I'm thinking of importing a classic shape my98 Impreza from Japan. What road tax is the car liable for in the UK? As I understand it any Impreza turbo registered after March 06 will be band G, but is this registered in the UK or could I take the first registration in Japan and thereby get the lower tax band?

 

Any car built before 2001 has standard taxation, i.e. if its over a 1.4 it will be £195/year or what ever it is..

Its to do with build dates mainly and what emissions records they hold, only recently built cars were subjected to the new latest regs at construction..

 

So for an import first registered in Japan in 98, imported over here in 2008, I'll be looking at a tax banding for a 98 registered car not a 2008 registered car?

From what I've seen there's no clarification as to if a car registered abroad counts.

 

Yep!

 

Cheers bud. That was something putting me off getting an import, don't want to pay £400 a year on road tax. Think some of these post 06 reg cars are going to lose a lot of money. I know of someone already that has sold their new car on the back of this.

 

i had exactly the same thoughts,
i have an import 98sti 4 and was worried,
calle dth edvla and they told me that it goes on manufacture date not import date

 

This thread would beg to differ

DVLA does say "registered" not manufactured.

 

I believe it is registered and not manufactured.

Saying that, the date rule will only apply for so long and then all high emission cars will be stung. I give it 5 years... tops.

 

ok, has anyone recently imported a pre 2001 car and what road tax do you pay?

 

This may give you hope, I've got a '99 Sti 5 imported this year.

I just taxed it at £180 a year.

On my registration certificate (front page at the bottom in Section 3, Special notes) it says
1. Was registered/used overseas. Declared manufactured 1999.
2. SVA cert issued 29/05/2007 Emission limit - As dot publication.

Can someone explain this jargon? I dont understand this emission limit, dot publication spiel?

VJ

 

My original thread gents

Can confirm that after many letters the DVLA won't budge. My car was reg'd in Japan in Dec 04 & in UK in Jan 07. Tax is based upon UK reg date which means £300 at mo & £400 next year followed by ...

Needless to say I'm fuming! This has to be one of THE major Govt rip offs that the motorist has to suffer.

TX.

 

Mines the same as TX. It's all about reg date in the UK it would seem

But whats £300 in the context of a years subaru ownership?
About 10% of the depreciation
Or 50% of the maintainance costs
Or two tyres
Don't even start on modification costs or insurance.....

 

Ignore it, there wont be any emissions data to tax you in the new bands regardless

 

Err, £400 from next year! £400 tax every year for a newly imported pre 2001 car will mean the market will slow dramatically for these cars. I won't be getting one and pay £200 every year extra just to keep it on the road compared to one already registered on the lower band here.

 

You're going to deny yourself the car you want for the sake of £200 a year?

 

No, I'd buy one already here on the lower band.

 

it would be better to find a tidy jap import that's never seen road salt and such, rather then buy a thrashed uk example that has never had the underside washed after a winter and is still caked in rock salt IMHO

£200/year is not a lot of money for a real "mint" car, most people dont even keep a scoob more then 3 years, the £600 extra you will pay over 3 years is nothing if you find a nice one

 

I've already owned 2 grey imports, the Japanese use salt on their roads.

I refuse on principle to pay more road tax for a car when an exact same (age and model) one can be taxed for £200 per annum cheaper.

 

Principles shminciples, £200 a year is still just a drop in the ocean when it comes to subaru ownership.
Your choice if you decide to let this limit your choices.

I might, out of principle, stop buying fuel because of the massive taxation rate. Then I could put the car on a SORN declaration and save myself the road tax.......

 

or you could stop being a wind-up merchant baiting scoobynutta into farciacal responce (and yes, i know i could take a leaf out of your book and spell/punctuate properly)

for the record, im with scoobynutta on this one. to the; and i quote pslewis on this "less than average £150,000 a year wage earner" (or whatever bollox the daft auld get thinks the average wage is), £200 is more than a drop in the ocean. for the same car, i wouldnt fork out another £200 a year. that £600 over three years of ownership will pay in majority for a remap... id scour round and do my research into finding a mint example over here with some history from an enthusiast with knowledge.

just my tuppenth

 

It may be £200 extra this year, in three years time it could be £1000 per annum. Ouch !

DunxC

 

Let's hope for the sake of motoring that doesn't happen or the only people able to drive fast cars less than 10 years old will be the rich.... again. Like I said though, I think they will apply this rule to all cars deemed as polluters regardless of age in time. Now they have got this in under the banner of "save the planet" it will simply be exploited to raise taxes.

I for one will not pay road tax, simple as.

 

How do you plan to avoid it

TX.

 

Learn to speak polish /romanian

 

Without type approval how can a car be taxed at a higher rate? Think about it. CO2 emmissions are tested on new vehicles supplied by the manufacturers for type approval testing. Imported vehicles do not have this, hence the need for an E-SVA test requiring a model report. Ive mentioned the model report because someone suggested (in another lame thread) that the emmissions were tested here and that that figure was used: which is nonsense.

 

I have only just imported a 97 type R and paid £145 for six months tax and this figure also included the registration fee of something like £50 so the tax part was £95 I believe.

I was not told there would be any change to this but have I missed something in this thread

 

Either take it off the road or paint my face black and fill it with a family of 10 every time I go out.

 

^^ That's a shame fella as it's a nice looking car

TX.

 

Cheers mate. That's my point, be a sad day for law abiding motoring enthusiasts when the government forces our cars into garages.

The only Imprezas you would see will be (by then) 15-20 years old or driven around London by yuppies.

Let's hope that never happens!