Sure fire way of wasting your money and time: importing a vehicle to Spain from the UK or USA

Lately the number of people asking how much importing a vehicle to Spain from the UK or USA would cost has grown immensely. This was the main reason for the writing of this article so everyone could take a look at the pro’s and con’s of going this route along with a comprehensive explanation as to why this is a bad idea.

Why ship your own car at all?

The reasons we have noticed for people wanting to ship their own vehicle to Spain boil down to one reason in 99% of all cases: Money. The primary thought is if you already have a vehicle, then it would be cheaper to keep it, ship it, and use it. Many companies on the web make this more attractive by pointing out that there are no EU Import fees due since you are bringing your own car and moving to Spain. We understand then that this might be enticing, but there is more to it than meets the eye!

If you however are purchasing something “special” outside of the EU (that 69 Mustang for example) and want to import it, then stop reading now. Old-timers, rare cars, and supercars are a whole different story and in those cases it actually makes sense to import them. This article is aimed at the people that want to bring over their daily driver and continue using it.

Can a foreign car even be registered in Spain?

Is it even possible to get a foreign car registered in Spain? Short answer: Yes and no. IF you are relocating in Spain from another country (EU or Non-EU) and bringing your vehicle as part of your household items, then yes, you can get your car registered in Spain and use it. There will be limitations however, and we will get into that a bit later.

Should you however purchase a car from outside of the EU and would like to register it in Spain, then just consider it impossible at the moment. Strict regulations in Spain mean that registering a foreign vehicle will be nearly impossible and even if it does get a spanish license plate, there will be many caveats that you probably weren’t aware of.

Why someone from America should leave their car behind:

So you have decided to leave the US and want to settle down in sunny Spain. Here are the reasons why you as an american should sell your car while you are still stateside and purchase a vehicle when in Spain:

• You won’t save a penny. You will actually be losing more money when you ship your own vehicle and use it in Spain.
• Most american cars are too big for Europe. Driving them on small, narrow european roads will be a nightmare and trying to find a parking spot will be nearly impossible.
• No warranty: Your brand new vehicle might still have a couple of years warranty left on it, but once it leaves the USA that is gone.
• Gas prices: Gasoline costs about 4x more in Europe compared to the USA. Filling up that car or truck will put a noticeable dent in your bank account.
• Your car will be worth pennies on the dollar when it comes time to sell it.
• Who is going to fix your car when it breaks down and how are you going to get parts if your vehicle isn’t sold in Europe?

This part is going to explain why sending your car over would actually cost you more money and be a bigger hassle compared to purchasing a car in Spain or the EU in general. Remember, you won’t be paying the 30% EU Import Tax when relocating to Spain, but those savings are eaten up with the shipping of the vehicle in most cases.

