Import a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII, VIII or IX from Japan to Ireland: what it really costs
The CT9A generation, January 2001 to 2007: Evo VII, VIII and IX with the 280 ps 4G63 turbo, GSR and RS grades, the MR editions and the Evo IX Wagon.
Ireland rallied Evos for twenty years and still buys them, which is why the valuation is the problem here rather than the paperwork. A clean Evo IX GSR is worth €35,000 to €45,000 on the rare occasions one is for sale in Ireland, and Revenue will value a Japanese import against that: 41% of €40,000 is €16,400 of VRT on a car that costs ¥4,500,000 in Japan. No CT9A turns 30 before January 2031, so there is no birthday to plan around for a decade.
The Evo VII and VIII are the value: the same engine and drivetrain a generation earlier, at half to two-thirds of the IX’s price in Japan and a lower Irish valuation to match. The FQ cars sold in Britain and Ireland give the certificate figures a disclosure can lean on; every one of them is far above 190 g/km, so the band is 41% regardless and only the NOx line moves.
- Customs duty
- 0%
- With a Statement on Origin; 10% without one.
- VRT in the scenarios
- 41% to 41%
- of Revenue’s valuation, by CO2 band
- Landed, incl. fee
- €29,141 to €51,934
- 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. CO2 evidence would not change the band for this car: tested at 270, 300, 330 g/km it is 41% every time, so evidence only moves the NOx line. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 Evolution VII GSR, 120,000 kmPetrol | ¥2,300,000 | €22,000 | 300 NEDC → 311 → band 20, 41% | €29,241 | Open |
| 2004 Evolution VIII MR GSR, 90,000 kmPetrol | ¥3,200,000 | €30,000 | 300 NEDC → 311 → band 20, 41% | €38,826 | Open |
| 2006 Evolution IX GSR, 80,000 kmPetrol | ¥4,500,000 | €40,000 | 300 NEDC → 311 → band 20, 41% | €52,034 | Open |
- 2001 Evolution VII GSR, 120,000 km: A standard GSR with history; about 300 g/km NEDC and a NOx figure of about 40 mg/km assumed via a disclosure based on the British car. Value from the Irish cluster.
- 2004 Evolution VIII MR GSR, 90,000 km: An MR with the six-speed; figures as for the VII. Value between the VIII and IX Irish clusters.
- 2006 Evolution IX GSR, 80,000 km: A clean IX GSR at the middle of the 2026 range; figures as above. The valuation is the top of the Irish range because so few are for sale.
VRT and the OMSP
Every CT9A is band 20 at 41% on any evidence; the certificate figures are around 300 g/km NEDC. The valuation is the whole bill: €9,000 of VRT on a VII valued at €22,000, €16,400 on a IX valued at €40,000. Revenue will lean on the handful of Irish listings, and a modified car has no clean comparable.
No CT9A turns 30 before January 2031, so the 30-year rule is not a plan for these cars this decade. Price them as cars you register now.
NOx levy
This car was also sold new in Europe, so a certificate of conformity for the equivalent model exists and a disclosure usually returns a NOx figure in the tens of milligrams: a levy of €150 to €400 rather than the €600 default. The CO2 figure it carries is above 190 g/km, so the band stays at 41%.
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; without it 10% of the customs value is charged and VAT is charged on the duty too. Heading 9705 adds nothing to a Japanese-built car over 30: the duty is already nil and Revenue keeps the VAT at 23% for a car that will be driven (V19). A modified car is still the same car for duty: origin follows the shell, not the engine in it.
Built in: Japan (Mitsubishi, Mizushima plant, Okayama). Japanese-built, so the EU–Japan 0% duty rate applies with a Statement on Origin.
Insurance
A specialist market: insurers treat an Evo as the rally car it is, want modifications declared and a driver well into their twenties, and the premium reflects the theft history of the model in Britain and Ireland. Agreed value is worth having on a IX.
Generations
- Evolution VII (January 2001 to December 2002): 4G63, 280 ps, five-speed manual, the first Active Centre Differential; GSR with the equipment, RS stripped for competition, and the automatic GT-A in 2002.
- Evolution VIII (January 2003 to February 2005): the six-speed on the GSR, Super AYC, and the MR in 2004 with the aluminium roof and Bilsteins.
- Evolution IX (March 2005 to 2007): MIVEC on the 4G63, the revised front, the MR in 2006, and the IX Wagon; the last of the 4G63 cars and the most valuable.
Before you bid
- Rallied, tracked or stolen-and-recovered history: the auction sheet, the chassis-number record and the underside photographs, in that order.
- Welded or two-way differentials, hydraulic handbrakes, cut springs and knock-off coil-overs all appear on cars that read as standard in the photographs; ask for the auction sheet and underside pictures before you bid.
- Grade R and RA are repaired cars, common in this trade. Look at the chassis rails, the strut towers and the rear quarters in the pictures, and price a repaired shell as one.
- A Japanese bolt-in cage is not a competition cage here: Drift Masters has prohibited them since 2016 and Irish series run to FIA-style weld-in specifications. Budget for a cage if you intend to compete.
- A caged, lowered or non-running car cannot go on RoRo. Price the container in from the start, alone or shared.
- Active Centre Differential and AYC pumps fail expensively; a car with a working warning-light check and a service record is worth the premium.
Where the numbers come from
- Japanese prices in 2026: Evo VII GSR ¥1,800,000 to ¥2,800,000, Evo VIII GSR and MR ¥2,500,000 to ¥3,600,000, Evo IX GSR ¥3,500,000 to ¥5,500,000 with MR and Wagon cars above (exporter listings and auction results; directional).
- Irish Evo asking prices in 2026: VII and VIII cars €20,000 to €32,000, IX cars €35,000 to €45,000, all scarce (DoneDeal and cars.ie, dated). The scenarios use €22,000 to €40,000 as Revenue’s likely view.
- The British FQ certificates carry CO2 figures around 300 g/km NEDC and NOx figures in the tens of milligrams; a disclosure based on the equivalent car is the usual route for a Japanese GSR.
Questions people ask
How much VRT does an Evo IX pay?
41% of Revenue’s valuation plus the NOx levy: on €40,000 about €16,400, and about €200 of levy with a NOx figure from the British car’s certificate. An Evo VII valued at €22,000 pays about €9,000.
Is there a 30-year saving coming?
Not for a decade. The first Evo VIIs turn 30 in January 2031 and the Evo IX from 2035. These are cars to price and register now.
Is a Japanese GSR taxed the same as a British FQ?
Yes. Both are band 20 and the valuation is what matters; a disclosure based on the British car’s certificate supplies the NOx figure for the Japanese one, and the CO2 figure is above 190 g/km in either case.
If it only ever goes to the track, do I still pay VRT?
Yes. A vehicle kept in the State must be registered within 30 days of arrival, and possession of an unregistered vehicle is an offence under the Finance Act 1992. Revenue’s competition exemption covers a car that comes in for an event and leaves again, not one that lives here. We are confirming this in writing (V21) and will not advise around it.
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 Lancer Evolution
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.