Can I buy a car from Ireland and bring it back to the UK?

I am intending to buy a second hand car. I am going to Ireland for a month and I need the car there - I was thinking about the option of buying the car in Ireland and then bringing it back to London. Is there a reason you can think of that would make this a bad idea? Would I need to register the car in Ireland and then again in the UK? Can I take out UK based insurance even if I have the car in Ireland for 1 month and what are the administrative requirements (registration, tax, MoT, etc)?

Asked on 29 September 2023 by Penelope Goodall

Answered by Craig Cheetham

The idea of buying a car in Ireland makes sense, but not if you look closely at the detail. The main reason why is because cars are generally more expensive in Ireland with second-hand prices generally 20-30% higher than in the UK. Also, while Irish cars are right-hand-drive they use kilometres-per-hour speedometers which would make driving in the UK confusing. It would be much cheaper and more convenient to buy a car here in the UK and take it to Ireland with you, even factoring in the cost of an additional ferry crossing to get there.

Tags: buying abroad importing buying advice

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