Same valuation the NCTS uses · No sign-up
VRT calculator for Ireland: free, by UK reg or chassis number
Vehicle Registration Tax is the biggest cost of importing a car into Ireland. Type the UK registration, or the chassis number for a Japanese car: we identify the exact version in Revenue’s valuation system and show the VRT before you commit to buy.
Japanese car? Japanese import calculator or the free auction sheet check.
Free, no sign-up · Cars, vans and Japanese imports · See an example breakdown
From UK plate to Irish plate
01
Check the tax first
Enter the reg above and get the VRT for the exact version, the biggest single cost of importing. The line-by-line breakdown (OMSP, CO2 band, NOx levy) is the €4.90 document.
02
Buy and bring it over
Budget for customs (10% from Great Britain unless the car is UK-built with proof of origin), VAT at 23% on used GB cars, and the ferry. Cars from Northern Ireland can skip customs and often VAT.
03
Register within 30 days
Book an NCTS appointment within 7 days of arrival, bring the V5C and purchase invoice, pay the VRT and collect your Irish plates.
Plan the whole import
Total import cost
VRT + VAT + customs + ferry in one number, for GB, NI and Japan routes.
UK reg check before you buy
What the DVLA and MOT records say about a UK car: year, CO2, fuel, mileage at every test, and the VRT that follows from it.
Importing from Northern Ireland
When the 10% customs and 23% VAT drop to zero, and the three documents Revenue asks for.
Japanese auction history (free)
How many times a Japanese car went through auction, with dates and grades. Full sheet with odometer and damage map for €9.99.
NOx charge calculator
The levy by mg/km, typical figures by Euro standard, and why a blank costs €4,850 on a diesel.
Motor tax calculator
Annual road tax by CO2 band or engine size - know the running cost before you buy.
VRT booking guide
How to get an NCTS appointment, what documents to bring, deadlines and penalties.
VRT rates 2026
The 20 CO2 bands from 7% to 41%, the NOx levy steps and the electric car relief.
OMSP and VRT appeals
What to do when Revenue has no valuation for your car, or the one it has is too high.
Importing from Japan?
Aqua, Prius, Fit, Note - Japanese imports are booming in Ireland. The VRT works the same way, but the car is identified by its Japanese model code (like DAA-NHP10) instead of a UK reg. Our Japanese tool reads it straight from the chassis number or the export certificate.
The same chassis number also opens the car’s Japanese auction history: how many times it was sold, when, and what grade the inspector gave it. That check is free.
What’s free and what costs money
The VRT figure and the Japanese auction archive check are free, no catch. Paid documents exist for one reason: when you are about to hand over thousands for a car, the paperwork behind the number is worth a few euro.
VRT calculator
Free
no sign-up, no daily caps
- The VRT figure for the exact version
- UK reg, Japanese chassis code or manual pick
- Cars, vans and motorcycles
- Live official valuation data
VRT & taxes breakdown
€4.90
one-off, no account needed
- OMSP, depreciation and mileage discount line by line
- CO2 band, CO2 and NOx charges in euro
- Customs, VAT and total landed cost for your route
- Motor tax for this exact version
- Statistical code docket for the NCTS inspection
Auction archive check
Free
Japanese imports, by chassis number
- How many times the car went through a Japanese auction, with the dates
- The inspector's grade for each appearance
- Recalls from Japan's transport ministry for this model
- Japanese crash-test rating (JNCAP) where one exists
Full auction sheet
€9.99
per car; one payment opens every sheet under the listing
- Odometer reading on the day of each auction
- Damage map and inspector's notes in plain English
- Sale price, equipment and photos
- Mileage timeline across auctions: a red flag if it ever went down
Importing more than one car, or want the car’s past checked?
Credits make each VRT & taxes breakdown cheaper: 5 for €20, 20 for €69, 50 for €149 (€2.98 each). Credits never expire and live on your email, see my documents. They cover the breakdown only: Japanese auction sheets are €9.99 each and paid separately.
For a UK car, checking the past - mileage, write-offs, finance still owing - is a different job, and we don’t pretend to do it. After the calculation we point you at the providers who do. For a Japanese car the auction archive above is that check.
VRT questions, answered
Between 7% and 41% of the car's Open Market Selling Price (Revenue's Irish valuation, not what you paid), set by the CO2 band, plus a NOx levy of €5 to €25 per mg/km. On a typical used import the total lands between €2,000 and €6,000. Example: a 2019 petrol Golf valued at €18,000 at 120 g/km pays 16%, about €2,880, plus roughly €150 NOx. A diesel SUV at 160 g/km pays 30%, and the NOx levy alone reaches €4,850 if the figure is not declared.
Know the tax before you shake hands
The VRT is the biggest single cost of importing. Check it now - free, thirty seconds, live valuation data.
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