Car Import FAQ

Yes - all new cars bought in Europe come with a document called a Certificate of Conformity and it means the car is legal throughout Europe.

Warranty is by law European wide for the first year. In the UK you can often get 3 years. However you can buy warranty contact Motor Warranties Direct Tel: 0800 0978001.

Despite various claims garages have no objections to imported cars. If you do come across anybody that objects take a camcorder with you to the garage and send it to BBC Watchdog.

If you're getting a car from Europe then insurance SHOULD cost the same. You will be getting a UK spec car. The only slight difficultly is that when you buy the insurance you won't yet have a UK number plate so you need to get an insurance company who will insure the car based upon its chassis number (this is something that the dealer can tell you when the car reaches them).

The difference between a UK car and European car (apart from the specs are)

1. RHD as opposed to LHD on the continent
2. Front lights should dip to the left not right
3. You'll want English documentation
4. Speedometer must be in MPH rather than KPH.
5. Wipers need to work other way around

Make sure that you point all this out when you speak to the dealer

Yes - the same car in different countries often has a different specification from the UK. It is crucial you know the UK car specification. You may well find a dealer who has imported to the UK before and knows the UK specification and can add on the items to make it UK specification. They're often strange little things. e.g. in Belgium car radio is not standard in the Mégane Scenic. A Car Radio wasn't standard in Holland but Air conditioning was. So the bottom line is know your specification and assume nothing. That is the great advantage of finding a dealer who has exported to the UK he will probably know all the differences. All Car Imports ensure that the car you require will have the UK specification.

In Europe you don't pay the VAT and taxes of the country your buying from but the country your importing to. In the case of Ireland for example they have a new car tax called VRT which is around 25%. First you take that away then you take away their VAT also which is 21% then you add on our VAT of 17.5%. A country where cars are highly taxed then is a great place to import one from. Manufacturers are aware of the taxes and so cars are sold cheaper to those countries to make them more affordable. 

Importing a car is not difficult, Just contact All Car Imports and we will put you into contact with the relevant dealer.

Usually higher,  can be around 20%

UK dealers state that all UK cars are of a better spec.

Many European cars are actually better specified than UK cars. There are differences, though, and it depends on the make and model.

Is it true that European dealers are unwilling to sell to UK buyers?

Most dealers are very willing to help UK buyers with a far more helpful attitude than is common here in the UK. Their view is that they lose nothing by selling to a UK buyer. Anyway, extra sales can only help their franchise regardless of where the buyer comes from.