new car
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2005
Location: manchester england
Posts: 21
new car
HI,
CAN ANYBODY TELL ME WHAT THE COSTS OF RUNNING A CAR WOULD BE IN SPAIN.
WE ARE LOOKING TO BUY A NEW ONE WHEN WE GO OVER IN SEPTEMBER AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT TAX/MOT/DIESEL/SERVICE COSTS. ANY HELP VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.
ANNE :scared: :scared:
CAN ANYBODY TELL ME WHAT THE COSTS OF RUNNING A CAR WOULD BE IN SPAIN.
WE ARE LOOKING TO BUY A NEW ONE WHEN WE GO OVER IN SEPTEMBER AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT TAX/MOT/DIESEL/SERVICE COSTS. ANY HELP VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.
ANNE :scared: :scared:
#2
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 987
Re: new car
Generaly petrol/diesel and servicing in cheaper than in any major British town.
The best thing to do (as second hand and new vehicles are expensive to buy in Spain compared to the rest of western Europe) is to purchase a LHD (new or pre owned) now, reg it in the UK straight away and once you've owned it for six months and 1 day in the UK you can then import it without having to pay the hefty Spanish car tax or their VAT (totaling approx 30% on 1.6L or above vehicles)
The best thing to do (as second hand and new vehicles are expensive to buy in Spain compared to the rest of western Europe) is to purchase a LHD (new or pre owned) now, reg it in the UK straight away and once you've owned it for six months and 1 day in the UK you can then import it without having to pay the hefty Spanish car tax or their VAT (totaling approx 30% on 1.6L or above vehicles)
Last edited by zel; Mar 13th 2006 at 4:45 pm.
#3
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2002
Location: UK & Spain (Cádiz Province)
Posts: 454
Re: new car
Originally Posted by zel
Generaly petrol/diesel and servicing in cheaper than in any major British town.
The best thing to do (as second hand and new vehicles are expensive to buy in Spain compared to the rest of western Europe) is to purchase a LHD (new or pre owned) now, reg it in the UK straight away and once you've owned it for six months and 1 day in the UK you can then import it without having to pay the hefty Spanish car tax or their VAT (totaling approx 30% on 1.6L or above vehicles)
The best thing to do (as second hand and new vehicles are expensive to buy in Spain compared to the rest of western Europe) is to purchase a LHD (new or pre owned) now, reg it in the UK straight away and once you've owned it for six months and 1 day in the UK you can then import it without having to pay the hefty Spanish car tax or their VAT (totaling approx 30% on 1.6L or above vehicles)
If anne is moving to Spain as resident then it seems pointless to have to go through the entire process of re-registering the vehicle onto Spanish plates. If buying from new, then get a new car at a Spanish franchise dealer for the vehicle that you want.
running costs are lower than UK. fuel is lower - see fuel prices on http://www.iru.org/Services/FuelWel.E.html
Diesel is cheaper than petrol !
It is definitely worth investigating the insurance aspects and deciding on what to do before you jump.
#4
Re: new car
I think you will find the UK is the dearest place to buy a (left hand drive ?)new car.
#5
Re: new car
Originally Posted by jdr
I think you will find the UK is the dearest place to buy a (left hand drive ?)new car.
#6
Re: new car
Originally Posted by zel
Generaly petrol/diesel and servicing in cheaper than in any major British town.
The best thing to do (as second hand and new vehicles are expensive to buy in Spain compared to the rest of western Europe) is to purchase a LHD (new or pre owned) now, reg it in the UK straight away and once you've owned it for six months and 1 day in the UK you can then import it without having to pay the hefty Spanish car tax or their VAT (totaling approx 30% on 1.6L or above vehicles)
The best thing to do (as second hand and new vehicles are expensive to buy in Spain compared to the rest of western Europe) is to purchase a LHD (new or pre owned) now, reg it in the UK straight away and once you've owned it for six months and 1 day in the UK you can then import it without having to pay the hefty Spanish car tax or their VAT (totaling approx 30% on 1.6L or above vehicles)
#7
Re: new car
I think if you buy a Spanish regd car in the Uk then of course you are fine (if you carry out the correct checks) but I think they were referring to buying a UK regd LHD car.
I've found a few sites also with LHD cars. I've been trying to source a LHD Pajero (Yes I know what that means in Spanish thank you) but to no avail
I've found a few sites also with LHD cars. I've been trying to source a LHD Pajero (Yes I know what that means in Spanish thank you) but to no avail
#8
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 166
Re: new car
Originally Posted by Mitzyboy
I think if you buy a Spanish regd car in the Uk then of course you are fine (if you carry out the correct checks) but I think they were referring to buying a UK regd LHD car.
