Terms of use

This page in short

• SimplyEV is a free guide. It is not Revenue, the NCTS or HMRC, and it isn't legal, tax or financial advice.
• Official sources decide. Revenue's decision at registration is the one that counts.
• Rules change. Each rule on SimplyEV shows its source and the date it was last read.
• A result means "based on the checks you've confirmed". It isn't a promise about the car, the dealer or Revenue.
• The decision to buy, and your contract with the dealer, are yours.

There is nothing to accept and nothing to sign up for. This page explains what SimplyEV is, what it covers and what it doesn't, so you know what to rely on it for.

1. What SimplyEV is

SimplyEV is a free, independent guide to importing a used electric car from Northern Ireland. It is not Revenue, the NCTS or HMRC, and it isn't legal, tax or financial advice. It records what you tell it and points you to the official source. Revenue's decision at registration is the one that counts.

Contact details are on the About and contact page. Who is responsible for personal data is explained in the Privacy notice.

2. What it covers, and who it is for

SimplyEV covers used, fully electric (battery-electric) cars bought from a seller in Northern Ireland, where Revenue's calculator shows €0 VRT and you want to avoid extra Irish customs duty or import VAT.

New cars, cars from Great Britain, hybrids, petrol and diesel cars are not covered. If your car is outside the guide, SimplyEV says so. It is for adults buying a car.

3. Official sources decide

SimplyEV summarises what Revenue, the NCTS, HMRC, GOV.UK and other official sources say. It does not replace them.

• Revenue's VRT calculator, Revenue's decision at registration, the NCTS appointment, the customs declaration records, and your insurer's confirmation are the authority. SimplyEV is not.
• Revenue checks your documents when you register and decides case by case. SimplyEV can't tell you in advance that a document will be accepted.
• If SimplyEV and an official source say different things, trust the source and tell us using Report a problem.
• Sources and rule dates lists every rule with its source.

4. Rules change, and how you will know

Fees, thresholds, deadlines and reliefs are kept in SimplyEV's rules data. They change when official sources change, for example at a Budget. SimplyEV isn't a live feed.

• Each rule shows its source, the date SimplyEV last read that source, and a label saying what kind of statement it is, such as Official requirement or Official guidance. See Sources and rule dates.
• The footer shows when the rules were last checked.
• If a rule hasn't been re-read for more than 90 days, SimplyEV shows a note. The note doesn't change your result.
• If a rule changes after you saved a check, the results that used it are marked Check and need rechecking, and SimplyEV tells you the date it changed.
• Before you reserve a car, and again before you pay the balance, re-run Revenue's calculator.

SimplyEV works out deadlines from the date on your device. If that date is wrong, the dates SimplyEV shows will be wrong. Deadlines are planning aids, not a statement from Revenue.

5. What a result means

Each result is one of four: Passed, Check, Don't buy/pay yet, or Not applicable.

SimplyEV hasn't seen your documents and hasn't checked any official system. "Passed" means the answers you recorded meet the requirement as SimplyEV reads the source. It doesn't mean Revenue, the NCTS, your insurer or the dealer will accept your documents.

"Don't buy/pay yet" is SimplyEV's advice, based on what you recorded. It is not a legal statement. The decision is yours.

How SimplyEV works explains the four results in more detail.

6. What stays with you

• Your purchase. The sale is between you and the seller. SimplyEV isn't a party to it and handles no money. It can't hold or recover a deposit. What happens to a deposit depends on the terms you agree with the dealer, so ask for them in writing.
• Your decisions. You decide whether to buy, what to pay and when.
• What you type. SimplyEV doesn't check what you enter into Revenue's calculator. A wrong model or price gives a wrong estimate.
• Your documents and bookings. Keep the original documents. Make the bookings (appointment, insurance, motor tax) with the bodies concerned, and meet the deadlines Revenue sets.
• Inspection. An independent inspection is recommended, not required by law. SimplyEV can't arrange or check one.

