Registering a car in Portugal

[colhel]

I thought I'd post this here as recent threads show you people may have the greater knowledge. Asre licking over.
If I were to drive a UK registered car to Portugal and leave it there for when we visit, what costs would be incurred? I've heard it's a bit pricey....
If I were to buy a local car, would I be have to pay a premium on insurance? Could you get insurance cost effectively for short periods?

 

[maxi77]

Matriculating a car in Portugal is both time consuming and expensive. Leaving a UK registered car permanently in Portugal is problematic too, it is illegal and those nice chaps at the GNR are starting to chase up on them so potential for big fines, also there is the MOT problem and along with that valididty of insurance. Many people do yalke their UK cars back every year for the MOT etc. Local expat car insurance is not dramatically expensive and is available for both Portuguese and UK registered cars. No idea about short term insurance but it is probably as expensive as in the UK. Buying a car locally depends on what you want, but to register a Portuguese car you need to have a tax number, not difficult but an other cost if you cannot find a person with a voters card to sponsor you.

At the end of the day it is a game of balancing cost and risk, but over the past 6 months I have seen several roadside checks with the GNR and financial plods as they are all on task to increase the fine income.

 

[colhel]

Thanks Maxi I guessed it wouldn't be straight forward. I haven't looked into costings etc but probably with the price of car hire it might be more sensible not to bother, I just like the independant feeling of having your own.
Don't spose you know any rough costings do you?
We have a little shack near Almadovar so we'd have to take into account the travel from Faro (or Beja if that'll become cost effective).
We've also considered a motorbike held together with string just so we'd fit in more...

 

[maxi77]

There seem to be plenty of cheap runarounds available and it seems there is a growing supply of second hand car dealers. Tax is cheap, fuel is average, insurance is similar to the UK. If you search on line you can get hire cars for about 10 euros a day

 

[DownWest]

The Portuguese make it a difficult as possible to register cars.It's called protecting the local market and is against the EU rules. I doubt they pay the regular fines they get for it.
I notice a UK couple got done for supplying MOT certs for expats cars, to save them the trouble of going to the UK...
If you have a 'shack' there, then you have the fiscal number needed to buy a local car. Certainly attracts less heat from the GNR. Their 'stops' were always a tax raising effort and must be more strict now. Their time would be better spent trying to improve the driving standards.
On the MOT, I used a Portuguese registered car here for a few years after I moved. The insurance continued to cover it and I had the local centre do the test. The flics made no comment on this on the couple of times they checked me, but they are not so interested as the GNR and the Fiscais. It is dead easy to import cars to France, so they are less concerned than the Portuguese.
I lost count of the number of people who had cars confiscated for overstaying the time limit.
DW

 

[colhel]

The Portuguese make it a difficult as possible to register cars.It's called protecting the local market and is against the EU rules. I doubt they pay the regular fines they get for it.

DW

I heard something similar, basically what they charge is less than the EU fine, so they're still quids in.
I think I'll just stick to hire cars and dusty roads for the time being. I've found some pretty good hire car deals but not at 10 euros... yet

 

[GrahamM376]

Buying a local car is not a problem if you have a fiscal number and an address however, due to the 45% new car tax, this follows down the line so used cars tend to be around 3 times the UK price. Insurance is dearer than the UK but it's the car which is covered 3rd party for any driver + recovery. You take out comprehensive as an extra.

Technically, unless it's changed, foreign cars are only allowed to be here for 3 months before having to be matriculated and most UK insurers will only cover for that period and so will Portuguese ones. Abbygate, based I think in Gib, will cover 12 months but not cheap. Cars can be MOT tested under the Portuguese system but will be snagged on headlights unless changed. MOT is of course not valid on return to UK. Anyone with "residence" can import one car which they have owned for IIRC 6 months, quite cheaply. Otherwise you have to pay the matriculation tax which can be hefty.

Having said all that, I know of plenty of UK cars which have been here for years with no tax, no MOT and I suspect in some cases no insurance as well. Personally, I wouldn't chance it.

Suggest you Google the many expat forums, there should be plenty of info there.

 

[colhel]

Thanks all for the comprehensive replies.

I've never heard the word "matriculated" before posting this question. I'm now going to impress Helen with my new Big Word

 

[GrahamM376]

I've found some pretty good hire car deals but not at 10 euros... yet

Try economycarhire.com Faro airport 1 week, driver age 40, £47.

https://www.economycarhire.com/quote/results.php?sid=cs6hs4nnmvjj704pk9g5mbhn23

 

[maxi77]

Try economycarhire.com Faro airport 1 week, driver age 40, £47.

https://www.economycarhire.com/quote/results.php?sid=cs6hs4nnmvjj704pk9g5mbhn23

Yes they are good if you can find them with all the changes going on in the car parks.

 

[GrahamM376]

Yes they are good if you can find them with all the changes going on in the car parks.

Dropped some friends off this morning and see it's still chaotic, they still haven't replaced/repaired the roof over arrivals which was storm damaged. Evidently at least one parked Boeing 737 was blown around through 180 degrees in the gusts.

 

[westernman]

It is dead easy to import cars to France

Only if they have the right EU documentation. Just try importing an American car model which was only ever delivered in the US market.

It involves a one off type approval with a negotiation with the assessor as how much is require to be changed to get the limited type approval.

If the assessor is in a bad mood, you will need to replace every light, every piece of glass (American cars don't have the write EU marks), rewire the fog lights, change the speedo change, the engine ECU (different emission requirements and different fuel). And the car manufacturer will be most unhelpful.

 

[DownWest]

Quite true,
We tried to get a new US Crysler Grand Voyager matriculated in Portugal. It had been brought in through the UK, so the lights and other bits had been fixed (but not changed) to European spec. As in the reversing lights fitted with orange bulbs and wired to the indicater circuit. In the US the stop lights flash to indicate. The importation dragged on for three years, by which time it was no longer needed and returned to the UK. So we got the use, but ended paying no fees. I doubt that the rules would allow this now, esp with the lights.
The OP is at a basic level, so local used or cheap rental sounds best. The bit I liked about the insurance there was that it even covers the guy who steals your car.
DW

 

[maxi77]

Our car was made only for the Japanese market, imported into the UK then Portugal. I didn't do the matriculation but I have hasd to get proper LHD headlights fitted (92 Astra as the Japanese never made ones to fit the car. The rear foglight has to be redone for the next MOT, but the road tax is only 30 euros, never a dull moment.

 

[25931]

Car hire is very cheap out of season but don't think about it in July and Aug. Secondhand prices have dropped dramatically.
The police spot checks aren't only fund raisers - the statistics show that they catch an amazing number of idiots - who are a potential menace not having some or all of driving licence, insurance, mot and safe tyres, I'm all in favour of the police making my life a bit safer.