If you're planning on importing a used car from Northern Ireland or mainland GB you're probably familiar with the dreaded Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) that can add thousands to the final cost of registering your car at home in Ireland.
The Revenue Commissioners introduced its online VRT calculator a number of years ago to determine the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) and VRT for any car or motorcycle being imported to Ireland. The service meant that anyone could shop for a car in the UK and calculate the taxes due without leaving their computer.
At Motorcheck we are constantly looking for new ways to improve the quality of automotive data available to our customers, so it was with great enthusiasm that we embarked on a project to improve and enhance the way VRT Calculations are sourced on the web.
Having looked at the Revenue calculator we realised that Motorcheck could automatically populate the majority of information required directly from the registration number.
Our UK vehicle database is the best of its kind and by harnessing the power of the registration number we were able to bypass all of the manual form-filling required by the Revenue.ie website.
Now instead of spending 5 minutes entering 14 different fields of information at Revenue.ie (which you may or may not have to hand), you can use the Motorcheck.ie VRT Calculator.
Simply enter a registration number and odometer reading and Motorcheck.ie will do all the work for you. It’s absolutely free of charge and it takes less than 10 seconds to get your VRT figure.
Not only that but you can also get a full UK history on the car you’re thinking of importing from Motorcheck with one click!

VRT Calculations in 10 Seconds!
The VRT estimate provided by the Motorcheck.ie VRT Calculator carries the same disclaimer as the Revenue.ie service.
A different amount may be payable if the Open Market Selling Price has changed and/or if a different rate of CO2 emissions is applicable and additional VRT may be payable if the vehicle is fitted with chargeable enhancements/accessories.
VRT or “Vehicle Registration Tax” is chargeable on registration of a motor vehicle in the Republic of Ireland. Every motor vehicle in the State, other than those brought in temporarily by visitors, must be registered with the Revenue Commissioners and VRT paid by the end of the next working day following its arrival in the State. A vehicle must be registered before it can be licensed for road tax purposes.
The Motorcheck.ie VRT Calculator uses the registration number of a vehicle to determine its Make, Model and Variant as well as its first date of registration and its CO2 emissions. With this information it calculates the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) for VRT purposes and the amount of VRT payable. Please note that some Makes / Models / CO2 Emissions of vehicles are not included.
The types of vehicles that are included are typically:
Category ‘A’ Vehicles
Passenger Vehicles e.g. Saloons, Hatchbacks, MPVs, Jeeps, Coupes, Convertibles etc
Category ‘B’ Vehicles
Car Derived, Jeep Derived Vans, Crewcabs
The types of vehicles that are not included are typically Classic Collectable, Motor Caravans (Campers), Kit Vehicles and vehicles that require to be assessed on an individual basis.
Category ‘C’ or Commercial Vehicles are not included in the calculator, but VRT is assessed at a flat rate of €50.00 on these types of vehicles.
If you would like a customised version of the Motorcheck.ie VRT Calculator for your website please contact us at support@motorcheck.ie.
Try out the Motorcheck.ie VRT Calculator now!
I have a 99 Citreon Xsara ! Should I be covered for the scrappage? It’s in my name 4 years. Also does everyone get the €1500 or does it differ for everyone? Thanks.
Is there a minimum time limit for which the new car must remain registered in one’s name, or is the owner entitled to sell or trade the new car at will?
Disabled Drivers can claim back vrt and vat on their cars. My budget doesn’t run to a new car, is there a way of predicting the rebate on a used car and what type of used family car would get the best rebate here?
I used you site to check vrt on a 2007 Grand Vitara and it came in at €3988 but on the ROS.ie site the cheapest was €5732. Granted I am not exactly sure of the model etc so I have check all models on the ROS site and they go up to €8648.
What do I go by?
Great site by the way ![]()
How many months does it take you to change the Registration plate number from a uk to irish
I plan to import a new toyota yaris from uk to irl. but your vrt calculator does not have such a facility so how can I find the VRT to be paid. No reg no & no mileage.
