Ownership costs on the island— tax, purchase, insurance?

[Ducks]

I know this is a bit of a "how long is a piece of string" question, but would anyone be willing to share ballpark figures for car ownership on the island these days? Beginning to consider picking up a small second-hand runabout, and was wondering what costs are like lately.

Any insight on tax, insurance, purchase costs would be welcome.

[Cotillo_Tom]

Yes, it is a "how long is a piece of string" question, however:

Average run around type second hand car, 5,000 to 7,500 euro.
Annual road tax, 45 to 59 euros.
Insurance, 180 to 250 euros.
Petrol, 1.30 per litre.

There are, of course, exceptions to these costs, so a really cheap second hand, 1,000 euro. New 20,000 euro plus!

[Ducks]

Yes, it is a "how long is a piece of string" question, however:

Average run around type second hand car, 5,000 to 7,500 euro.
Annual road tax, 45 to 59 euros.
Insurance,  180 to 250 euros.
Petrol, 1.30 per litre.  

There are, of course, exceptions to these costs, so a really cheap second hand, 1,000 euro.  New 20,000 euro plus!

Exactly the kind of info I was looking for, so much appreciated! Not looking for anything fancy— just something small, cheap, reliable, and easy to park for doing the grocery run.

Sadly, mucking about with taxis has become untenable in the post-COVID era. Used to be that we could have one to Mercadona in five minutes. Now, they often don't answer the phone, and you can be waiting almost an hour when they do!

Open to suggestions from anyone on places to purchase, for the record.

[Cotillo_Tom]

Aboutcars.es

You will pay a little over the odds, but the service and warranty you get make it a good deal..ex-rental cars are much cheaper in Gran Canaria, but you need to have a sound mechanical mind to pick the right car, then arranging to get it back here.

Be careful of buying privately, like a property, cars carry any outstanding debt/fines with them. Re-registering the car with Police and DGT needs a good standard of Spanish or pay someone 100e to do it.

Wieberen Poelstra
www.aboutcars.es
info@aboutcars.es
+34 630 83 71 43


PS. No, I'm not on commission!!

[Pete Garyga]

Also, you have to pay tax when buying a second hand vehicle (shock horror)    
This site shows you the vehicle's value and how much is due, assuming know the car's details. Approx registered date, make, model etc. Also, if you pay more for the vehicle than the value shown on the site, you pay more tax too
https://sede.gobiernodecanarias.org/trib...culos.jsp#

[DavidP]

I would second Tom and recommend "about cars"
Yes his prices are a little higher BUT the service and ease of transaction are worth it.
we have bought 2 off him and he is prepared to haggle (a little) or even get you something at a budget that you want.

[Ducks]

Thanks, all, really appreciate the insight. We will have to keep an eye on the site for when something we might like pops up rather than just taking something because we want to buy right this minute.

Tax on a secondhand car... It never stops, does it? 😂 Yearly motor tax is decently low, at least.

[windermeregolfer]

Tax on a secondhand car... It never stops, does it? 😂 Yearly motor tax is decently low, at least.

Re the tax the issue is that it appears in Spain common practice to show prices excluding tax, whereas in the UK for sales to private individuals by a dealer the price tag has to include tax (VAT)

Re purchasing a secondhand car in the UK my google search found this in relation to VAT -

The VAT rate is calculated as a sixth of the profit margin. It's passed on to the customer in the price of the car, but not itemised on the purchase invoice as it would be were they buying a new car. VAT on the selling price Some dealers may charge VAT at 20% on the price of a used car.

If you buy a car from a private seller it's much simpler, as there is no VAT to pay. So whether you're the buyer or seller in a private sale you don't have to worry about paying taxes.

[Ducks]

The VAT rate is calculated as a sixth of the profit margin. It's passed on to the customer in the price of the car, but not itemised on the purchase invoice as it would be were they buying a new car. VAT on the selling price Some dealers may charge VAT at 20% on the price of a used car.

So the price quoted on AboutCars is the total price you'll end up paying?

I'm also wondering it it would be possible to do a long-term rental for a couple of months until something becomes available that we'd actually like to buy versus feeling forced to buy something we're not totally happy with due to stock limitation and timing.

Anyone ever done anything like that before? Do you think any of the rental companies might be more or less receptive to doing a deal for a two- or three-month rental?

[Cotillo_Tom]

With Aboutcars.es the price you see is the price you pay, unless you request some additional equipment or service.

Car hire firms will do up to three months rental. More than 3 months is a bit more difficult. However, don't go looking for a special deal because you are renting for three months; it's not unusual out here, and whilst you might get a tiny bit of discount, nothing massive will be offered.

Tom.