Germany has one of the biggest used car markets in Europe, and plenty of the cars on it are well specced, well looked after and keenly priced. That is why so many people in the UK end up browsing German listings. The worry is the bit in between: German paperwork, a seller you have never met and a car on the wrong side. None of it is hard once you know what to ask for.
- Key document
- Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II
- Import tax
- 20% VAT, no duty if EU or UK-built
- Transit time
- About 3 to 7 days
- Price to bring home
- Quoted per job
Finding the car
Most used cars in Germany are listed on a handful of large national classified sites, which carry both dealer and private adverts. You can filter by almost anything, and many listings say whether the car has a full service history and when its next roadworthiness test is due. Run the listing through a translator and read it all, as the useful detail is often in the notes rather than the headline.
Before you get attached, check one thing: where the car was built. That decides the import tax here, which we come back to below.
Dealer or private seller
Both work. Which suits you depends on how much the paperwork and the VAT matter to you.
| Feature | Dealer | Private seller |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Usually higher | Often lower |
| Export without German VAT | Sometimes possible, ask first | No, there is no VAT to take off |
| Invoice | A proper sales invoice | A written sales contract |
| Used to export sales | Many are | Rarely |
The German paperwork
A German car's registration comes in two parts, and you want to see both.
- Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I, the old Fahrzeugschein. It stays with the car and holds the technical details.
- Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II, the old Fahrzeugbrief. This is the one that matters most when you buy. The person selling should be the person named on it, or able to show why not.
If a seller cannot produce the Teil II, walk away. A car with finance on it may have its Teil II held by the lender, so ask the question directly. Check the VIN on both parts against the car and the invoice. Our guide to history checks explains what else you can look at, and checking the mileage covers clocking.
TÜV reports and service books
German cars take a regular roadworthiness test, known as the HU and widely called the TÜV after one of the organisations that carries it out. A sticker on the rear plate shows when the next one is due. Ask for the latest report, as it lists any faults found. A recent pass is a good sign, but it is not a full inspection, so still have the car looked at if you cannot see it yourself.
A stamped service book, often listed as scheckheftgepflegt, is common on German cars and worth a lot. Look for regular stamps and mileages that climb steadily.
Before you pay a deposit
0 of 9 done
Paying safely
Bank transfer to a business account in the dealer's own name is the usual way, and it leaves a clear trail. Be wary of anyone who will not let you see the car or talk on the phone, who pushes for a quick deposit, or who suggests a holding or escrow service you have never heard of. Our guide to car shipping scams covers the patterns to watch for, and buying a car abroad safely has the wider list of checks.
German VAT on dealer export sales
The UK is outside the EU, so a car sold to you and taken out of the EU is an export. A VAT-registered dealer may be able to sell it without German VAT, or refund the VAT once there is proof the car has left. Each dealer has its own process, and many want a deposit covering the VAT until the export is proven. Ask before you agree a price, and get the answer in writing.
It matters because you pay 20% UK import VAT when the car arrives either way. If the German VAT stays in the price, you are paying VAT twice. A private sale, or a dealer car sold without VAT shown on the invoice, has no German VAT to take off.
Import tax and rules of origin
A car coming in from Germany pays 20% import VAT on the price plus transport. There is no duty if it was built in the EU or the UK. A car built elsewhere, in the US or Japan say, pays 10% duty too, however long it has been registered in Germany. Our guide to rules of origin and duty on EU cars explains why, with a worked example.
A car over 30 years old, so built before October 1996, pays 5% VAT and no duty. If you are moving to the UK, have lived abroad for at least 12 months and owned the car for at least 6, Transfer of Residence can mean no import tax at all. The import tax calculator runs your own numbers.
Left-hand drive and UK changes
German cars are left-hand drive. That is no barrier to registering one here, but it needs headlights adjusted or replaced for driving on the left, a speedometer reading in mph, and a rear fog light where needed. We do that work on our own site. Under 10 years old, so built after October 2016, an EU car usually goes through with a Certificate of Conformity rather than a full IVA test. Older than that, it takes an MOT, and over 40 years old it needs no MOT. Our guide to left-hand drive cars in the UK covers living with one.
Driving it home or having it shipped
Some buyers fly out and drive the car back. To leave Germany on the road, an unregistered car usually goes out on export plates (Ausfuhrkennzeichen), which come with their own insurance and a red band showing the date they run out. You will need a valid licence for the trip, and the car still needs a UK customs entry and NOVA once it lands. After that, GOV.UK says it cannot be used on UK roads until it is registered, apart from driving to a pre-booked MOT or approval test.
The other way is to let us collect it. We bring cars from Germany on our own enclosed transporter, usually in about 3 to 7 days, and the car does not need export plates for that. We make the customs entry ourselves as HMRC CDS authorised agents. Germany is priced per job, and our guide to shipping a car from Germany covers the route, the methods and the paperwork in full.
Ask us before you pay. Send us the listing and we will tell you whether duty applies, what the car needs here and what the whole job costs, while you can still walk away.
Questions people ask
What is the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II?
It is the second part of a German registration, once called the Fahrzeugbrief. It is the key document when you buy, and the seller should be named on it. If they cannot produce it, do not buy the car.
Do I pay import duty on a car bought in Germany?
Not if it was built in the EU or the UK. You pay 20% import VAT. A car built elsewhere pays 10% duty as well, wherever it was sold, and a car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty.
Can I get the German VAT back?
Sometimes, if you buy from a VAT-registered dealer and the car is exported. Each dealer has its own process, so ask before you agree a price. A private sale has no VAT to reclaim.
Can I drive a car I bought in Germany back to the UK?
Yes, usually on German export plates with their own insurance. The car still needs a customs entry and NOVA here, and it cannot be used on UK roads until it is registered, apart from driving to a pre-booked test.
Is a left-hand drive German car hard to register?
No. It needs its headlights set for the left, an mph speedometer and a rear fog light where needed. A car under 10 years old usually goes through with a Certificate of Conformity.
Found a car in Germany? Send us the listing on the quote form and we will price the whole job, from collection to your drive.
