There are a few things to keep in mind when driving in Ireland…but the most important thing, of course, is to always drive on the left!

Driving on the left is by no means the only challenge; there are many other things to consider, especially when it comes to insurance and taxes.

In Ireland, the blood alcohol limit for experienced drivers is below 0.5. Driving under the influence of alcohol is taken very seriously here and is sometimes punished with very high fines, driving bans and/or prison sentences. Good news: Guinness is also available in a non-alcoholic version!

You also have to pay tolls on Irish motorways. For example, tolls are also payable for the tunnels in Dublin and Limerick and other expressways. For most toll roads, the toll can be paid directly at the toll booth either in cash or by card. However, you need to be careful when driving on the M50, as there is no toll booth here, but you must pay the toll (known as eflow) online by 8 p.m. the following day at the latest. You can find more information about toll roads here.

On Irish number plates, the first number is the year in which the car was first registered, followed by the abbreviation for the county (in which the first owner was resident at the time of registration) and finally a number in the order of registration in the respective county. Example: 12-D-1234
Since 2013, number plates have not only shown the first two digits of the year of registration, but also the digits 1 or 2 (first or second half of the year).

Depending on whether you want to drive your car registered in Germany in Ireland or buy a new car in Ireland, there are different things to consider.

Driving a German car in Ireland

Don’t want to part with your German car and want to drive it in Ireland? Then you’ll find all the information you need about import, tax and insurance here:

Import/Arrival

If you want to bring your vehicle with you to Ireland, you have two options: either take the ferry directly from France to Ireland, or travel via Great Britain. Here you can plan the perfect journey and book your ferry crossing directly.

Registration and tax

If you want to live in Ireland permanently and import your vehicle, you must register it in Ireland immediately after your arrival. You must register your vehicle with the National Car Testing Service (NCTS) Centre no later than 30 days after importing it into Ireland. Please note that you must book an appointment for registration at the NCTS Centre no later than 7 days after the vehicle’s arrival. You can find an NCTS Centre near you here.

To register, you will need a so-called e-CoC certificate (CoC certificate/CoC papers), your German registration, your driving licence or passport, the invoice for the purchase of the vehicle, proof of address, your PPS number, proof of importation of the vehicle, such as the ferry crossing certificate.

When registering the vehicle, you may also have to pay the so-called VRT (Vehicle Registration Tax).

If you move your permanent residence to Ireland, you may be exempt from VRT tax. To do so, you must submit an application. The application should be submitted online via the MyEnquiries portal.

Here are the official criteria and information about the application.

As in Germany, there is an annual vehicle tax in Ireland. This is called motor tax and can be paid either quarterly, half-yearly or for the whole year. The tax can be paid online at motortax.ie, in person at a motor tax office or by post.

Car insurance

To be allowed to drive in Ireland, you must of course also have car insurance. The Irish and German systems differ greatly in this respect, as there are no no-claims classes in Ireland. Instead, there is the so-called no-claims discount, which reflects the number of years you have driven without accidents and without making any claims on your insurance. This can cause problems if the Irish insurance company does not recognise your German driving experience or if you cannot prove that you have a no claims discount. I therefore recommend that you ask your German insurance company for an EU certificate confirming how many years you have been insured in Germany and how many years you have driven without accidents. Please state that you need the certificate for Ireland.
I wrote a post about my first experience with Irish insurance here.

Here is my recommendation for car insurance!

NCT

In Ireland, the MOT is called the NCT (National Car Test) and it is a criminal offence to drive without a valid NCT. If your car is more than 4 years old, it needs an NCT.
If your car is between 4 and 10 years old, you must take it for an NCT every 2 years. If it is older than 10 years but not older than 30, you must have an NCT every year, and if your car is between 30 and 39 years old and is not used commercially, then every two years. The NCT should be done before the expiry date of the current NCT, and you will need your logbook and driving license as proof of identity.
You can book your NCT appointment online here.

Important! You have to display your tax disc, insurance disk and NCT disk clearly visibly in your windscreen at all times!

Buying a vehicle in ireland

buying a car

If you want to buy a vehicle in Ireland, it is of course best to keep an eye on the car market before you arrive in Ireland to find your perfect car.

The most popular website for buying cars with the largest selection is donedeal.ie, but you can also find good deals on used cars on adverts.ie, which is comparable to eBay, often has good deals on used cars. However, be careful, especially on adverts.ie, and inspect the car thoroughly before making any payments. In addition, carsireland.ie, cars.ie and carzone.ie also offer a large selection of vehicles.

Of course, there are also car dealers locally, with the largest selection definitely in Dublin. In other parts of the country, especially in rural areas, it is much more difficult to find exactly the car you want, as the selection is simply not as large. It is therefore best to plan a visit to a car dealer in Dublin as soon as you arrive. You can also find an overview of all car dealers on donedeal.ie, carsireland.ie, cars.ie and carzone.ie.

Is your English not yet good enough for negotiations and do you need language support when buying a car? No problem!

Just write to me and I will be happy to help you, whether it’s writing messages or directly at the car dealer.

As in Germany, there is an annual vehicle tax in Ireland. This is called motor tax and can be paid either quarterly, half-yearly or for the whole year. The tax can be paid online at motortax.ie, in person at a motor tax office or by post.

VRC / Logbook

The Vehicle Registration Certificate (VRC), also known as the logbook, is like a vehicle registration document. When you buy a car, you must enter your contact details on the last page of the logbook and sign it. The seller then sends the logbook to the traffic authority in Shannon. The traffic authority will then send you a new logbook in your name.

Car insurance

To be allowed to drive in Ireland, you must of course also have car insurance. The Irish and German systems differ greatly in this respect, as there are no no-claims classes in Ireland. Instead, there is the so-called no-claims discount, which reflects the number of years you have driven without accidents and without making any claims on your insurance. This can cause problems if the Irish insurance company does not recognise your German driving experience or if you cannot prove that you have a no claims discount. I therefore recommend that you ask your German insurance company for an EU certificate confirming how many years you have been insured in Germany and how many years you have driven without accidents. Please state that you need the certificate for Ireland.

I have written a post about my first experience with Irish insurance here.

NCT

In Ireland, the MOT is called the NCT (National Car Test) and it is a criminal offence to drive without a valid NCT. If your car is more than 4 years old, it needs an NCT.
If your car is between 4 and 10 years old, you must take it for an NCT every 2 years. If it is older than 10 years but not older than 30, you must have an NCT every year, and if your car is between 30 and 39 years old and is not used commercially, then every two years. The NCT should be done before the expiry date of the current NCT, and you will need your logbook and driving license as proof of identity.
You can book your NCT appointment online here.

Important! You have to display your tax disc, insurance disk and NCT disk clearly visibly in your windscreen at all times!

But Irish road conditions are also hardly comparable to those in Germany. You can find out how to navigate the Irish countryside without breaking a sweat at the wheel in a short blog post I wrote here…