Importing new from EU

[Saucer]

Has anyone on here imported a MH from the EU since Brexit? My understanding is that VAT and import tax are payable on used vans, but only VAT on new. Also I believe that purchases in e.g. Belgium or Germany could benefit from VAT refunds from the country it was purchased in. I know that there are various hoops around satisfying UK registration standards, MPH on dash etc, but that doesn’t seem insurmountable. I’d be very interested in anyone who is considering it or (even better) done it since we left.

 

[HymerBlueEvo540]

Just paid a deposit - my bank now have an improved FX offering (as I assume they were losing so much to online brokers and challenger banks). Was about £40 dearer but fully protected.

 

[Saucer]

Just paid a deposit - my bank now have an improved FX offering (as I assume they were losing so much to online brokers and challenger banks). Was about £40 dearer but fully protected.

I’d love to hear how it went. Did you go ahead with the process and import? Have you reclaim VAT? Any other learning? Many thanks from someone really interested in following suit.

 

[HKF]

Just in case you might want to use them, we used Portico in Portsmouth to import our Mitsubishi L200 for us in 2022. They were really helpful and on the ball

 

[Saucer]

Just in case you might want to use them, we used Portico in Portsmouth to import our Mitsubishi L200 for us in 2022. They were really helpful and on the ball



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Thanks. I don’t know how companies like that work. Do you mean that they brought the car over, or was it more around the paperwork, or something else?

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[HKF]

Thanks. I don’t know how companies like that work. Do you mean that they brought the car over, or was it more around the paperwork, or something else?

They did all the paperwork for us, including all the VAT etc. We'd already trailered the vehicle over before deciding to import it. They were really friendly and explained things well as, like you, we had no idea what to do. The whole process was very smooth and saved us the worry of getting the paperwork wrong. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

 

[Neilh]

They did all the paperwork for us, including all the VAT etc. We'd already trailered the vehicle over before deciding to import it. They were really friendly and explained things well as, like you, we had no idea what to do. The whole process was very smooth and saved us the worry of getting the paperwork wrong. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

Thanks it's interesting as we're seriously thinking of importing a hymer, have seen one we would like and in discussion, with a view to going ahead in the next 2 weeks.

 

[Neilh]

I would be interested to know if the insurance companies will easily insure a LHD van and if there's an extra premium, although being LHD might make them less interesting thieves.

 

[Lenny HB]

I would be interested to know if the insurance companies will easily insure a LHD van and if there's an extra premium, although being LHD might make them less interesting thieves.

Never had a problem our last 2 vans were LHD.

 

[Soycd]

I would be interested to know if the insurance companies will easily insure a LHD van and if there's an extra premium, although being LHD might make them less interesting thieves.

We've imported a few over the years. Some insurance won't touch LHD but some will. We have used Adrian Flux and Comfort in the past for LHD using the VIN instead of reg number. The slightly iffy side is getting it from the dealer to UK when you only have 3rd party. If someone is importing it for you then I suppose this is not a problem.

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[jerryz]

No import duty if you have owned the vehicle more than 1 year overseas ,,,when i brought one of my motorcycles over from Thailand , no VAT no excise duty as I had owned it for 20 years ,, just DVLA to deal with and costs of transit etc

 

[Neilh]

Never had a problem our last 2 vans were LHD.

Thanks Lenny

 

[Neilh]

We've imported a few over the years. Some insurance won't touch LHD but some will. We have used Adrian Flux and Comfort in the past for LHD using the VIN instead of reg number. The slightly iffy side is getting it from the dealer to UK when you only have 3rd party. If someone is importing it for you then I suppose this is not a problem.

Thanks. Not decided how to deal with the transportation yet, will make some enquiries and decide.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Imported mine new from Germany hut over 3 years ago, found dealing with the paperwork very easy and the registration went through easy and I then claimed the VAT back from German dealer.
Saved over £20k and that was when the euro rate was bad, as far as I know importing new vans has not changed just importing second hand vans.
Would definitely look at importing again

 

[Neilh]

Imported mine new from Germany hut over 3 years ago, found dealing with the paperwork very easy and the registration went through easy and I then claimed the VAT back from German dealer.
Saved over £20k and that was when the euro rate was bad, as far as I know importing new vans has not changed just importing second hand vans.
Would definitely look at importing again

Thanks that’s good to know.
The savings are at least 20% the pound is getting stronger ( thanks Macron) plus there’s stock available. The Hymer dealers in the UK won’t budge on price, also won’t fix in case of price increases, during the delivery period.

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[Coastal Cruiser.]

Thanks that’s good to know.
The savings are at least 20% the pound is getting stronger ( thanks Macron) plus there’s stock available. The Hymer dealers in the UK won’t budge on price, also won’t fix in case of price increases, during the delivery period.

If you do decide to import I have all the forms on a template so just need to input own details in and it should all go through fairly smoothly.

 

[HKF]

Thanks it's interesting as we're seriously thinking of importing a hymer, have seen one we would like and in discussion, with a view to going ahead in the next 2 weeks.

You could always call them and see how they could help you. They're really nice to deal with and I'm sure would give you advice ahead of your decision.

PS Just for the record, I have no affiliation whatsoever with Portico. I'm just a really happy customer.

