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What does it actually cost to import a car from the UK to Ireland?
The sticker price is rarely the price. Between VRT, VAT, customs duty and the NOx levy, a UK car can land a long way from what the ad says. This page explains what you pay — and the extension below puts the real figure on the listing while you browse.
No account, no ads. Works on AutoTrader, Cazoo, CarGurus, DoneDeal and UsedCarsNI.
The four charges
| Charge | How much | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| VRT Vehicle Registration Tax |
7%–41% | Always. The rate depends on the car's CO2, and it is charged on Revenue's own valuation (the OMSP) — not on what you paid for the car. |
| NOx levy | €5–€25 per mg/km | On top of VRT. €5/mg for the first 40 mg/km, €15/mg from 40 to 80, and €25/mg above 80. Capped at €600 for petrol and €4,850 for diesel. Electric cars are exempt. |
| Import VAT | 23% | On cars from Great Britain. Usually not on a car genuinely owned and used in Northern Ireland. Always charged on a car under 6 months old or under 6,000 km, wherever it comes from. |
| Customs duty | 0% or 10% | 0% if the car qualifies as UK origin under the EU–UK trade agreement, 10% if not. This turns on where the car was manufactured, not where it is being sold — which is why a UK-registered, Japanese-built car can still attract duty. |
Two things catch people out. First, VRT is based on Revenue's valuation, so a bargain does not reduce your VRT — the tax is the same whether you haggled well or badly. Second, you have 30 days from bringing the car in to register it, and registering late adds penalties.
Getting the number without the guesswork
The hard part is the OMSP. You cannot work it out from the listing — it is Revenue's valuation, and the only authoritative source is their own eVRT enquiry on ros.ie. Doing that by hand for every car you shortlist is the tedious bit.
The extension does both halves:
- An instant estimate. As you browse, it reads the car from the page and adds one line beside the price: converted to euro, plus VRT, VAT, duty where it applies, and the NOx levy.
- The real figure, in one click. Press Verify and it runs that exact car through Revenue's own eVRT calculator in the background, then replaces the estimate with the official valuation.
How accurate is the estimate?
Measured against Revenue's own figures across 147 real listings:
| Type of car | Typical gap before Verify |
|---|---|
| Mainstream makes (Ford, VW, Toyota, Kia and similar) | within a few per cent |
| Electric cars | essentially exact |
| Premium German and British makes | around 10% low |
Premium marques read low because Irish second-hand prices for them sit well above the UK asking price — which is exactly the case where pressing Verify matters most. The pre-Verify number is always labelled an estimate and never presented as official.
Questions people ask
Is VRT based on what I paid for the car?
No. It is based on the Open Market Selling Price, which is Revenue's own valuation of that car in the Irish market. Paying less than the going rate does not lower your VRT.
Do I pay VAT on a car from Northern Ireland?
Usually not, if the car was genuinely owned and used in Northern Ireland. But a car recently brought into NI from Great Britain may not qualify, and any car under 6 months old or under 6,000 km attracts VAT regardless.
How long do I have to register the car?
Thirty days from bringing it into the State. Registering late adds a penalty, and driving on foreign plates past that point is an offence.
Are electric cars cheaper to import?
Generally yes. They sit at the bottom of the CO2 scale for VRT and are exempt from the NOx levy entirely. EV-specific VRT relief has also applied, but it is subject to change at Budget time — check Revenue for the position on the date you import.
Is this tool official?
No. It is an independent tool, not affiliated with Revenue or with any listing site. It automates Revenue's public calculator and shows you what it returns. Always confirm the final figure on ros.ie before you commit to buying.
Try it
Free, no account, and the calculation runs in your own browser.