Hot Eire

My son now lives in Dublin and he is interested in buying a new or nearly new Ford Mondeo. However, we have been shocked by the high price of cars in Ireland, which are thousands of pounds more expensive for similar models than they are in the UK. He could of course purchase a car here and then drive it to Ireland, but any savings made in the purchase price would then be lost when the car was re-registered. We could understand small variations in price, but the difference is thousands of pounds, and this seems wrong since both countries are in the EU. Is it possible for you to recommend how and where he might get the best deal?

Asked on 17 October 2009 by

Answered by Honest John

There is a very high new car registration tax in Ireland and higher VAT. But used imports are on a sliding scale of registration tax, now CO2 based, that reduces the burden. And if VAT has been paid at a lower rate than the Irish rate in another EC country, no further VAT is due. (This is why, at the favourable Euro/Sterling exchange rate, a lot of used UK RHD cars are going to Ireland). Check with Irish Customs & Excise..

Tags: buying vat co2 emissions new cars large family cars road tax

Dear Honest John,

Please help me choose my next car. I would like it to have:

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