Thanks
John
I am buying a vintage bike (Honda CB 550 1976) that has been in ireland for about a year but not on the road. It was being restored by the person I’ll be buying from. I will get full papers for the bike. will there be issues with the bike being in the country and not registered even though it wasnt on the road when i go to pay the VRT?
any advice appreciated
Totally confused! If I buy an Audi A4, standard 2.1 tdi, leather seats, zenon lights from NI I cannot find out what VRT will be or what OMSP wil be calculated at. Is it the book price or the price you could buy it straight without trade in here in ireland? Rang VRT office, said they could not tell me until they saw it. Also cannot figure out what or how Custom duty tax is calculated.
In response to the previous comment. I bought the bike. registration was no problem because there was no VRT to pay. If there was vrt to pay it would be to a persons advantage to delay vrt as the car would depreciate and so it would be looked on differently if this was the case. One comment made was that the vehicle should be registered by the person whose name appears as the irish buyer but this did not seem to be an issue and i was allowed to register the bike.
Hi there, I am trying to calculate the VRT for a 01 VW beetle but the site is down today and yesterday it couldn’t calculate it for me? Would you be able to tell me how much would I be looking to pay for the VRT for the car that has 85k miles, 1.6, 2 door, 180 CO2 emissions? Thanks in advance
I’m looking at trading my 07 VW Tourna in for a 09 Ford Galaxy. Would a UK dealer be happy to take my Irish reqistered car and Irish bank finance agreements? Cost of car plus vrt still makes the car cheaper.
Please could you explain why VRT has to be paid on bringing in a used car from the UK?
I thought that being in the EEC was to do away with all these boundaries. Ireland is as far as I know the only country still practicing this extra burden on Irish Motorists.
Can anybody say when this will all come to an end as it is unfair? The way the climate is at the moment I can’t see it ending soon. As for your local VRT office giving you a calculation over the phone, there seems to be no definate price calculation, it depends on who you talk to on the day and what mood they are in. A friend of mine was quoted a figure over the phone when he arrived to pay the VRT he was asked exactly double the quote.
I was thinking of bringing a kit bike from the us, I read on your site that kit bikes are not included, does this mean there is no vrt to be paid?
Great website guys!
I’m looking at trading in my car in the uk and was wondering if there is there a list of recommended garage that would take a Irish registered car as a trade in?
There’s no finance owed on the car, all the paper work and 2 keys.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Shane
I’m thinking of bringing in a ford mondeo from england it’s priced at £6,270 and i’m thinking of taken out a 3 year europe wide warranty on it can you tell me how much VRT has to be paid on it, its a Ford Mondeo 2.0TDCi 130 Zetec 5dr [Euro 4] — 2007 ‘56′. As far as i can see there is no added extra’s on it like sat nav or leather there is allow’s but surely there nearly standard on all cars by now, looking forward to hearing from you thanks.
VRT – how can this tax be charged to Irish people if it is illegal in other eurpean countries (european commission)?
Hi there,
I’d like to import a 2006/7 Mazda 6 2.0 Diesel from the UK. The second hand price for one here ranges from €10-14,000, yet when I use the VRT calculator it gives an open market value of €20-22,000. This makes it uneconomical to import the car and the valuation is ridiculously steep compared to similar cars. is Is there anything I can do about this?
Thanks a million.
Best,
Robert.
I want to change a passanger jeep to a commercial. What have I to do and how much will it cost?
Hi Shane,
I’m considering changing my car and have heard that VRT may be done away with. Is there any truth in this and if so does this mean that the value of my current car will be a lot less or would it make it more difficult to sell??? Also if there is any truth in the VRT being done away when would it be most likely to happen???
Hi,
I’m looking into the possiblity of buying a commerical crew cab in the UK and bringing it back home to Ireland. Some people have told me that I would only need to pay VRT of €50 flat rate if I do this. I’m looking at a Nissan Navara, Toyota Hilux or a Mitsubshi L200 Passenger.
I don’t own my own business or anything, but I’ve been told that this doesn’t actually prevent me from buying a commercial vehicle, taxing it as a commercial vehicle and insuring it as a commercial vehicle.
Obviously, I wont be claiming back VAT on diesel or anything like that.
Can you tell me if the information I’ve stated here is correct. I’ve been looking online for information but cant find any and have runf the Revenue Commissioners but the person I spoke with wasn’t really 100% certain either way.
