Moving from the UK to Europe: Which Car Should You Take?

If you are moving to Europe for good, your UK car will sooner or later have to be registered in your new country. Until then, it must keep its UK tax, MOT and insurance. A left-hand-drive car bought in Germany and registered through CarTurf avoids the MOT trips, suits continental roads and can be collected at the dealership in Germany or delivered to you, for example to your new home in Europe. Delivery to the UK fits UK rules mainly if you don't live in the UK (see below).

CarTurf is designed for non-residents. Once you are resident in your new country, local registration usually applies, and we get the export plates and documents for that step. See our UK to Europe left-hand-drive car service for what is included.

GOV.UK sets two cases:

• Abroad for less than 12 months: the car must be taxed in the UK, have a current MOT and be insured. Take your V5C logbook.
• Abroad for 12 months or more: this is a permanent export. You tell DVLA, and you register the car in the country you take it to.

MOTs are done at approved test centres in Great Britain (GOV.UK), so keeping a UK car legal while you live abroad can mean trips back. On the road in Europe, GOV.UK asks for the UK identifier on the car, and in Spain, Cyprus and Malta a UK sticker whatever the plate shows. Right-hand-drive headlights may need adjusting for driving on the right (GOV.UK).

Non-residents can’t normally register a car in Germany in their own name. With CarTurf, our German partner is the registered Halter (keeper) and you stay the owner. Customers contract with CarTurf Global FZCO (Dubai). Our German partner CarTurf UG (haftungsbeschränkt) is the registered Halter.

• Registration takes 1–5 business days once the papers are complete. German registration for UK drivers explains the documents.
• AXA insurance is arranged through CarTurf for drivers aged 23+. The Green Card covers 38 countries, including the UK.
• No MOT: the German HU (TÜV) is due every 24 months at a test centre in Germany, and we remind you.
• Valid across Europe: see how long German plates can be used abroad and the time limits for foreign cars by country.

Plans, insurance and tax estimates are on our CarTurf pricing page.

We help you buy the car and deliver it. Standard CarTurf rates apply, depending on which way you buy:

• Buy a car from CarTurf: we have vehicles for sale, so browse cars for sale in our marketplace.
• Buy from a dealership, remotely: follow our step-by-step guide on how to buy a car in Germany remotely, and book a Single Vehicle Check with VIN check for €50 before paying.
• We search for you: the CarTurf sourcing service at €299 per search finds 10–15 listings and contacts the dealers for your top 5.

When you buy from a dealership, we send the plates and registration documents back to the dealership. You collect the car there, or we arrange delivery from the dealership to you. Registration starts with the one-time signup for a CarTurf Membership. See every CarTurf service and price.

• People moving from the UK to Italy, Spain, France, Portugal or elsewhere, who want a car ready for the move.
• Frequent travellers who want a car waiting on the Continent. We can deliver it to your European home, where it can stay between trips, or it can stay in car storage in Remagen (€50 outdoor, €100 indoor per month).
• Holiday-home and second-home owners, many of whom bought before Brexit. Since then, UK visitors can stay in the Schengen area up to 90 days in any 180 (GOV.UK); see our Schengen 90-day rule guide and the page for owners of property in Europe.
• Retirees and remote workers spending long stretches in Europe.
• Drivers who want left-hand drive for continental roads, and those who don’t want to ship a right-hand-drive car.

Your Europe explains that a permanent move means registering your car in your new country, while a temporary stay without changing your normal residence does not. Normal residence usually means where you live for more than 185 days a year. Deadlines differ: in its example, France asks for re-registration within one month of setting up your main residence.

For a CarTurf car, that step starts with export plates from CarTurf: plates and export documents in your name, issued 1–5 business days after we receive the original registration certificate Part I and the plates (30 days €300, 60 days €590, 90 days €790, liability insurance included). The car can't be driven while the documents and plates are on their way, so you usually park it for a few days. More in our hub on car registration in Europe for non-residents.

Your licence matters too. GOV.UK says that if you live and drive in an EU country, you need to exchange your UK licence for a local one; check the deadline in your country.

You can collect the car at the dealership in Germany: we send the plates and registration documents there. Or we deliver it to you as an extra service, quoted per route: €0.75/km base calculation plus route costs such as the ferry or Channel crossing, tolls, overnight stays and return travel. See car delivery.

Delivery to the UK depends on where you live. GOV.UK lets visitors who do not plan to live in the UK use a foreign-registered car for up to 6 months in 12, and relief from VAT and duty on a temporary import applies only to people who are not UK residents. HMRC's temporary admission guidance allows UK residents to use a foreign-registered car only in narrow cases, such as occasional use at the request of the registration holder while that holder is in the UK, or a hire car under a written contract to leave the UK. None of these is written for a UK resident who has bought their own car.

So if you still live in the UK, even if you are about to move, official guidance does not clearly allow you to take delivery of a German-plated car there and drive it out. The safer route is to collect the car in Germany or have it delivered to your new home in Europe. If you want delivery to the UK, confirm your case with HMRC first.

Official sources used for this page (checked as of November 2026). Rules can change, so check the current version before you move.

• GOV.UK: Taking a vehicle out of the UK
• GOV.UK: Getting an MOT
• GOV.UK: Driving in the EU
• GOV.UK: Driving abroad
• GOV.UK: Importing vehicles, temporary imports
• GOV.UK: Importing vehicles into the UK
• HMRC: Temporary admission, eligible goods and conditions of use (means of transport)
• HMRC: Check if you can get import duty relief using Temporary Admission
• HMRC: Form C110, temporary arrival of a non-UK private motor vehicle
• GOV.UK: Spain entry requirements (90 days in 180)
• Your Europe: Car registration in another EU country