Reverse VRT Calculator

Shopping to a budget? Enter the VRT you're willing to pay and your vehicle's CO2 emissions to find the maximum OMSP that keeps you under it.

Work Backward From a VRT Budget

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Covers Category A petrol, diesel and hybrid cars. Electric vehicles aren't supported here, since EV relief depends on the OMSP itself — use the Electric Car VRT Calculator instead and adjust OMSP by trial and error.

Why Work Backward From VRT?

Most VRT calculators start with a vehicle's price and tell you the tax. This tool flips that around — useful when you're shopping to a fixed total budget (purchase price + VRT + shipping) and want to know how expensive a car you can afford before VRT pushes you over.

Because VRT is calculated as a percentage of OMSP based on your CO₂ band, a lower-emission vehicle lets you afford a higher OMSP for the same VRT budget. Try the same target VRT with a few different CO₂ values to see how much extra buying power a cleaner engine gives you.

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Estimate OMSP from a new price and age.

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Calculate the specific NOx emissions tax for your import.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How does the reverse VRT calculator work?

It inverts the standard VRT formula. Instead of OMSP and CO2 giving you a VRT amount, you enter the VRT you're willing to pay and your vehicle's CO2 emissions, and it solves for the maximum Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) that would keep your total VRT at or under that budget.

Why doesn't this work for electric vehicles?

EV relief is calculated based on the OMSP itself (up to €5,000 relief tapering between €40,000 and €50,000 OMSP), which makes a clean algebraic inversion circular — the answer depends on the input you're solving for. Use the Electric Car VRT Calculator and adjust the OMSP manually instead.

What if my target VRT is below the CO2 band's minimum charge?

Every CO2 band has a minimum VRT charge regardless of OMSP (e.g. the lowest band still charges a minimum of €140). If your target is at or below that minimum, any OMSP up to the point where the percentage-based charge would exceed the minimum results in the same minimum charge — there's no lower bound.

Does this account for the NOx levy?

Yes. If you know your target vehicle's NOx emissions, enter them for an exact figure. Otherwise the calculator assumes the fuel-type default cap (€600 for petrol/hybrid, €4,850 for diesel) and subtracts it from your target VRT before solving for OMSP.