7. What SimplyEV doesn't do

• It doesn't provide or arrange a warranty, a battery guarantee, finance, insurance or an inspection.
• It can't contact Revenue, the NCTS, your dealer or your insurer for you, and can't give legal advice.
• It doesn't promise any outcome: that VRT will be €0, that Revenue will accept your documents, that a car is as the advert describes, or that a dealer will do what they say. €0 is an estimate. Revenue decides at the appointment.
• The two printable checklists are general guides. Completing one doesn't certify that any check has been done, and doesn't mean Revenue or the NCTS will accept your paperwork or register the car.

8. Messages you prepare for the dealer or insurer

At some steps SimplyEV can write a message for you to send to the dealer or your insurer. You read it, copy it, and send it yourself from your own email or messaging app. You can change the wording there before you send it.

• You choose whether, when, to whom and with what content to send it.
• SimplyEV doesn't send the message, store it, monitor it or see the reply.
• A suggested message is not legal advice and doesn't make a reply or any outcome more likely.
• Sending a message doesn't record anything in SimplyEV, and a reply doesn't either. When the dealer answers, record what they gave you.
• Replies are the other party's, not SimplyEV's.

9. Notes and examples in the guide

• Buyer experience notes are short, general lessons drawn from experiences that people have reported. They aren't rules or Revenue's position, they may not apply to you, and SimplyEV hasn't independently verified the accounts they draw on. They never change a result.
• Documentary examples are real documents or official screens shown so you can recognise them. Yours may look different. SimplyEV hasn't checked any of them with Revenue or any customs system. Where a screen comes from Revenue it is shown under the licence on Sources and rule dates.
• SimplyEV practical tips are SimplyEV's own advice, not rules.

10. Your saved answers and analytics

Saving your answers on your device, and usage analytics, are your choices. The Privacy notice and Cookies and storage explain what each does. Delete my saved data removes what SimplyEV saved on your device. It doesn't remove usage analytics messages already sent, which the Privacy notice covers.

11. Other sites

SimplyEV links to official services such as Revenue, the NCTS, GOV.UK and motortax.ie. Each is run by someone else, with its own terms and privacy notice. SimplyEV can't see what you do there. Links open in a new tab.

SimplyEV doesn't name or endorse any provider of history reports, inspections, battery tests or insurance, and your results here don't depend on which provider you use.

Voluntary support

SimplyEV is free. If it helped, you can make a voluntary contribution through Buy Me a Coffee, a separate service. The "Support SimplyEV" links open its page in a new tab. A contribution is not a purchase and not a charitable donation, and SimplyEV is not a charity. It doesn't change your results or any rule, and you get nothing extra for it. A contribution is made to the person responsible for SimplyEV, named in the Privacy notice, through Buy Me a Coffee. SimplyEV doesn't take or see payments. Buy Me a Coffee has its own terms and privacy policy.

12. Using SimplyEV's content

• The text and design of SimplyEV belong to its operator, apart from official information used under the licences listed on Sources and rule dates, and the open-licence font files that come with the site.
• You can use SimplyEV for your own check, print or save as PDF the two printable checklists for your own use, and link to SimplyEV.
• Please ask before copying substantial parts of SimplyEV's text, or before using the SimplyEV name or wordmark in a way that could suggest a connection.
• Names such as Revenue, NCTS, HMRC, GOV.UK and motortax.ie are used in plain text to describe the services you will deal with. They belong to their owners. SimplyEV doesn't use their logos or crests and doesn't suggest they have endorsed it.

13. Problems and corrections

Use Report a problem in the footer to tell us that a rule looks out of date, a source has changed, or something on SimplyEV is wrong. When a rule is corrected, SimplyEV updates the rule and the date shown beside it.

14. Law and your rights

These terms are governed by Irish law. No particular court is named. Nothing in them limits any right you have by law that can't be limited.

15. Changes to these terms

The version and date at the top of this page change when the terms change, and What changed below says what is different.

What changed

• 1.3, 8 October 2026. Added a short "Voluntary support" section under Other sites: the optional Support SimplyEV link opens Buy Me a Coffee, a separate service, and never changes a result.
• 1.2, 8 October 2026. Added what buyer-experience notes and documentary examples are, a plain limit on what the printable checklists mean, and a pointer on saved answers, analytics and deleting saved data.
• 1.1, 7 October 2026. Updated to match the five-stage version of the guide.
• 1.0, 6 October 2026. First version.