UK to Europe: A Left-Hand-Drive Car on German EU Plates

This service brings together what a UK driver needs for a car on the Continent: we help you buy the car and we deliver it.

• Help buying the right car: buy a car from CarTurf, buy from a dealership you choose, or let us search for you (three ways, below). You can also browse cars for sale in our marketplace.
• German registration: our German partner registers the car as Halter (registered keeper). You remain the owner. Registration takes 1–5 business days once the papers are complete. See how German registration through CarTurf works for UK drivers.
• AXA insurance: arranged through CarTurf for drivers aged 23+ (drivers aged 18–22 can be added at a higher premium). The Green Card covers 38 countries, including the UK.
• Collection or delivery: we send the plates and registration documents to the dealership where you buy the car. You collect the car there, or we arrange delivery from the dealership to you. Car delivery is an extra service, quoted per route.
• Ongoing paperwork: tax, insurance renewals and TÜV reminders run through your CarTurf account.
• A way to import later: if you become resident and want the car registered locally, we get German export plates and export documents in your name.

Customers contract with CarTurf Global FZCO (Dubai). Our German partner CarTurf UG (haftungsbeschränkt) is the registered Halter. Plans and prices are on our Pricing page.

We help you buy the car and deliver it. Standard CarTurf rates and pricing apply, depending on whether you buy a car from us, find it yourself or have us search for you.

1. Buy a car from CarTurf. We have vehicles for sale: Browse cars for sale in our marketplace. We register the car, and you collect it or we deliver it to you.
2. Buy from a dealership you choose, remotely. You find the car and buy it from the UK. Our guide to buying a car in Germany without travelling there explains each step. Before you pay, our €50 Single Vehicle Check verifies the listing and the dealer.
3. We search for you. With our Vehicle Sourcing Service for €299, we lead the complete search, send you 10–15 listings, contact the dealerships for your top 5 and include one VIN check.

Whichever way you buy, delivery is quoted per route. Registration starts with a one-time CarTurf Membership signup. Not sure which route fits? Compare every CarTurf service side by side.

• You are moving from the UK to Italy, Spain, France, Portugal or another European country and want a car ready for your new life there.
• You travel often between the UK and Europe and want a car waiting on the Continent, for example at your European home.
• You own a holiday home or second home in Europe, including homes bought before Brexit. See our page for property owners in Europe.
• You are retiring to Europe or working remotely from there for part of the year.
• You want a left-hand-drive car for continental roads, toll booths and overtaking.
• You don’t want to ship or re-register your right-hand-drive UK car.

CarTurf is designed for non-residents. Once you become resident in your new country, local registration usually applies. Read how long German plates stay valid abroad and our guide to moving from the UK to Europe with a car.

You can, but UK rules follow the car. According to GOV.UK, if you take a UK car abroad for less than 12 months, it must stay taxed in the UK, have a current MOT and be insured. An MOT is done at an approved test centre in Great Britain, so that can mean trips back. If the car leaves for 12 months or more, that counts as a permanent export: you tell DVLA and register it in your new country.

A German-registered car does not need a UK MOT. It needs the German HU (the TÜV) every 24 months (first after 36 months for a new car) at a test centre in Germany. We remind you when it is due. See our guide to the TÜV inspection in Germany.

We deliver the car where you need it: to your new home in Europe, to your holiday home, or to the UK. Car delivery is 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.

Before you book delivery to the UK, check that UK rules fit your situation. They depend on where you live, not on where the car is registered:

• GOV.UK says you can usually use a vehicle with foreign number plates without registering or taxing it in the UK if you are visiting and do not plan to live there, the vehicle is registered and taxed in its home country, and you use it for up to 6 months in total over 12 months.
• No VAT or customs duty is due on a temporary import only if, among other conditions, it is for your own private use, you are not a UK resident and you re-export it within 6 months. You claim this relief with form C110.
• HMRC's guidance on temporary admission allows people who live in the UK to use a foreign-registered car only in narrow cases: occasional private use at the request of the registration holder, who must be in the UK at the time; a car hired under a written contract to return home or leave the UK; or use by an employee of the foreign owner. None of these is written for a UK resident who has bought their own car.
• If the police stop you, you must show that you can use the car in the UK without registering it there, for example with a ferry ticket or a letter from HMRC.

What this means for you:

• You don't live in the UK (for example you have already moved, or you live in Europe and visit the UK): delivery to the UK fits the visitor rules above.
• You still live in the UK, even if you are about to leave: official guidance does not clearly allow you to take delivery of a German-plated car and drive it in the UK. We recommend collecting the car at the dealership in Germany, or having it delivered to your new home in Europe. If you want delivery to the UK anyway, confirm your case with HMRC's customs helpline before you book.

You don’t need to import or export anything to start driving: the car stays registered in Germany. Your Europe explains that if you move permanently, you register the car in your new country, while a temporary stay without changing your normal residence does not require it. Each country sets its own deadline.

When that time comes, CarTurf gets German export plates and export documents in your name, 1–5 business days after we receive the original registration certificate Part I and the plates at our partner office. The car can't be driven while the documents and plates are on their way, so plan to park it for a few days. Export plates include liability insurance: 30 days €300, 60 days €590, 90 days €790. Country pages: Spain, France, Italy, Portugal. More on registering a car in Europe without residency.

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: 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: Driving in the EU
• GOV.UK: Vehicle insurance, driving abroad
• Your Europe: Car registration in another EU country