and here is a list of the key costs you need to factor in when purchasing a car.

1. Your Time
2. Purchase Price of the Car
3. Taxes
4. Travel and Transport

Your Time

If you wish to import a car yourself you need to factor in the time involved. Firstly you will spend a lot of time searching for the right car and then you will find the right car you will need to spend time on the logistics of importing the car in Ireland and registering the car in Ireland. While some people get their car delivered, in most cases this involves flying to the UK and driving the car back to Ireland via Ferry. Additionally you will need to take your car to the NCT centre, pay the VRT and register the Car.

Purchase Price of the Car

The purchase price of the car is highly dependent on the foreign exchange rate between pound sterling and euro. It is really important to get a good exchange rate as you can save €100’s of euro if you get a good rate.

• Today’s pound sterling to euro exchange rate click here

Taxes

VRT

The main tax you will need to pay is vehicle registration tax (VRT). This website provides all the information you need to know about vehicle registration tax.

• Additional VRT calculators click here

VAT

If you import a vehicle from UK to Ireland you are required to pay VAT. Currently VAT is charges at 23%.

Customs Duty

If you import a vehicle from Great Britain into Ireland you must complete a customs declaration.
If you import a vehicle from UK to Ireland Customs Duty is 0% if the vehicle originated in the UK.
If you import a vehicle from UK to Ireland Customs Duty is 10% if the vehicle originated outside the UK, e.g. a EU country or a third country like USA, Japan.

Northern Ireland

The VAT and Customs rules are different for Northern Ireland. Click here for more info.

Travel and Transport

If you are collecting the car yourself in the UK, the travel and transport costs involve flights, accommodation (optional) fuel and ferry. In general we suggest allowing €500 to cover these cost approximately.

Example of the Costs

Here is an example of our UK to Ireland Import Costs Calculator Report

Vehicle VRT Estimate

Vehicle Details

Statistical Code	40288175
Model	A4 1.4 TFSI
Make	AUDI
Version	SPORT 150PS 4DR

Breakdown of VRT Calculation

Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) determined by Revenue	€37238
Monthly Adjustment	+104%
Depreciation Code Allocated by Revenue	C1
Odometer Reading	18700 Miles
Date of First Registration	January 2017
Mileage/Kilometre Reduction	€0
Rate of Depreciation for this Vehicle	28%
Current OMSP determined by Revenue	€27883

Revenue CO₂ Calculation

CO2 Emissions

126

Rate of VRT

18%

Vehicle Registration Tax (estimated)

€5019

Purchase Price

1 Euro = 0.868853 Sterling.

€15767 = £13700.

Costs Report

Purchase Price	€15767
VRT Estimate	€5019
Customs Duty (10%)	€1576
VAT (23%)	€3989
Travel Cost	€500
Total Purchase Price	€26851