Import a Mazda MX-5 (Eunos Roadster) from Japan to Ireland: what it really costs
Sold in Japan as the Eunos Roadster, 1989 to 1997: the NA with the pop-up headlights, in 1.6 and from 1993 1.8 form.
The first MX-5 is the most affordable classic on this site and the one where the 30-year rule does the most good relative to the price of the car. Every Eunos Roadster built up to 1996 is over 30 in 2026, so VRT is €200, there is no NOx levy and no CO2 evidence is needed; the 1997 cars follow month by month through 2027.
Japan has thousands of them, many unmodified and garaged, at prices that make the shipping and VAT the bulk of the landed cost. The risk is rust and mileage, and the check is the same as for every other classic: the auction sheet, the chassis-number history and the sills.
- Customs duty
- 0%
- With a Statement on Origin; 10% without one.
- VRT in the scenarios
- 0% to 0%
- of Revenue’s valuation, by CO2 band
- Landed, incl. fee
- €10,313 to €14,516
- across the scenarios and CO2 assumptions
- Exchange rate
- 180.94 ¥/€
- ECB, 18 Sept 2026, with the 2% buffer
Worked scenarios
Computed with the same engine as the calculator when this page was built. Prices and Irish values are assumptions. Open any row and replace the assumptions with a real car.
| Car | Price in Japan | Irish value | CO2 → band | Landed incl. fee | Open in calculator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 1.6 Special Package, 110,000 kmPetrol | ¥900,000 | €9,000 | 35 years old → vintage rate, €200 | €10,313 | Open |
| 1993 1.8 V-Special, 90,000 kmPetrol | ¥1,300,000 | €12,000 | 33 years old → vintage rate, €200 | €13,115 | Open |
| 1995 1.8 S-Special, 80,000 kmPetrol | ¥1,500,000 | €13,500 | 31 years old → vintage rate, €200 | €14,516 | Open |
- 1991 1.6 Special Package, 110,000 km: A driver-quality Series 1; price from the middle of the 2026 range, value an estimate.
- 1993 1.8 V-Special, 90,000 km: The leather-and-wood special edition; price from 2026 listings, value an estimate.
- 1995 1.8 S-Special, 80,000 km: A late Series 2 with the Bilstein dampers and the strut brace; price and value assumptions from 2026 listings.
VRT and the OMSP
Every car in the scenarios is over 30, so VRT is the €200 vintage rate and the CO2 question does not arise. A 1997 car registered before its 30th birthday would have no CO2 evidence and be banded at 41% of its valuation, which on a €12,000 car is nearly €5,000; the month on the export certificate decides.
Because the tax is flat, the landed cost is essentially the yen price plus about €2,300 of shipping and fees, plus 23% VAT on all of that, plus the Irish-side costs and the fee.
NOx levy
None on a car registered at 30 years or more, as the engine and the secondary sources have it; we are confirming this with Revenue (V20). Registered younger, a 1990s petrol car with no NOx evidence pays the €600 default on top of the 41% band.
Without evidence Revenue charges €600 for petrol and hybrid cars, €4,850 for diesels.
Customs duty and origin
Japanese-built, so 0% customs duty applies with a Statement on Origin from the exporter, exactly as for a modern car. Heading 9705, the collectors’-piece classification, is the route to 0% duty for a car over 30 that was built somewhere else; on a Japanese-built car it adds nothing, and it does not reduce the VAT: Revenue charges the standard 23% on a vintage car that will be driven, and the 13.5% collectors’ rate is for a piece kept off the road (V19).
Built in: Japan (Mazda Hiroshima). Japanese-built, so the EU–Japan 0% duty rate applies with a Statement on Origin.
Insurance
A classic policy: agreed value, limited mileage, often a second car and a driver over 25. MX-5s are well understood by the classic insurers and cheap to cover. Motor tax is the €56 vintage rate; the car still needs an NCT until it is 40.
Generations
- Series 1 (1989 to 1993): the 1.6 B6 engine, 120 hp, the purest of them and the lightest.
- Series 2 (1993 to 1997): the 1.8 BP engine, a stronger structure, and the special editions Japan loved: V-Special with tan leather and wood, S-Special, R-Limited, and the run-out SR-Limited.
Before you bid
- Rust: sills, rear arches, the front chassis rails behind the wheels and the boot floor. Ask for underside photographs; the sills are the expensive one.
- Hood and hood frame condition, and whether the car has the optional hardtop, which changes its value.
- Modifications are common and cheap to reverse; originality carries the premium, and a special edition without its parts is not a special edition.
- The 30-year date to the month for 1997 cars.
- Tyres: the original 14-inch sizes are easy to find with an E-mark, but check what is fitted.
Where the numbers come from
- Japanese auction and exporter prices in 2026 for honest Eunos Roadsters ran roughly ¥700,000 to ¥1,600,000, with V-Special and low-mileage cars at the top and special editions above that (research assumption; directional).
- Irish-registered NA MX-5s in 2026 sat mostly between about €7,000 and €15,000 depending on condition, with the best cars above (research assumption from classifieds; directional). Because VRT is flat, the Irish value matters for insurance and the estimate range, not for the tax.
- The 1.6 and 1.8 cars price similarly at auction; condition and originality dominate.
Questions people ask
How much VRT is there on an Eunos Roadster?
€200 for any car that is 30 years old or more on the day it is registered, which is every car built up to 1996 and, month by month, the 1997 cars through 2027.
Is it duty-free?
Yes, with a Statement on Origin from the exporter, because it was built in Hiroshima. Heading 9705 adds nothing to a Japanese-built car: the duty is already nil and the VAT stays at 23% for a car that will be driven.
What does one cost landed?
Roughly €12,000 to €19,000 at 2026 prices for the cars in the scenarios: the yen price, about €2,300 of shipping and fees, 23% VAT on all of that, €200 of VRT, the Irish-side costs and the fee.
Is a Japanese one better than an Irish or UK one?
Usually drier. Irish and British NAs have had 30 winters of salt; Japanese cars from the south and the cities have had none. The mileage is lower on average too. The trade-off is that the car has no Irish history and needs the checks above.
How long does the import take?
Typically 8 to 14 weeks from auction to Irish plates: a week or two in Japan for deregistration and export paperwork, four to six at sea, then customs clearance, the NCTS appointment and registration.
Price a real MX-5 NA
Put a real auction listing into the calculator: hammer price, mileage and the CO2 figure if you have it. You get every cost line and a range, and you can send it to us for sourcing from there.
Other models
Rules version 2026-09-17. Estimates only; VRT is assessed by Revenue at registration. Page computed at build time; the calculator uses the exchange rate of the day.