Import a Toyota Supra A80 from Japan to Ireland: what it really costs
JZA80, 1993 to 2002: the twin-turbo 2JZ-GTE in the RZ and RZ-S, the naturally aspirated 2JZ-GE in the SZ and SZ-R.
The Mk4 Supra is the sharpest example on this site of the 30-year rule. A 1996 car registered in Ireland today pays €200 of VRT; a 1997 car registered today pays 41% of whatever Revenue thinks it is worth, which on a turbo manual can be €30,000, because there is no CO2 evidence for a 1990s Japanese car and the top band is assumed. Register the same 1997 car after its 30th birthday and it pays €200.
The Supra is also the car that separates paperwork from luck: twin-turbo manuals have been modified, crashed and re-shelled for three decades, and the clean ones are priced like the collectibles they are. Origin proof, the auction sheet and the chassis-number history come before any bid.
- 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
- €35,534 to €70,564
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 RZ twin-turbo 6-speed, 90,000 kmPetrol | ¥9,500,000 | €85,000 | 32 years old → vintage rate, €200 | €70,564 | Open |
| 1996 SZ-R 5-speed, 110,000 kmPetrol | ¥4,500,000 | €40,000 | 30 years old → vintage rate, €200 | €35,534 | Open |
| 1998 RZ-S automatic, 75,000 km, registered after its 30th birthdayPetrol · registered 1 Jun 2028 | ¥7,000,000 | €65,000 | 30 years old → vintage rate, €200 | €53,049 | Open |
- 1994 RZ twin-turbo 6-speed, 90,000 km: An unmodified turbo manual with history; price from the top half of the 2026 range, value an estimate. Over 30 years old, so €200 VRT.
- 1996 SZ-R 5-speed, 110,000 km: The naturally aspirated manual, 30 years old in March 2026; price from the 2026 range.
- 1998 RZ-S automatic, 75,000 km, registered after its 30th birthday: A car that is 28 years old today, priced as registered in June 2028 when it turns 30. Registered today it would pay 41% of €65,000, about €26,650, instead of €200; the wait would have to happen in Japan (V21, V25).
VRT and the OMSP
A Supra registered at 30 years or more pays €200. A Supra registered younger than that has no CO2 evidence and is put in the 41% band on Revenue’s valuation: on a €65,000 turbo car that is about €26,650. The difference between the two is the whole economics of the later cars.
The date that counts is the first registration in Japan, to the month, on the export certificate. A car built in 1997 and first registered in early 1998 turns 30 in 2028, not 2027. A car cannot lawfully be held unregistered in the State until the date, because registration within 30 days of arrival is the rule; it can be kept in Japan, which we are pricing (V25). Until that is in place, the safe imports are the ones already over 30.
NOx levy
None on a car registered at 30 years or more, as the engine and the secondary sources have it (being confirmed, 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 (Toyota Tahara plant, Aichi). Japanese-built, so the EU–Japan 0% duty rate applies with a Statement on Origin.
Insurance
Agreed-value classic policies through the specialist brokers, with limited mileage and a minimum driver age; the twin-turbo cars carry the premiums their values imply. Motor tax at the vintage rate of €56 a year once the car is over 30; cars under 40 still need the NCT.
Generations
- JZA80 (May 1993 to 1996): RZ with the twin-turbo 2JZ-GTE and the six-speed Getrag, RZ-S with the four-speed automatic, SZ and SZ-R with the 2JZ-GE. All of these are 30 years old or more in 2026.
- Update (1996 to 2002): VVT-i on the naturally aspirated engine from 1996 and on the turbo from 1997, a facelift in 1996 and the 2JZ-GTE’s last years. These cars reach 30 between 2026 and 2032, one production month at a time.
Before you bid
- The 30-year date, to the month, from the export certificate. Two cars from the same model year can be a year apart in tax.
- Turbo cars: modification and repair history is the norm, not the exception. Grade R cars, replacement shells and non-original engines all appear at auction; the chassis-number history and a pre-bid inspection are essential.
- The sequential twin-turbo system and its actuators are a known repair; budget for it or buy evidence it has been done.
- The Statement on Origin or the collector’s-piece classification is what avoids 10% duty on a €60,000 customs value; sort it before the bid.
- Japanese tyres often lack the E-mark the NCT requires: budget €300–600 for a set.
Where the numbers come from
- Japanese auction and exporter prices in 2026 for an RZ twin-turbo manual ran roughly ¥8,000,000 to ¥16,000,000 depending on originality, RZ-S automatics ¥6,000,000 to ¥9,000,000, and naturally aspirated SZ and SZ-R cars ¥3,000,000 to ¥6,000,000 (research assumption from exporter listings; directional).
- There is effectively no Irish market: the values below are estimates from UK specialist and European listings, used for insurance and the estimate range only. For a car registered at 30 years or more they do not affect the tax.
- The pre-registration date that matters is the first registration in Japan, printed on the export certificate; the model year and the chassis number are not enough.
Questions people ask
How much VRT does a Mk4 Supra pay?
€200 if it is 30 years old or more on the day it is registered. Younger than that, with no CO2 evidence, it is banded at 41% of Revenue’s valuation, which on a turbo manual can be €25,000 to €35,000.
Can I buy a 1997 or 1998 Supra now and register it when it turns 30?
Not by keeping it unregistered in Ireland: a vehicle kept in the State must be registered within 30 days of arrival, and possession of an unregistered vehicle is an offence. The lawful route is storage in Japan until the date, which we are pricing (V25) and confirming with Revenue (V21). Whether a trader with a TAN can hold it here as stock is part of the same question (V9). Until the answers are in writing, the cars already over 30 are the safe ones.
Is a Supra duty-free?
With a Statement on Origin from the exporter, yes, as a Japanese-built car. 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 a turbo Supra cost landed?
At 2026 prices, roughly €55,000 to €95,000 for an RZ manual once the yen price, shipping, 23% VAT, the Irish-side costs and the fee are added, with VRT at €200. The calculator prices the exact car and the exact date.
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 Supra A80
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.