• Shipping costs: Shipping costs around 10k for a one way trip from the US to Europe including all the handling costs in the harbor, insurance etc. Don’t forget that the actual boat ride won’t be that expensive. It’s the fees in the port plus all the handlers required to get your vehicle out of the states and into the EU that will nickel and dime you. Plus you have to get your car to the harbor somehow, and you also have to get your car out of the port in Europe. Depending on where you live and where your car is being sent from and going to, that could be another couple of thousand dollars / euros.
• Rental car: The chances of you bringing your car to the port and then grabbing the next flight to Spain are slim to none. Even so, your car still won’t be in Spain when your flight lands. This means you will need to rent a car for several weeks when you arrive which depending on the season isn’t going to be cheap. Worst case scenario: you have to rent a car for a couple of weeks in the US and also in Spain.
• Homologation: When your car arrives in Spain you will need to change a couple of things for it to be road legal in Europe. Yes, this also applies if you have a car made by a European manufacturer (Audi, BMW, Mercedes, VW). Headlights and tail lights will not conform to EU standards and will have to be replaced. If your vehicle is new and less than 3 years old, there most likely won’t be a cheap aftermarket alternative and you will have to go to a dealership and get new lights from them. LED headlights can be thousands of euros PER SIDE and replacement tail lights won’t be much cheaper. If you are bringing over an american brand (Chevrolet, GMC, Dodge) then good luck getting replacements. If you can manage to find something that will be acceptable in the EU, then it won’t be cheap. You will also need to have a rear fog light installed if your vehicle doesn’t have it.
  Also: since your car was made for the american market, it will have no Certificate of Conformity for the EU which means an engineer will have to create a datasheet for your vehicle so that the ITV can even do the technical inspection. Expect this to cost at LEAST 1,500€.
• Repairs: This is something most people don’t think about. Having an oil change done won’t be a problem, but if something goes wrong with your car then who is going to fix it? Most dealerships near US bases in Europe have two complete sets of diagnostic equipment. One is for the EU versions of their cars, the other for the US. Other manufacturers don’t have any dealerships at all in Europe, which means you have to find someone that can actually work on your car. If you need replacement parts that aren’t available in Europe, then you have to order them from the US and wait for them to be sent. Also: don’t forget to pay the customs fees for those parts when you go to pick them up from the post office.
  Also: losing or having a broken key fob means your vehicle just became a big paperweight or garden decoration. What most people don’t know: You cannot purchase a key fob for a US spec vehicle in Europe and a dealer is not allowed to sell you one either. Why? US key fobs use the 315 MHz frequency band. EU vehicles operate on the 433 MHz band. US key fobs operate in a frequency band which is reserved for the defense department in Europe, making US key fobs actually illegal to even use! This obviously is not enforced and you won’t be sent to prison for unlocking your car, however nobody will be able or even allowed to sell you a replacement key fob and programming a new key fob will be impossible since the dealer does not have the necessary equipment. You would have to order a new key from a dealership in the US and most dealers refuse to sell you a key if the vehicle is not present at the dealership.
• Emissions: If your vehicle doesn’t meet EU emissions standards, it will be classified as “UNKNOWN”. This means you will be taxed the hardest along with not being allowed in cities with more than 50.000 residents since your car will have no emissions sticker allowing it in.
• Resale value: When it comes to selling your car, you will be getting pennies on the dollar for it. The pitfalls with it being a US version make it less desirable for anyone in the market for a used car since there will be sufficient EU versions available. This means you can only get a buyer if you have a low price to offset the disadvantages that come along with owning it.

Now if you add all of those costs up and include the loss you will be making when putting your car on the used car market in a couple of years, the question remains: is it worth going through all the hassle, hoops, and red tape just to bring over a daily driver?

Why someone from the UK / Great Britain should leave their car behind

Numerous people have played with the idea of bringing their own car from the UK, or even flying back to the UK and purchasing a vehicle there to bring into Spain. Basically, the same apply here as to the US with some extra caveats.

• A right hand drive car is not suitable for Europe. Period. Yes, it is absolutely possible to drive a right hand drive car on the mainland. It is also possible to steer a car using your foot, but it still doesn’t make it a good idea. Driving a RHD vehicle on a B-Road behind a lorry could be the definition of “Hell”.
• No savings: The same applies here as with the American vehicles: at the end of the day, there are no savings. You might be saving some money in the beginning compared to purchasing a spanish left hand drive equivalent, but you will be losing all of those savings (and more) when selling your vehicle.

When adding the costs together once again bringing down a RHD vehicle won’t be much cheaper or (worst case) will actually cost more:

• Getting to the airport / the flight to england / getting to the car in England (for those wanting to fly up and bring a car back to Spain)
• Ferry
• Petrol
• Toll roads
• Import Fees
• Homologation costs (Headlights, ITV etc)
• Registration fees in Spain

Conclusion

As you can see, bringing over a daily driver isn’t the best idea. Yes, there are exceptions and once again this list isn’t for anyone wanting to bring over a car that is something “special”. We recommend taking a step back, and taking all the factors into consideration when playing with the thought of taking your car with you. You may think this step might make the move a bit easier, but in the end it could be something that causes more stress and problems than what it is really worth. Is that something you want to add to the already stressful situation of relocating to a new country?