I've found a few sites also with LHD cars. I've been trying to source a LHD Pajero (Yes I know what that means in Spanish thank you) but to no avail
I've found a few sites also with LHD cars. I've been trying to source a LHD Pajero (Yes I know what that means in Spanish thank you) but to no avail
http://www.cutmaple.com/cgi-bin2/cutmaple/search.pl
#9
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 987
Re: new car
Originally Posted by Nige
i think that your advice is biased ZEL !
If anne is moving to Spain as resident then it seems pointless to have to go through the entire process of re-registering the vehicle onto Spanish plates. If buying from new, then get a new car at a Spanish franchise dealer for the vehicle that you want.
running costs are lower than UK. fuel is lower - see fuel prices on http://www.iru.org/Services/FuelWel.E.html
Diesel is cheaper than petrol !
It is definitely worth investigating the insurance aspects and deciding on what to do before you jump.
If anne is moving to Spain as resident then it seems pointless to have to go through the entire process of re-registering the vehicle onto Spanish plates. If buying from new, then get a new car at a Spanish franchise dealer for the vehicle that you want.
running costs are lower than UK. fuel is lower - see fuel prices on http://www.iru.org/Services/FuelWel.E.html
Diesel is cheaper than petrol !
It is definitely worth investigating the insurance aspects and deciding on what to do before you jump.
As mentioned the cheapest way to own any vehicle in Spain generaly is to purchase it outside of Spain, own it for 6 months then bring it with you.
Spanish second hand vehicles are on average 25% more expensive than say a German vehicle. Even a brand new Seat is by far cheaper to buy in Germany,Netherlands or Belgium than in Spain.
And as the majority of people who move abroad are doing it to a strict budget every euro counts thus why I gave the correct advice.
And as for the hassle factor of registering a vehicle in Spain a client of ours in Mallorca just converted his UK regged LHD vehicle to Spanish plates within 48hrs. Not a huge deal at all to save quite litterly 1000's of euros on the more expensive vehicles.
Last edited by zel; Mar 14th 2006 at 9:19 am.
#10
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 987
Re: new car
Originally Posted by steve in pago
Mitzyboy have a look on this site majority are LHD some have accident damage but alot have none. Seem to be ex US forces private vehicles bought over here in UK then sold on
The US forces get around this by their special scheme for the forces have throughout the world. If the vehicles have private UK registration already then it's not going to be a problem to use in the UK obviously, but this does not mean it's going to be a simple process to reg them in any other EU country. Although saying that if you've owned it for six months I believe it should be ok.
The EU has a car registration scheme called the COC scheme (Certificate of Conformity) which is only issued to vehicles sold to the EU (if it's made in EU then sold to outside of the EU, it will NOT come with the cert)
It's basicly a certficate to prove it conforms to all EU policies regarding noise, emissions, steering, crash data figures etc etc etc.
This is not to say that if you went over to Germany and purchased a LHD vehicle you would be 100% safe, you have to be 100% sure a COC is available for the vehicle, if it doesn't come with the car straight away, put a refundable deposit down and get them to order a COC for it and do not pay the balance until you have it in your hand.
I say this as there are a lot of ex American vehicles in Europe that people have imported themselves not knowing the hassle & expense factor to registering them (they did it when the USD was weak) and are now stuck with them and trying to sell them to other people who don't know the situation also.
There is a scheme to register a non EU car in the UK known as the SVA/ESVA route which can cost upto £3500 (not including any modifications needed) and I'm not sure if this scheme is recognized in Spain or if they have similar schemes.
Last edited by zel; Mar 14th 2006 at 9:50 am.
#11
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 166
Re: new car
Originally Posted by zel
Just as a general warning to anyone as it can be a nightmae purchasing a LHD vehicle, any vehicle from 1998 onwards sold to outside of the EU can be very expensive (£1000's) to register in the UK or the rest of the EU.
The US forces get around this by their special scheme for the forces have throughout the world. If the vehicles have private UK registration already then it's not going to be a problem to use in the UK obviously, but this does not mean it's going to be a simple process to reg them in any other EU country. Although saying that if you've owned it for six months I believe it should be ok.
The EU has a car registration scheme called the COC scheme (Certificate of Conformity) which is only issued to vehicles sold to the EU (if it's made in EU then sold to outside of the EU, it will NOT come with the cert)
It's basicly a certficate to prove it conforms to all EU policies regarding noise, emissions, steering, crash data figures etc etc etc.
This is not to say that if you went over to Germany and purchased a LHD vehicle you would be 100% safe, you have to be 100% sure a COC is available for the vehicle, if it doesn't come with the car straight away, put a refundable deposit down and get them to order a COC for it and do not pay the balance until you have it in your hand.
I say this as there are a lot of ex American vehicles in Europe that people have imported themselves not knowing the hassle & expense factor to registering them (they did it when the USD was weak) and are now stuck with them and trying to sell them to other people who don't know the situation also.
