Buying an imported car has always been a popular choice in Ireland for a multitude of reasons. When importing a car, it’s important to know as much about the vehicle as possible before making the purchase, especially in the case of a second hand vehicle.

Getting a history report for a second hand vehicle can let you know if it has had issues or serious work done in the past, its mileage, specifications, ownership history and more.

There are many services which will provide you with all of this information in vehicle history reports. One simple way to discover a wealth of information about a car’s history is through a VIN check.

Ireland has always had a huge market for imported cars and other vehicles, primarily from the UK, but also from other markets such as the US, Japan, and other countries in Europe.

There are several reasons why someone might opt to import an electric car, most of which will relate to price and availability.

There could be a far greater variety of electric car models available if imported from the UK or United States, with significant potential for savings on second hand vehicles.

Particularly if you are buying a second hand electric car availability at an affordable price might be an issue in Ireland, as EVs have only recently started to become popular here.

Checking the history of any imported vehicle is important to make sure you know exactly what you are buying. Imported vehicles could have a hidden history, with sellers not disclosing past damage. A history check may even alert the buyer to the fact that their imported vehicle was stolen.

Some important questions that a buyer will want to know the answers to before paying to have a car shipped to Ireland include:

Such information is essential to help a buyer make a critical decision on whether or not to buy an imported vehicle.

Looking at the specifications of an imported electric car can also be important for making sure that it is compatible with local EV chargers.

A VIN is a unique alpha-numeric identification number for your vehicle, typically 17 characters in length. This provides a wealth of information about its history and features which can help to inform any purchase decision.

• The 1st character in a VIN identifies the country of origin in which a vehicle was made.
• The 2nd character tells you the manufacturer of the vehicle.
• The 3rd character specifies the vehicle type.

The first three characters in a VIN together make up the World Manufacturer Identifier of the VIN to tell you where the vehicle comes from.

• The 4th – 8th character in a VIN make up the Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS) which will tell different attributes of a vehicle. This can be formatted differently by different manufacturers.
• The 9th character in the VIN is the Check Character. This is used to validate the VIN, showing that it has been approved by the manufacturer.
• The 10th character tells you the year in which a vehicle was built.
• The 11th character specifies the plant where it was assembled.
• The 12th – 17th characters are the serial number for the car.

Some much older vehicles may have VINs which are shorter than the standard 17 characters, such as being 12 digits in length. This likely means that they come from a period before the standardisation of the VIN system in 1981 by the US Department of Transportation.

If you are importing an electric vehicle from the US then checking the VIN of the vehicle can provide added certainty that you are buying what has been advertised and that the purchase is legitimate.

First, a VIN can confirm the exact model of the vehicle to let you know that it meets your expectations for an electric car, both in terms of mechanical specifications, aesthetic elements, and damage history.

A reliable seller should provide the VIN of a car being imported. This can be used to look it up and compare the vehicle on record with what is being advertised.

In performance terms, a VIN check should also provide customers with the mileage history of a vehicle. Electric car batteries will degrade over time as they are charged and discharged repeatedly. The battery on an electric car should last anywhere from 10 to 20 years, with heavy use wearing it out faster.

A battery should retain 70-80% of its capacity during its lifetime. A car history report can not only confirm the size of the battery but also help understand its health.

Just some of the other elements of a car history which a VIN check can help to show include:

If an imported vehicle from outside of the EU is more than four years old it will also be required to pass an NCT on arriving in the country. Vehicles with a current EU Roadworthiness Certificate can have the time left on that certificate recognised in Ireland before they require an NCT.

Buying a vehicle is one of the most expensive decisions that a person can make outside of buying a home. This makes it essential that buyers know what they are getting into before making a purchase, doubly so in the case of second hand or imported vehicles.

Getting a reliable report on a car’s history can provide peace of mind for buyers, or bring up issues which can prevent them from making a mistake.