Buying a recent import - tax question

[guido45]

Hello

I'm looking at buying a recently imported Subaru Legacy GT-B which was first registered in 1999 in Japan and have found differing reports on the likely road tax implications.

The direct.gov.uk site says "Vehicle tax will be payable in line with the vehicle’s first registration date in the UK" here http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/BuyingAndSell... . However I have spoken to the seller and he says that the car is taxed on the old system and is only £190 a year (rather than the £400+ that is referred to elsewhere on the web) as the new IVA doesn't mention the CO2 figure on the V5.

Can anyone who has recently bought an import confirm if this is the case? The IVA replaced the SVA in about April 09 so anybody who has bought an import registered in the UK since then may be able to help!

Thanks!

[yos]

I recently bought a EVO 9GT from japan ,the tax for this is £108 for 6mths the uk evos are £400 for the year the are registered plg therefor much cheaper !

[FlatPack]

My '98 GTB that I imported in 2008 is £190 to tax I don't see how they could do it any other way, they won't have the emissions data for a car of that age that was never sold in the UK anyway.

If it was 10 years old at the time of import then it won't have been SVA / IVA'ed either - just MOT'ed and registered.

Edited by FlatPack on Thursday 28th January 20:51

[guido45]

Thanks very much, that's put my mind at rest..bring on the test drive!

[Hammer67]

I`m not so sure that that will be the case soon. My 95 300ZX was imported and registered here in 2007, it has no emissions rating and currently costs £190. (Have just renewed). The rumour is ~ for imports registered after 2006, the date of UK registration is the basis for the new tax band regardless of the vehicles age. I`m fearing that I`ll be shelling out £400 next year.

Edited by Hammer67 on Thursday 28th January 23:44

[drgoatboy]

Hammer67 said:

I`m not so sure that that will be the case soon. My 95 300ZX was imported and registered here in 2007, it has no emissions rating and currently costs £190. (Have just renewed). The rumour is ~ for imports registered after 2006, the date of UK registration is the basis for the new tax band regardless of the vehicles age. I`m fearing that I`ll be shelling out £400 next year.

Thats already the case and certainly how it works if you import a 350z.
It would seem for some people however this isn't the case, pressumably as there are no emission figures available for the cars in question (unlike the 350z)

[Welshwonder]

If your car is currently registered in the UK, then whatever band it's in now is the band it will stay in.

If your car is PLG, then you are lucky - you will never get hit with the expensive grading system.

If your car is PC ('Petrol Car') then you are already being shafted. Sorry. This is only the beginning too. The Irish are being crippled with four figure tax bills already.

As previously mentioned, if you're going to import a car - make sure it's over 10 years old. This bypasses the ESVA test, which tests the CO2 coming out of your exhaust and is then listed on the type approval certificate for your car. The DVLA then bases your tax on the figure on that certificate.