There is a scheme to register a non EU car in the UK known as the SVA/ESVA route which can cost upto £3500 (not including any modifications needed) and I'm not sure if this scheme is recognized in Spain or if they have similar schemes.
The US forces get around this by their special scheme for the forces have throughout the world. If the vehicles have private UK registration already then it's not going to be a problem to use in the UK obviously, but this does not mean it's going to be a simple process to reg them in any other EU country. Although saying that if you've owned it for six months I believe it should be ok.
The EU has a car registration scheme called the COC scheme (Certificate of Conformity) which is only issued to vehicles sold to the EU (if it's made in EU then sold to outside of the EU, it will NOT come with the cert)
It's basicly a certficate to prove it conforms to all EU policies regarding noise, emissions, steering, crash data figures etc etc etc.
This is not to say that if you went over to Germany and purchased a LHD vehicle you would be 100% safe, you have to be 100% sure a COC is available for the vehicle, if it doesn't come with the car straight away, put a refundable deposit down and get them to order a COC for it and do not pay the balance until you have it in your hand.
I say this as there are a lot of ex American vehicles in Europe that people have imported themselves not knowing the hassle & expense factor to registering them (they did it when the USD was weak) and are now stuck with them and trying to sell them to other people who don't know the situation also.
There is a scheme to register a non EU car in the UK known as the SVA/ESVA route which can cost upto £3500 (not including any modifications needed) and I'm not sure if this scheme is recognized in Spain or if they have similar schemes.
As per people importing, think you will find its mainly the dealers that are stuck with stock
Last edited by steve in pago; Mar 14th 2006 at 11:26 am.
#12
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2002
Location: UK & Spain (Cádiz Province)
Posts: 454
Re: new car
Originally Posted by zel
As mentioned the cheapest way to own any vehicle in Spain generaly is to purchase it outside of Spain, own it for 6 months then bring it with you..
Originally Posted by zel
Spanish second hand vehicles are on average 25% more expensive than say a German vehicle. Even a brand new Seat is by far cheaper to buy in Germany,Netherlands or Belgium than in Spain...
Originally Posted by zel
And as for the hassle factor of registering a vehicle in Spain a client of ours in Mallorca just converted his UK regged LHD vehicle to Spanish plates within 48hrs. Not a huge deal at all to save quite litterly 1000's of euros on the more expensive vehicles.
#13
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 987
Re: new car
Originally Posted by steve in pago
£3500 your having a laugh SVA cost nothing like that!!.A couple of hundred pounds only, & the above vehicles have been registered on Uk plates so no problems there, & no i dont work for the company & yes i have an a American vehicle & have had no problems with SVA & MOT that includes the newer version. Mods required lights & side lights & rear fog & reverse lighting again a few hundred pound or you could do it yourself.
As per people importing, think you will find its mainly the dealers that are stuck with stock
As per people importing, think you will find its mainly the dealers that are stuck with stock
We used to put through quite litterly hundreds if jap imports a year through the ESVA, Not to mention in the early 80's we were the biggest importer of US classic Porsches in England. So I know the costs involved.
I have now looked into it and found out the ESVA/SVA procedure is not recognized in Spain, so you would have to look at an alternative route, but as mentioned before if you've owned it in the uk for six months then you can normaly import a car no matter what it is with just a basic MOT/TUV/ITV.
Infact one of these morning UK TV shows about moving to Spain showed just how hard it is to import US cars into Spain even when they have UK registration, A Limo firm bought 3 UK reg us imported limos for their new Spanish company and found they could not register them in Spain, so had to buy Spanish plated ones and take the others back to the UK to sell.
Last edited by zel; Mar 14th 2006 at 1:08 pm.
#14
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 394
Re: new car
You can buy a LHD vehicle new in the UK from some main dealers. You will buy it VAT exempt and can drive it around the UK for a period of time. Not entirely sure what you then have to pay when you bring it into Spain, but I think this link gives some more info http://www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk/export/index.asp
Note that these vehicles are sourced from main European dealers and it may take some time to get what you want. I was going to buy one myself, but ran out of time.
Note that these vehicles are sourced from main European dealers and it may take some time to get what you want. I was going to buy one myself, but ran out of time.
Last edited by Unexpat; Mar 14th 2006 at 1:14 pm.
#15
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 987
Re: new car
Originally Posted by Nige
I thought that if you are coming to Spain to take up residency, then you are given a period of time to re-register your 'imported' car that is any age (new or over 6 months), for little cost. Is this correct?
You still have to pay a small fee for new ownership as you would if you bought a vehicle in Spain and had to xfer to ownership. But you do bypass both the Spanish Car Tax & their VAT.
Infact from what I'm told quite a few people are using it as a small profitting scheme by buying a couple of LHD cars in the UK before they move, regging them in Spain then selling them as obviously the Spanish car market is more expensive so they make a few thousand euros.
Last edited by zel; Mar 14th 2006 at 1:58 pm.