Buying an Isle of Man car

[Paulsd]

It looks like this has been discussed a few few times but not necessarily covering my exact scenario....

I'm buying a car that was supplied new to a UK based owner (with a UK plate when new). Car then moved to IoM and registered with a Manx plate, etc. It's been there for 3-4 years.

Car was sold recently to a UK dealer and that's who I'm buying it from.

He is going to do MOT and complete the paperwork to re-register in UK (sounds like it will have it's original UK plate based on what I've read).

Now, my questions....

1. As a UK resident and UK driving licence holder, am I actually allowed to drive it in the UK before the DVLA have done their thing? I'm thinking about the whole Yianni/Cybertruck debate

2. When I insure it, Admiral wants to know if it's an import or not. It was supplied new in the UK but spent time registered abroad. Assuming it is an import, they have a few options, the most relevant one appearing to be "Euro - UK spec" the other options are "Euro - Non UK", "Asian" or "US" which are clearly not correct. But, is it actually an import for insurance purposes? I know the answer here is to call them but we all know how difficult that conversation might be

I will obviously need to insure it but it will be on the IoM plate while the DVLA process the paperwork.

Thanks in advance for any insights/experiences!

Edited by Paulsd on Saturday 31st May 10:12

[paul_c123]

You can't drive it on IoM plates (unless you reside in the IoM etc.....won't go into those details) but you can drive it on trade plates. So it would make sense to pay a deposit, then wait for the dealer to complete the admin before paying the balance and taking delivery of the car. Doesn't make sense to pay for it before this is done because there might be an issue (and the car isn't available to be used by you).

[paul_c123]

Regarding the import status, I'd suggest you talk to the insurer. But yes, based on the simple question "is this an import", its a "yes" (because its been exported-imported twice).

[Paulsd]

Thanks!

That's slightly disappointing as I was hoping to pickup next Saturday. Dealer has assured me that he's done this a few times but then I suppose he would do and it's not him at the side of the road with Mr Plod.

I'll do the Admiral thing online and avoid contact centre hell

[ACCYSTAN]

It’s not an import if it was originally sold in the UK and had VAT applied at the point of sale.

[Geffg]

Curious on this kind of thing myself as when I’ve been looking at cars there are usually some for sale cheaper than here but in Northern Ireland. But I’m sure I’ve read that they can be used with the Irish plates and just driven back, so would this be classed as an import even though it’s classed as uk?

[Paulsd]

ACCYSTAN said:

It s not an import if it was originally sold in the UK and had VAT applied at the point of sale.

Thanks - spoke to Admiral and they agree, which is nice.

The only thing is that they don't insure foreign registered vehicles so am currently speaking with Adrian Flux as they seem to be able to help with it on it's VIN. There's still obviously the issue highlighted above so I'm just trying work everything out before I make a decision on collection.

I'm very, very impatient so would love to collect next week but not if I might end up in trouble.

Edited by Paulsd on Saturday 31st May 12:46

[ACCYSTAN]

Geffg said:

Curious on this kind of thing myself as when I ve been looking at cars there are usually some for sale cheaper than here but in Northern Ireland. But I m sure I ve read that they can be used with the Irish plates and just driven back, so would this be classed as an import even though it s classed as uk?

No, Northern Ireland cars are not classed as imports

I would like to know if cars from Guernsey and Jersey are classed as imports?

[paul_c123]

ACCYSTAN said:

No, Northern Ireland cars are not classed as imports

I would like to know if cars from Guernsey and Jersey are classed as imports?

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=10&t=1786706

[bigmowley]

Not sure that the earlier poster in this thread is correct about not being able to drive it on Manx plates. As long as it is correctly insured on the Manx registration number and it is taxed in the Isle of Man then as far as I am aware it is all good for up to 6 months in the UK. After 6 months it has to be re-registered in the UK or returned to the Isle of Man.
I suspect your issue will be that it is no longer taxed and registered in the Isle of Man so you definitely cannot use it in the UK on Manx plates. You can check its Isle of Man status by inputting the Manx Reg number here:

https://services.gov.im/service/VehicleSearch

I have a place in both jurisdictions and we swop cars about all the time. It’s a bit of a faff but no real problem. Some insurance companies are much better than others in this instance. The NFU have been brilliant for us, Admiral less so.

You will get the previous UK reg number back and yes it is not classed as an imported car. Usually takes about 2 weeks for the DVLA to do their stuff, although it does sometimes take a fair bit longer. You will probably have to wait for the DVLA to do their stuff before you can enjoy your new p&j.