Thanks,
Great site too by the way!
Hi,
I’ve bought a 2006 Peugeot 407 SW 1.6 diesel from Northen Ireland simply because of better spec and better price. However I found this VRT thing to be very unfair but we can not avoid this. How do revenue calculate used cars open market selling value? No matter what spec I would try to input into their website it come back with same open market price valuation (+- few hundrends), surelly basic level and top level spec cars doesn’t cost same? And also I found their valuations to be a bit overvalued. No matter where you look, what websites or garages you call in there is very litlle cars with price tag on revenue website. Is this to generate extra cash into exchequer? Can you argue with them? I have valued my 407 on motorcheck website and top value in excellent condition is nearly 1000 euros less than revenue quotes!!! and if it’s poor condition car (lowest valuation) is whooping 3000 euro off revenue open market price. Thank you.
Hi Shane , I’m thinking of importing a Land Rover Freelander 2 GS TD4 AUTO in December. It’s exactly 1 year old with 10,000 miles on the clock . I understand the G/KM is 214 what’s that likely to set me back in a VRT payment?
I used you site to check vrt on a 2004 Citroen Picasso(147G/KM) and it came in at €2100but on the ROS.ie site the cheapest was €5400 and VRT €1066. Why such a big different on prices?
Hi,
I just bought a 20 year old motor home on English plates, sent off reg documents and they have being returned saying they’re unable to issue a registration document to the Irish republic. As I bought the vehicle in the Republic wouldn’t the previous owner be liable to pay the vrt as he was the one who brought it here, but never changed it over? I now have to change over vehicle and pay vrt, any thoughts?
Hi There Shane.
Dunno if you can help me…..I sold a car to a motor dealer who owes me 2k of it! is there anyway I can check to see whether the VRT has been paid? I’m not interested in the amount but more so the date that it was paid as I am taking the guy to court.
Any help appreciated.
James
Hello Shane,what do they mean by chargeable enhancements/accessories and how do they value such items/
Hi Shane,
I have recently moved over from the UK and own a BMW for 5+ years. The problem is, I have just taken it to a garage to have a starter motor reparied and have been told that there are other issues that will cost over 2K. the car is not worth this amount.
I am in the process of importing it, but now I don’t know whether to proceed. As it’s a UK Car do you know if it is applicable for the scrappage scheme, or can I trade it in over here?
Shane hope you can help with this.
I have purchased a new car in Northern Ireland for my spouse and was wondering if I can apply for the scrappage scheme here as we have a 10 year old car that meets all the scrappage criteria. I have paid my VAT and VRT here and got the new car registered. Any help on this and how to go about it would be appreciated.
Hi Shane,
I’m a UK resident and have a Citroen C4 that I bought brand new in January 2008. The car only has 6,000 miles(I live in central London so hence the few miles) and is fully serviced, MOT etc.
My mums car in Ireland is on it’s last legs and I want to give my car to my mother as a gift for her upcoming birthday. I’ve checked the ROS website and I can see that I would have to go to an NCT center, get the car tested and pay around EUR 2,400 as VRT based in the revenues open market selling price.
My query is, do you know if there is an exemption seen as I’m gifting(no payment will pass) between me and my mum? I can’t seem to find anything on this. I don’t really mind paying this VRT if I have to but if I don’t have to that would be wonderful and would go towards paying the car insurance I guess.
Really appreciate your comments/advise on this
Kind regards
Ross
I am struggling to get an accurate measure of what I will pay importing an ‘2007 Auris 2.0D-4D 5Dr T-Spirit 138 Co2 40,000miles’ Your site tells me 2485, revenue site tells me 1942? What am I meant to do? 500 is a big difference, I don’t want to go ahead and import this car not knowing what I will get charged? Where can we get an accurate measure, this is all a bit risky, speculative and un-accurate.
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RAYMOND
January 23, 2010 at 1:01 am #
Why are specs on Irish cars so different to the uk cars? If you look at a car in Ireland and the UK they look like different cars inside and what they offer. Who makes the desicion on what ireland gets? Why do we get the bottom of the barrel every time? Can someone please answer me this question? Thank you