🚢 Car Import Cost
What will importing this car really cost?
The sticker price of a British car is the smallest part of this decision. Duty, VAT and VRT together can add more than half again to what you paid, and they fall due at different points — duty and VAT when the car crosses the border, VRT within 30 days at an NCTS centre. This puts all of them, plus the ferry and the plates, into one landed figure.
Figures reviewed September 2026. Free, no signup, nothing stored on our servers.
What this means
The total is what the car costs you on Irish plates. The only useful comparison is against what the same car sells for here: if the gap is a few hundred euro, the import is not a saving once your time, the flights and the risk of a car you have seen once are counted.
Customs duty is the line people are most often caught by. Under the EU–UK agreement it is zero only where the car qualifies as UK origin and the seller can document it. A Volkswagen built in Germany and sold in Manchester does not qualify, and the standard rate applies — on the price and the transport together.
VAT is then charged on the duty-inclusive value, so duty is taxed as well. That compounding is why a British import looks so different from a Northern Irish one, where neither charge usually arises.
What affects the result
- Where the car is bought. Great Britain attracts duty and VAT; Northern Ireland and the EU usually attract neither.
- Whether the seller can prove UK origin, which is what removes the duty rather than the fact of buying in Britain.
- The sterling rate you actually get, which is not the rate in the news.
- Revenue’s Open Market Selling Price, which sets the VRT and is its valuation rather than your invoice.
- CO2 and NOx emissions, which set the VRT band and the levy on top of it.
- Whether the car counts as a new means of transport — under six months old or under 6,000 km — which brings Irish VAT into an EU purchase.
What will importing this car really cost?
The order the charges arrive in
Duty and VAT are assessed when the vehicle enters the State, through a customs declaration, and must be paid before it can be registered. VRT and the NOx levy are charged afterwards, at the NCTS centre. Anyone budgeting only for VRT discovers the first two at the worst possible moment — when the car is already here.
The margin you actually need
An import is worth doing when the landed cost is meaningfully below the Irish market value, not marginally. The gap has to absorb a valuation you cannot predict, a car inspected briefly or not at all, and the cost of putting anything right. Check what the car is worth here first with the valuation tool.
What it costs after that
Imports are often older diesels, which import cheaply and then cost more on every recurring line. The motor tax calculator gives the annual State charge, and the true cost calculator adds depreciation, insurance, fuel and servicing. If the VRT line is what you are checking, the VRT calculator breaks it out on its own.
Important assumptions
Every figure on this page rests on these. Where one does not match your situation, the answer moves — sometimes a great deal.
- Customs duty and VAT are calculated on the purchase price plus transport, with VAT charged on the duty-inclusive value, as Revenue assesses them.
- The standard customs rate is applied to a British car unless you confirm documented UK origin.
- Northern Ireland is treated as the EU for duty and VAT, which reflects the current arrangements for goods.
- VRT and the NOx levy use the published Revenue rates and the valuation you enter. Revenue sets the real valuation.
- Registration costs cover plates and an NCT where one is due. Currency conversion charges, inspection fees and insurance are not included.
- Personal-import relief on transfer of residence is not modelled. If you are moving to Ireland and have owned the car abroad for over six months, different rules may exempt you entirely.
Official sources
Where this tool applies a published rule, this is where the rule comes from. Check the source before acting on anything that matters.
- Revenue — importing a vehicle from Great Britain
When customs duty and VAT apply to a British vehicle, how the customs value is arrived at, and the declaration required at import.
- Revenue — calculating VRT
VRT band rates, the NOx levy and the vehicle enquiry system that returns a binding figure.
- Revenue — transfer of residence relief
The conditions under which someone moving to Ireland can bring a vehicle in without VRT.
- NCTS — registering an imported vehicle
The registration inspection, the 30-day deadline and the documents to bring.
Common questions
How much does it cost to import a car from the UK to Ireland?
On a car from Great Britain, expect customs duty at the standard rate unless UK origin is documented, Irish VAT on the price, transport and duty together, then VRT and the NOx levy on Revenue’s valuation. Together these commonly add 40% or more to the purchase price. A car from Northern Ireland usually attracts VRT and the NOx levy only.
Do I pay customs duty on a car from England?
Yes, unless the seller can show the car qualifies as UK origin under the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Buying in Britain is not the same as UK origin — a car manufactured elsewhere and sold there does not qualify, and most used cars on British forecourts do not.
Is it cheaper to import from Northern Ireland?
Usually, because customs duty and VAT do not normally arise on a car that has been properly in free circulation there. VRT and the NOx levy still apply in full, and Revenue may seek proof of the car’s history where it was previously registered in Great Britain.
How long do I have to register an imported car?
It must be presented for registration at an NCTS centre within 30 days of arriving in the State. A penalty applies to late registration, calculated on the VRT due and the length of the delay.
Can I bring my car with me if I move to Ireland?
Possibly without VRT. Transfer of residence relief exempts a vehicle you have owned and used abroad for at least six months before moving, subject to conditions including keeping it here for twelve months afterwards. Revenue sets the criteria and the application is made before or at registration.
What to check next
How much VRT will I pay on this car?
Vehicle Registration Tax by CO2 band, plus the NOx levy people forget, on Revenue’s published rates.
VRT CalculatorPopularIs this car worth the money?
An estimated Irish market value from make, model, year and mileage.
Car ValuationNewWhat is motor tax on this car?
The annual rate by CO2 band or engine size, and what paying it quarterly costs you over a year.
Motor Tax CalculatorNewWhat is my car actually costing me?
Depreciation, fuel, insurance, tax, servicing and tyres as one annual figure and a cost per kilometre.
Car True Cost CalculatorNext steps across CheckIreland
Picked for what you just worked out — not a list of everything we make.
- Check the VRT line on its ownIt is charged on Revenue’s valuation, not your purchase price, and the NOx levy sits on top.
- What is it worth here?An import only makes sense if the landed cost is below the Irish market value.
- What it costs once it is on the roadAn older diesel that imports cheaply can be expensive to run and to tax.
CheckIreland is independent and is not affiliated with the Irish Government or any public body. This tool is general information built on published rules and typical costs — it is not financial, tax or legal advice, and it does not account for your individual circumstances. Confirm anything that matters with the relevant body or a qualified adviser before acting on it.