How much does it cost to import a car to Portugal?

The short answer

Landed cost = purchase price + transport + ISV + VAT (only in some cases) + registration fees. For a used car bought in another EU country, the vehicle tax (ISV) is the item that moves the total most: nothing for a fully electric car, a few hundred euros for a small, recent petrol car, several thousand for a large diesel. The official registration fees are small by comparison: €193.52 in 2026 on the usual route (with a CoC or national homologation, in mainland Portugal), plus number plates. Add any costs in the country of purchase, such as export plates or, in Spain, the transfer tax on a private sale.

The price on the foreign listing usually already includes that country’s VAT. For a used car that a private buyer collects abroad, no Portuguese VAT is added; dealer-arranged delivery can change this. The exception is a car that counts as a new means of transport (6 months old or less, or 6,000 km or less): then the seller invoices without VAT and you pay Portuguese VAT.

Every cost, by type

Every registration cost, with its legal basis (the same figures the calculator uses):

Official tariffs and market estimates, as used by the calculator; checked on 31 October 2026. The IMT homologation record search is free.

• Registration request (Modelo 9, IMT): Assumes a certificate of conformity (CoC) or a national/EC homologation: €45. Without either the fee is €165, the upper end shown here.
• Initial ownership registration (IRN): €55 at a registry desk within 60 days of the number being assigned. Online it is 15% less (about €46.80; the exact amount is not confirmed), not used in the total.

Worked examples

All three examples below are calculated by the same engine as our calculator, for registration on 1 December 2026. Open any of them in the calculator to change the inputs.

The diesel pays more ISV than the petrol car even though it is cheaper: engine size and the €500 diesel particulate surcharge weigh more than the extra year of age reduction.

What makes the ISV high or low

• Engine size. Above 1,250 cm³ every extra cubic centimetre costs €5.61 before reductions.
• CO₂ emissions. The environmental component climbs steeply: for a WLTP petrol car emitting 196–235 g/km it is CO₂ × €193.01 − €34,190.52 before reductions, and above 235 g/km CO₂ × €233.81 − €41,910.96.
• Fuel. Diesel cars pay a €500 particulate surcharge unless the certificate of conformity shows particulate emissions below 0.001 g/km.
• Age. A used car registered in another EU country gets a reduction of 10% to 80%, by age, on the whole tax.
• Hybrids and electric cars. Fully electric cars are outside the scope of ISV. Plug-in hybrids that meet the range and CO₂ conditions pay 25%. An ordinary self-charging hybrid usually pays the full rate.

The ISV guide has the full tables and the step-by-step working.

When does VAT apply?

Buying as a VAT-registered company, buying outside the EU, or having the dealer deliver the car change the picture. See VAT on cars imported to Portugal.

Costs people forget

• On the way: export plates and insurance if you drive the car home. In Germany, export plates also attract German vehicle tax for at least one month. In Spain, temporary export plates cost €20.61 in fees and the export deregistration €8.67.
• Buying privately in Spain: a non-resident buyer owes the Spanish transfer tax (ITP) on a private purchase, filed on Modelo 620.
• Certificate of conformity: if the car has none, check first whether IMT can find its homologation (free). Without a CoC or a national homologation, the IMT fee rises to €165.
• The first IUC: due within 30 days after the end of the 60-day registration period that starts when the Portuguese number is assigned.

The origin guides list these per country: Germany, Spain and the Netherlands.

Does importing still pay?

Compare the landed cost with what the same model costs in Portugal. Our price pages show median dealer asking prices per country, model year and mileage, and Check a listing places one specific car in its market. Asking prices in Portugal already include ISV and VAT, so compare them with the landed cost, never with the foreign asking price.

Worked examples are calculated by the same engine as the calculator, for registration on 1 Dec 2026.