A few questions about calculating VRT...

Hi there,

I have another question on VRT. Well actually a few questions! If you import a car from the UK in the last week of December 2020 and you have a VRT appointment in January 2021, will you be paying VRT (and possibly customs, VAT etc.) at the 2021 rate or will you still be calculated on the 2020 VRT rate?

If they change the VRT bands in the October budget will they be implemented straight away or do they wait until Jan 2021, usually?

I have looked at the Glasss guide in the UK for the vehicle that I am importing but there are no equivalents in the Irish market. Is there a way to get valuations for Irish equivalents or get my hands on the Car Sales Guide (ROI) as per the VRT request form?

Thank you in advance for any help on this matter.

David Hickey (Limerick)

Sep 2020 Filed under: VRT

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Expert answer

Hi David,

OK, let’s take the last question first. No, there’s no publicly available second hand value guide for Ireland (more’s the pity), but you can get a good idea of values and prices by keeping an eye on classified ad websites, such as Carzone, and if the specific model isn’t sold in Ireland, then prices for its competitors or other models in the same range will at least give you an idea. Feel free to send us queries to do the estimating for you as well.

If the bands change in the Budget (and they most definitely will this year), then that will usually be implemented from the 1st of January, but there’s a chance that with the big changes coming up this year, there might be a slight deferment or lead-in period. As for when you pay your VRT, don’t expect any mercy — the rates used will be the rates on the day that your car is inspected, not the date it was brought into the country.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Advisor
@neilmbriscoe