Personal Finance

Buy your used car in the North: it pays to go the extra mile

Thanks to multiple extra levies and red tape, buying from Britain is not the bargain it once was. But that’s not the case just over the border

Revenue has a VRT calculator on its website to help would-be importers

Before Brexit rules kicked in, the importation of used cars to Ireland from Britain was big business. In 2019, for example, 108,083 cars were imported from the region.

Following a change in the legislation – meaning that most used cars imported from Britain now attract customs duty and Vat on top of the existing VRT and NOx levy – the numbers have dwindled dramatically, with just 19,744 used cars imported last year. Dealers and private ...