Import vs Buy Irish: Total Cost Calculator

See the full landed cost of importing — purchase price, shipping, customs duty, VAT, and VRT — against simply buying the same car already on the Irish market.

Import vs Buy Irish: Total Cost Comparison

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Use your own quote/card rate — we don't embed a stale exchange rate.

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What you'd pay to just buy the same car already registered in Ireland (e.g. from DoneDeal).

VRT is calculated on the OMSP you enter, not the purchase price — Revenue assesses OMSP independently of what you paid. See our methodology for how figures are sourced.

What This Tool Compares

Every other calculator on this site answers "how much VRT will I pay?" This one answers a different question: is importing actually cheaper than just buying the car in Ireland? It adds up every real cost of importing — purchase price, shipping/insurance, customs duty (10% for non-EU origins), import VAT (23%), and VRT — and compares the total against a single Irish market asking price you supply.

See our UK car import guide or customs duty guide for the full rules behind each charge.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need to enter the price already converted to euro?

Exchange rates move daily, and embedding a fixed rate in a calculator means the figure goes stale immediately. Use the actual euro amount from your own bank transfer or card statement quote for an accurate result.

Why are OMSP and purchase price entered separately?

Revenue doesn't calculate VRT on what you paid — it's based on the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP), Revenue's own assessment of the car's Irish retail value. A car bought cheaply abroad can still attract VRT based on a higher Irish valuation.

Does this include the once-off VRT and the annual motor tax?

This tool covers the once-off costs only: purchase price, shipping, customs duty, VAT, and VRT. For the ongoing annual road tax comparison, use our UK vs Ireland Car Tax Calculator separately.

What if I'm importing from an EU country instead of the UK?

Select "EU country" — customs duty and import VAT don't apply to EU-to-Ireland movements (only VRT does), so the tool skips those two charges in the total.