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What it costs to import a car into Germany

Estimate the purchase, tax, transport and registration costs.

Route
→Germany

The purchase

As advertised, including any VAT.
Seller’s VAT status
Shown on the listing as “VAT deductible”, “MwSt. ausweisbar” or “IVA dedutível”. Not sure? Choose “Don’t know” to see both outcomes.
You are buying as

The car

Have a Dutch number plate? Fill in the vehicle details.From the official RDW register: first registration, fuel, CO₂ and engine size.

We use the plate only for this lookup.

First registration
First registration anywhere: it sets the car’s age for the tax tables.
On the registration certificate (field V.7) or the listing.
Test cycle
Cars first registered from 2019 usually have WLTP values.
Meets Euro 6e-bis
Unknown means the full rate applies (the safe assumption).

Registration

Tax tables and age reductions are taken on this date.

Transport

Transport
Add a quote (optional)
Leave it empty to use our estimate for this route, or enter a quote.

Registering the car in another EU country? Registration taxes and fees depend on the destination. Check its rules before you buy.

In short

Germany has no registration tax. A new means of transport (≤ 6 months or ≤ 6,000 km) owes 19% German VAT. For scale, the median dealer asking price for a used car in Germany on 3 Nov 2026 was €17,900, across 105,729 cars. Tax rules in force on 3 Nov 2026; an estimate, not a tax assessment.

How it works

Taxes on a car imported into Germany

No registration tax; Kfz-Steuer is annual.

Germany has no registration tax. A new means of transport (≤ 6 months or ≤ 6,000 km) owes 19% German VAT. For a used car under normal VAT rules, a private buyer collecting it abroad generally pays the seller-country VAT. Seller-arranged delivery can change the VAT treatment; confirm the invoice and delivery arrangements. Kfz-Steuer is annual, by engine size and CO2.

Official sources

  1. KraftStG §§ 8–9, § 3d: annual vehicle tax and exemption for fully electric cars

Questions about importing a car into Germany

Which taxes apply when importing a used car into Germany?

Germany has no registration tax. A new means of transport (≤ 6 months or ≤ 6,000 km) owes 19% German VAT. For a used car under normal VAT rules, a private buyer collecting it abroad generally pays the seller-country VAT. Seller-arranged delivery can change the VAT treatment; confirm the invoice and delivery arrangements. Kfz-Steuer is annual, by engine size and CO2.

Is VAT due in Germany on an imported used car?

A car that is used for VAT purposes, bought from a dealer under the margin scheme or from a private seller in another EU country, carries no VAT again in Germany. If VAT is shown separately, a VAT-registered buyer can buy without the origin country's VAT and account for VAT at the destination. For a used car under normal VAT rules, a private buyer collecting it abroad generally pays the seller-country VAT. Seller-arranged delivery can change the VAT treatment; confirm the invoice and delivery arrangements. A car first used six months ago or less, or driven 6,000 km or less, is a new means of transport for VAT and is taxed at 19% in the destination country, whoever buys it.

Is the result an official tax assessment?

The import calculator gives an estimate from published tax tables and the details you enter, with the legal basis for each tax line. The tax authority decides the amount due; official simulators are linked below where available.

Estimated cost in Germany