Importing a car from the UK to Ireland: the 2026 guide
Published 2 October 2026.
Importing a car from the UK is still the way to get more choice and, often, a better price than the Irish market offers. It is also more involved than it was before Brexit. This guide sets out every step and every cost, so you know what you are paying for before you start.
Why people still import from the UK
The UK used-car market is roughly ten times the size of Ireland's. That means more of the exact spec you want, more low-mileage examples, and prices set by a much bigger market. We benchmark every car we list against real Irish asking prices every week, and the cars that come out €750 or more under the Irish market carry a Bestseller badge with the maths behind it.
What a UK import actually costs
Five things make up the landed price of a UK car in Ireland. On ukcarimports.ie all five are already in the price you see; if you import privately, you pay each one yourself.
1. The car. The UK garage's price.
2. UK VAT, recovered. The UK allows VAT to be recovered on a used car exported to Ireland — VAT-qualifying cars through the normal reclaim, and margin-scheme cars through the UK's Second-hand Motor Vehicle Payment Scheme. Only a registered business can make the claim, which is why a private buyer cannot get this saving on their own. Where it applies, our landed price already reflects it.
3. Customs duty. Duty is still due on many cars. A UK-built car comes in duty-free under the EU–UK trade agreement where its origin can be shown, and a car that left the EU within the last three years may qualify for Returned Goods Relief; anything else pays 10% duty on its customs value. We check the duty position for every car.
4. Irish VAT at 23%, charged on the customs value of the car plus any duty.
5. VRT, plus the NOx levy. Vehicle Registration Tax is a percentage of the car's Open Market Selling Price — the Irish market value Revenue assigns to the car, not what you paid for it. The percentage runs from 7% (0–50 g/km CO₂) to 41% (191 g/km and over), set by the car's WLTP CO₂ figure; our VRT rates page has the full table. On top of that, a NOx levy is charged per mg/km of nitrogen oxides: €5 per mg/km for the first 40, €15 from 41 to 80, €25 above 80. Where the NOx figure cannot be evidenced, Revenue charges the maximum — €4,850 for a diesel, €600 for anything else.
Then there is transport from the UK garage, customs clearance and registration, which are the work rather than the tax. On our cars they are included too. The two things that are optional, and shown separately, are the independent mechanical inspection (€395) and a 12-month warranty (from €295).
The sequence, from deposit to Irish plates
- Reserve the car. A refundable €2,000 deposit, paid online by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay through Stripe. The car stays at its UK garage until you have decided.
- Inspection and checks. If you take the mechanical inspection, a qualified mechanic inspects the car and you receive the full report with photos before you commit. A history check is run as standard. If the report is not up to your standard, the deposit comes back less the €395 inspection cost.
- Balance and purchase. Once you are happy, we invoice the balance, buy the car from the garage, follow up any agreed work, and arrange customs, transport and the VRT appointment.
- VRT and registration. The car is presented at an NCT centre for its VRT inspection. Revenue requires the appointment to be booked within seven days of the car arriving in the State and the car to be registered within 30 days. Once VRT is paid the car has its Irish registration.
- Handover, in about two weeks. Collect in Dublin by appointment, or delivery to your door for a fee. We send you the new registration and guidance on paying motor tax; the logbook (vehicle registration certificate) is posted to you after the motor tax is paid.
The NCT, the MOT and the log book
A UK car gets its first MOT at three years; an Irish car gets its first NCT at four. Since Brexit an MOT cannot be exchanged for an NCT, so a car between three and four years old will carry an MOT but will not need an NCT until the fourth anniversary of its first registration. You need the Irish logbook in hand before you can book the NCT, and the logbook follows the motor tax disc in the post.
Does the manufacturer's warranty come with it?
For most brands, yes: the unexpired balance of a European manufacturer warranty follows the car and the brand's Irish dealers honour it. UK-only extras do not travel. It varies by brand, so we wrote out the position for all 33 makes we import, each taken from the manufacturer's own published terms: does a UK car warranty transfer to Ireland? The only answer that binds anyone is the one the manufacturer gives against your car's VIN; the guide lists the number to ring for each brand.
Northern Ireland cars
A car that has always been registered in Northern Ireland was never liable for UK VAT on export, but NI cars are generally dearer than their GB equivalents and the choice is a fraction of the GB market. Some cars on NI plates began life in GB and are liable for duty and VAT without the reclaim above, so the history matters. We list GB cars only.
Finance and trade-ins
Bank finance (AIB, Bank of Ireland, PTSB) works with an import: once you have chosen the car and placed the deposit, we provide the quote and invoice the bank needs. If you have a car to trade in, type the reg and mileage and you will see a measured range in ten seconds; a firm figure follows once we have your photos, and it comes off the price on delivery day.
Seen a car somewhere else?
If you have found a car in the UK that is not on our site, our car sourcing service prices it for import — VRT including CO₂ and NOx, duty under the rules of origin, and the VAT position — for a €50 fee, and manages the whole import if you go ahead.
Browse 128,000 UK cars priced for Ireland · How it works, step by step