Like in every other country in the world, owning and driving a car in Ireland can be expensive as well. Firstly, there is a wide range of vehicle taxes that you will have to pay, and gasoline prices can get extremely high. Additionally, if you live in the capital or any other big city, you might find it quite difficult to find a good and inexpensive parking spot.
This means that you will want to carefully think about a few things before deciding on whether or not you should buy a car. The text below might be useful for you since it will feature all the things you should know and consider before buying a car in this country. Let’s take a closer look at the article:
Before Anything Else – Think About The Insurance Packages
The very first thing that you should be aware of is that you will be required by law to purchase insurance. If you do not get one, you will be expected to pay extremely expensive fines and keep in mind that you will get penalty points, meaning that you can lose your driver’s license. There are different types of car Insurance like Comprehensive Motor Vehicle Insurance, Third Party, Fire, and Theft Motor Vehicle Insurance. All have various features, prices, and benefits. If you aren’t sure which one is good you then you can make use of car insurance comparison sites such as AA Insurance and Shop around to find the best policy at a reasonable rate.
Now, the cost might vary and it will depend on several factors. These factors include things such as your age and gender, as well as what type of license do you have, how often do you or will you operate the vehicle, and of course, there do you store your vehicle when you are not using it. These factors can influence the price quite a lot, hence, do some digging before choosing a package.
What Taxes Will I Need to Pay?
As mentioned earlier, the law in Ireland requires you to pay several taxes for owning and operating a vehicle. These taxes include:
1. The Value-Added Tax or VAT For Short
When you purchase a vehicle inside the country, you will need to pay the standard value-added tax. Now, you should know that you might be required to pay another VAT if you have purchased the car in a different country – even if you did pay for it in Ireland already. However, you might be able to avoid paying for it again.
If you have documents that state that the vehicle has been used for a minimum of 5 months and that it has passed more than 5.500 kilometers when you register it, you might be able to avoid paying for the tax. Of course, this usually happens when people purchase used automobiles.
2. The Registration Tax
Whether you purchase an automobile inside the country or outside of it, the law requires you to pay the registration fee. But, there is a catch. If you bought it from a dealership in Ireland, the dealership is the one obligated to compensate for this tax, as well as the registration before giving you the keys.
But, if the car is imported from another country, the person who must pay the tax, is, of course, you. It will also need to be examined inside one week of arriving in the country, hence, take it to a company that specializes in testing cars. The experts will determine how much your tax will be.
Keep in mind the purchased four-wheeler needs to be checked and registered within a month of it arriving in Ireland. Once you have accomplished the previously mentioned things, you will be able to get a registration certificate. This is also a document that will prove that you paid this tax.
3. The Motor Tax
When the aforementioned tasks are done, you will get an application form for this tax, and if you want to pay for it, you must fill in the form. Now, the price of this tax will depend on whether or not your vehicle was registered before 2008 since the tax is estimated by carbon dioxide emissions. And if registered after 2008, the price will depend on how large and powerful your engine is.
But, there is a good thing about this tax. You can choose to pay it in three, six, or twelve monthly payments, and another thing that you might want to know is that you can pay for it either online or at the tax office. Once you put down the first payment, you will get a sticker that you need to apply to your windshield.
Other Things That You Should Be Aware of
There are also some other things that you must remember. For starters, if the vehicle is older than four years, you must take it for a National Cat Test. This test will determine if it is safe to operate. The experts will check a wide range of matters, including the breaks, emissions, as well as other things that ensure road safety. Keep in mind that you can be charged with expensive fines if you do not test it.
Also, it is important to mention what you should do if you ever find yourself in an accident. Firstly, never, I repeat, never leave the scene – no matter how much damage there is. Once you ensured that you are okay, as well as the other driver, get some information on the other person involved – such as their name, address, vehicle information, and insurance info.
If anyone got injured, you should immediately call the ambulance and the police. If possible, take as many pictures that you can – especially since you will need to submit it to your insurance company and the police. The emergency numbers are 112 or 999, hence, make sure that you remember the number or memorize them on your smartphone.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are various items that you should consider and do before purchasing a car. Hence, now that you are aware of what those things are, do not waste any more time, and start thinking about what your first step should be that will allow you to drive a car in this beautiful country!