[paul_c123]

bigmowley said:

Not sure that the earlier poster in this thread is correct about not being able to drive it on Manx plates. As long as it is correctly insured on the Manx registration number and it is taxed in the Isle of Man then as far as I am aware it is all good for up to 6 months in the UK. After 6 months it has to be re-registered in the UK or returned to the Isle of Man..

Only by the Manx owner though, and only for 6 months, etc etc. This is not "temporary import" territory.

[paul_c123]

ETA it would actually make sense, to not buy this particular car at all!!

Christ knows why the dealer bought a non-UK registered car and is trying to sell it here, the admin will take ages and there might be VAT/customs duty to pay on top. I hope he knows what he's doing, can add up, and got it for the right price to make all the hassle worthwhile.

[bigmowley]

paul_c123 said:

bigmowley said:

Not sure that the earlier poster in this thread is correct about not being able to drive it on Manx plates. As long as it is correctly insured on the Manx registration number and it is taxed in the Isle of Man then as far as I am aware it is all good for up to 6 months in the UK. After 6 months it has to be re-registered in the UK or returned to the Isle of Man..

Only by the Manx owner though, and only for 6 months, etc etc. This is not "temporary import" territory.

Not the case at all. The usual stuff about owner and registered keeper not being the same etc. etc. we have various Manx plated cars being driven by various family members dotted around the UK without any issues, for a maximum of 6 months at a time obvs. The key point is the cars are all registered, taxed and insured correctly in the Isle of Man. In the OPs case without a Manx address he is not going to be able to achieve that.

[bigmowley]

paul_c123 said:

ETA it would actually make sense, to not buy this particular car at all!!

Christ knows why the dealer bought a non-UK registered car and is trying to sell it here, the admin will take ages and there might be VAT/customs duty to pay on top. I hope he knows what he's doing, can add up, and got it for the right price to make all the hassle worthwhile.

As previously stated it s not an imported car, there is no VAT and customs to pay. This is pure misinformation.

It doesn t take ages usually a couple of weeks.

However the dealer is a plank and should have done it before selling the car. Incidentally if it s been previously registered in the UK there is no fee to pay either. He probably doesn’t want an extra owner on the logbook.

[trashbat]

bigmowley said:

Not the case at all. The usual stuff about owner and registered keeper not being the same etc. etc. we have various Manx plated cars being driven by various family members dotted around the UK without any issues, for a maximum of 6 months at a time obvs. The key point is the cars are all registered, taxed and insured correctly in the Isle of Man. In the OPs case without a Manx address he is not going to be able to achieve that.

Additionally, British residents can't drive foreign-registered vehicles in the UK at all (or more accurately, only via very specific exemptions). It's unclear what law this actually breaks, so it might be taxation rules rather than road traffic legislation, but that's the government guidance.

I assume IOM counts as foreign for this purpose, though I don't know for sure.

[paul_c123]

bigmowley said:

Not the case at all. The usual stuff about owner and registered keeper not being the same etc. etc. we have various Manx plated cars being driven by various family members dotted around the UK without any issues, for a maximum of 6 months at a time obvs. The key point is the cars are all registered, taxed and insured correctly in the Isle of Man. In the OPs case without a Manx address he is not going to be able to achieve that.

Apologies yes, so long as it meets the criteria for temporary import, its okay. Not necessarily owner/RK.

[Paulsd]

Thanks for everyone’s inputs! The IoM website shows the car as taxed until the end of October.

I think it’s clear I can’t drive it until it’s re-registered in the UK.

Aside from the actual law, insurance is an issue. Admiral won’t touch it until it has a UK plate. They say they don’t view it as an import which I’m pleased about.

Tried Adrian Flux and they’ll insure on the VIN but the only place they’ll allow it to be driven is to an MOT appointment. Other than that it has to stay on my drive. Dealer is doing MOT anyway so that’s a bit pointless. Oh, and they want five times the price of Admiral will once the UK plate is confirmed!

I think the dealer probably should have sorted it out before selling but here we are. I really like the car. Spoke to him earlier and he’s hoping to get it all sorted quickly. If I need to wait a little longer, that’s what I have to do.

[South tdf]

ACCYSTAN said:

It s not an import if it was originally sold in the UK and had VAT applied at the point of sale.

The car will often look like an import on the registration document as the date of registration will often be the date it was registered again even if it retains its original registration number.

Registration normally takes 2-4 weeks if the correct documents have been provided. Get anything wrong and the application will be making its way back to you to try again.

You may also find that the MOT does not always show on the GOV.UK portals and for peace of mind people do it again.

[Paulsd]

Minor progress update… car now has an MOT.

It seems to have been done against its original UK plate and it shows up on the gov website.

Dealer is sorting DVLA paperwork. I can’t imagine that I’ll be collecting this weekend but things are at least moving