Importing a classic car from Europe

[A993LAD]

I'm thinking of buying another classic car for my small collection and some of the best examples I see are in Europe.

If I buy a car over there can I just drive it straight back to the UK and bring it across the channel myself?

Also what is involved in getting it registered in the UK and do I have to pay any extra taxes etc?

[Turbobanana]

A993LAD said:

I'm thinking of buying another classic car for my small collection and some of the best examples I see are in Europe.

If I buy a car over there can I just drive it straight back to the UK and bring it across the channel myself?

Also what is involved in getting it registered in the UK and do I have to pay any extra taxes etc?

Is this actually your first line of enquiry or have you started with the obvious?

[Riley Blue]

https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/657...

[A993LAD]

Turbobanana said:

Is this actually your first line of enquiry or have you started with the obvious?

Yes it is my first line of enquiry. I guess you're asking why I don't just Google it.

But I often find there are really helpful people on PH with first hand experience they are happy to share and hot tips that I might not discover until it's too late.

[Unbusy]

I’m looking to do similar and had a read recently.
You can insure a car on the VIN plate and drive it back on a UK licence as long as it is still taxed in the country of purchase. Once back, inform Customs & Excise who may/may not require tax paid. It’s a lower rate for a classic, 5%? I forget just now. DVLA for a plate then MOT & tax as needed and away you go.
I’m looking for LHD without the usual UK rust problems of poor bodged repairs.

[A993LAD]

Thanks, much appreciated.

I clicked the link above but it seemed lacking in detail on the hmrc tax arrangements. Is it definitely 5% and how long do you have before you need to declare/pay. The link seemed to suggest you declare on entry and they don't release the car until it's paid with no explanation of how that happens apart from " your agent can organise this".

I'd like to view a car, buy it on the day and drive it home. Then register it and pay taxes etc.

Also, how do they assess the value. The cars I'm interested in can range from £10k to £75k for a specific model depending on condition so are you taxed on the actual amount you pay? If I buy a £50k car how much tax do I pay?

[arguti]

You have to declare it to HMRC within 14 days of arrival into UK otherwise daily fines may apply.

IIRC rate is 5% if car is over 30 years, you may need a dating letter from your marque car club. The VAT applies to car value and the transport costs if done through shipper/agent.

if foreign registration is in language such as Greek, I would suggest getting a dating letter or translation otherwise DVLA will go for path of least resistance eg they have registered a lancia delta integrate as a FIAT as Lancia fall under Fiat as a manufacturer. It will then become a pain to sort out retrospectively.

There are import agents that do the relevant paperwork for around £3-400 but the full Monty - transport etc I’ll be around £1500 if you ask them to do it.

[3059hp]

I brought a car in last year from France, and HMRC insisted that I use a shipping agent to do the import paperwork. There was no option to do it myself.

[butch_]

A993LAD said:

I'd like to view a car, buy it on the day and drive it home. Then register it and pay taxes etc.

Wondering if you've found a car and what formalities did you go through, did you manage to drive it home yourself?

[A993LAD]

butch_ said:

Wondering if you've found a car and what formalities did you go through, did you manage to drive it home yourself?

No it never happened in the end which is down to the hassle of the import difficulties.

It was a bit disappointing as I had found a Citroën SM at a dealership in Switzerland that I wanted to buy. I agreed the price with the dealer but as mentioned in the op I really wanted to fly into Geneva go to the dealers pay for the car and drive it home.

The hassle around importing it meant it really wasn't that simple. They told me that you can only drive a car on Swiss plates if you are a Swiss National so to start with I couldn't drive the car in Switzerland I had to get somebody to take it to the French border. There also seem to be a question mark around whether I could simply drive it off the Eurotunnel into the UK or whether it would be impounded at UK customs because I hadn't registered it or paid the tax.

I contacted HMRC to check on how they calculate the figure ie how do they assess the value of the car. And the guy I spoke to there wouldn't tell me what the price would be and said they don't deal with private individuals they only deal with import agents.

Obviously I could have overcome all this and dealt with it by appointing an agent and paying for the car to be delivered but I really didn't want the car so much that I could be bothered.

Edited by A993LAD on Tuesday 28th May 09:29

[politeperson]

I have a nice rare one in the UK.

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