Bring vehicles to Spain

I would sell them in the UK then just buy once in Spain, it will be less hassle IME.

Hi Dawn,

I agree with Paolo.  My husband brought his RHD car to Spain, but pre-Brexit it still cost €1,100 to import it and have it transferred to Spanish plates.  He's confident driving on the "wrong" side of the road and typically has me in the passenger seat to deal with toll booths and car park barriers/tickets! 😄

Even brand new cars are generally cheaper in Spain than the UK and they hold their price very well.

Kind regards, 

Kim

Thank you 

Hi Kim , thank you for the advice it was very helpful. My husband has a vintage BMW which he is very reluctant to sell . And I have a juke we wasn’t sure what to do really. It looks like buyer in Spain is possibly the best idea . Kind regards Dawn 

Hi Dawn,

Before your husband decides whether (or not!) to sell his BMW, I´d suggest contacting Leigh at Spanish Number Plates in Spain:

https://www.spanish-number-plates.com/

From memory, there´s something about vintage cars which may still make it cost effective to bring it to Spain, e.g. over a certain age (20 years, I think), you no longer pay road tax.  Also, there used to be a way of bringing your car to Spain, as part of your "goods and chattels", and registering it within 3 months of arrival that negated import duty, but I don´t know if that still applies since Brexit.  Have a chat with Leigh - he´s very helpful - and he can advise.  We used him to transfer my husband´s car when we moved to Spain 5 years ago and he´s just transferred my friend´s car under the new post-Brexit rules.

Kind regards,

Kim

contact https://www.spanish-number-plates.com/ 

They will be able to tell you how much it will cost to import the BMW and the cost of any alterations to lights and to put it on Spanish plates etc. 

Generally I would say sell in the UK and buy in Spain but we brought our old Land Rover Discovery over because the value of diesels in the UK nose-dived and we needed it to move down (complete with trailer and two dogs). We were also completely renovating our villa so knew we would need it and the trailer to pick up materials. As the driving position is quite high, visibility is not a problem and 99% of the time I am a passenger to look out at junctions, overtaking, tolls, car park barriers etc. 

Another thing to consider is the state of some Spanish roads and all the road humps. So many cars here have dents and scrapes on bumpers and bodywork, lights and wing mirrors held on with tape and we've had someone just drive straight into the back of us when parked in a supermarket (they came off worse with a towbar sized hole in their front bumper while our tank was undamaged) and we came out of another supermarket to find our back light smashed at trolley handle height, and no, nobody had left their details. I spend as much time as I can at our local bar/cafe sat outside watching the world go by and all the minor collisions which are a regular occurence. 

Edit: RATS. The little blighters cause so much damage. I never had this problem in over 50 years of driving in the UK but we have had them chewing through wiring twice and so have friends of ours.