Irish Insurance and Import etc

[stu67]

Right apologies if this is a bit rambling I'll try to keep it distinct but I'm dealing with my 78 year old mum who sometimes gets the wrong end of the stick as you can imagine!

Situation

Mum lives in Co Wexford, lost dad last Easter, aunt drives mum around in what was my dads car, now registered to aunt. Car is a 2002 Fabia auto so not exactly the ultimate weapon. I live in London where I have most of my life, mum and Dad retired back to Ireland years ago. Car deffo needed for hospitals etc and mainly because she lives in the middle of bloody no-where

So last night get a call from her re the car, insurance renewal time and she tells me the insurance has gone up from 600 to 1100 "due to the age of car". Aunt has shopped around and sure enough seems to have gone up with many insurers not offering cover, Aunt isn't young either so this may be something to do with it??

Question 1 : Anyone heard of this type of thing, are insurers over there doing this

Now comes the next conversation "I'll need to get a newer car" OK fair enough and it is something I've been thinking about anyway. Obviously small cc auto's are much more common this side of the water. Seen a few that might do the job.

Question 2 : Am I going to get shafted for buying one for her over here and bringing it over. Say the car in the UK costs a couple of thousand is it a complicated process and not worth it?

[cindydog3]

Car insurance renewal premiums have rocketed in ROI this year due to level of claims including fraudulent claims, plus payouts in respect of uninsured drivers involved in collisions. "Claims tourism" is also on the increase whereby folk fly into say Dublin Airport, hire a couple of cars, and later stage a rear ender with the lead car filled with passengers to maximise the no of neck injury claims. Some of these staged incidents have been recorded on cctv!

If you import a car from the UK I think you have 6months to present it at a local vehicle test centre for a valuation, followed by a period by which time the import duty must be paid. Vehicle Test Centres/MOT Centres are Government run. Local garages do not do mots in ROI.

Judging by the no of motorists importing from the UK and N.Ireland it appears to be well worth doing, some reporting a 3k saving over local dealers prices. Obviously savings will depend on value of vehicle.

In my own case, I spend usually 2 weeks of every month throughout the year at my holiday home in ROI, whilst maintaining 2 classic sportscars there. Both are UK-registered, taxed,insured and mot'd in UK.

Hope this info helps.

[garythesign]

cindydog3 said:

Car insurance renewal premiums have rocketed in ROI this year due to level of claims including fraudulent claims, plus payouts in respect of uninsured drivers involved in collisions. "Claims tourism" is also on the increase whereby folk fly into say Dublin Airport, hire a couple of cars, and later stage a rear ender with the lead car filled with passengers to maximise the no of neck injury claims. Some of these staged incidents have been recorded on cctv!

If you import a car from the UK I think you have 6months to present it at a local vehicle test centre for a valuation, followed by a period by which time the import duty must be paid. Vehicle Test Centres/MOT Centres are Government run. Local garages do not do mots in ROI.

Judging by the no of motorists importing from the UK and N.Ireland it appears to be well worth doing, some reporting a 3k saving over local dealers prices. Obviously savings will depend on value of vehicle.

In my own case, I spend usually 2 weeks of every month throughout the year at my holiday home in ROI, whilst maintaining 2 classic sportscars there. Both are UK-registered, taxed,insured and mot'd in UK.

Hope this info helps.

My understanding is that providing you have owned the car for 6 months before you import it, then there is no import tax to pay.

I hope this is correct as we are moving to ROI in two weeks

Happy to be corrected.