 

[Neilh]

If you do decide to import I have all the forms on a template so just need to input own details in and it should all go through fairly smoothly.

Thanks that's very kind. Hopefully we'll be a position proceed by the 22nd.

 

[Neilh]

If you do decide to import I have all the forms on a template so just need to input own details in and it should all go through fairly smoothly.

Hi thanks if you could let me have the forms it would be really helpful.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Hi thanks if you could let me have the forms it would be really helpful.

Pm me your email and I will send over what I have

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[PlymBob]

Thanks. Not decided how to deal with the transportation yet, will make some enquiries and decide.

Just in case you might want to use them, we used Portico in Portsmouth to import our Mitsubishi L200 for us in 2022. They were really helpful and on the ball



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That's interesting to hear. I used ShipMyCar just under a year ago and they were dreadful. Just for the paperwork though. I drove it back on German export number plates with insurance from UK.

 

[Saucer]

That's interesting to hear. I used ShipMyCar just under a year ago and they were dreadful. Just for the paperwork though. I drove it back on German export number plates with insurance from UK.

You said earlier in the thread that it took 4 months to register. Were you covered by the UK insurance to use it in that time?

 

[PlymBob]

You said earlier in the thread that it took 4 months to register. Were you covered by the UK insurance to use it in that time?

The German export plates expired after something like two weeks so I couldn't legally drive anyway. The insurance was on the VIN number, and I cannot recall exactly but I think it would have been insured for theft or damage, but would need to be street legal. It was with Motor Caravan wise

 

[Saucer]

The German export plates expired after something like two weeks so I couldn't legally drive anyway. The insurance was on the VIN number, and I cannot recall exactly but I think it would have been insured for theft or damage, but would need to be street legal. It was with Motor Caravan wise

That’s very helpful, thank you. All part of us weighing up the best way to buy what will undoubtedly be our biggest purchase, property aside. If I was buying today it is definitely what I’d do, with the experiences of people on here, and the pound at 1.19 euro.

 

[bellabee]

We've imported new Hymers twice - the first from Germany in 2015 with an exchange rate of Euros 1.43 to the Pound - resulting in a huge saving!

We did it all ourselves and it was relatively straightforward. The most stressful part was driving the van on temporary German plates to the continental ferry port, with 3rd party insurance. We tried to mitigate this by buying in the Ruhr area and taking the ferry back from Rotterdam - a drive of around 220km, which we did at the weekend when there was less traffic on the roads.
Once on British soil we had fully comp insurance and drove straight home, where we changed the speedo with an overlay, and replaced the lhd fiat headlights with rhd ones. This van was not an A class, thus the change of headlights.
We then went to our local MOT garage where they certified that it was compatible with UK regulations.
After that, we did the DVLA paperwork, paid UK VAT and claimed back the German VAT from the German dealer.
The whole process took no more than 4 weeks.

We bought the second van from Campirama in Belgium, trading in the first van.

This process was slightly easier, in that Belgian VAT was not payable and we just had to pay the UK VAT.
Also, Campirama fitted temporary Belgian plates to the van and drove it to the port for us, using their own insurance.

In terms of ease of process and lack of stress, the Belgian experience won hands-down. However, I do suspect that there are probably better deals to be made in Germany.

Either way, it was well-worth doing.

In terms of warranty work, we didn't need any on the first van. On the second one, we have found it very convenient to have annual damp-checks carried out and minor jobs done when we travel to the Continent. Campirama is no more than a 2 hour drive from Calais and we've never had a problem in fitting in visits.

The main UK Hymer dealer is around 20 miles from our home, but as a result of prior experience, we'd never use them for
anything.

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[Saucer]

The German export plates expired after something like two weeks so I couldn't legally drive anyway. The insurance was on the VIN number, and I cannot recall exactly but I think it would have been insured for theft or damage, but would need to be street legal. It was with Motor Caravan wise

I’ve come across you on this and elsewhere asking about the headlights. Did you have to change them or do the ducato headlights adjust for uk use and to pass for registration?

 

[PlymBob]

I’ve come across you on this and elsewhere asking about the headlights. Did you have to change them or do the ducato headlights adjust for uk use and to pass for registration?

I was told that the full LED headlights have a neutral or flat dip and did not need to be converted

 

[HKF]

I’ve come across you on this and elsewhere asking about the headlights. Did you have to change them or do the ducato headlights adjust for uk use and to pass for registration?

AFAIK, all modern EU vehicles have centrally aligned headlights.

 

[Saucer]

Thanks both. Thats very reassuring as previously it sounded like a significant hassle. As far as I can see therefore a ducato with a digital dash will be fully compliant for UK standards., but happy to be corrected.

 

[DesandDek]

Hi I purchased a German manufactured and UK registered 1 year old motorhome, when 3 years old the MOT failure was due to the reversing and fog lights being on the wrong side of the vehicle. Same rewired and lenses changed, then MOT passed. Good luck, keep us informed as I fancy a German Show week

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[Rob Turner]

As you say, the Euro is at €1.19 today so it is going in the right direction.
Just be savvy with your FX company or bank as the fees can be high.
I used my Revolut card last time and it didn’t cost me a penny.