Driving a UK-registered car on the Isle of Man: when it needs Manx plates, the roadworthiness test, and when selling makes sense

How long can I keep it on UK plates?

If you live on the Isle of Man, a vehicle registered elsewhere must be re-registered on the island at the earliest opportunity; if you are moving here, as soon as possible after you take up residence. No fixed number of days is set. A visitor's car registered elsewhere may stay up to 12 months without re-registration, provided the visitor stays in charge of it and doesn't become resident. The licensing office may refuse registration if it isn't satisfied the car will be mainly used and kept on the island. On the UK side, the DVLA treats a car taken to the Isle of Man for 12 months or more as permanently exported: send the permanent export section of the V5C to the DVLA and keep the rest, which the island needs to register the car. The DVLA won't send a replacement V5C to an address outside the UK.

Can a right-hand-drive car be registered?

Yes. The Isle of Man drives on the left, so a right-hand-drive UK car needs no conversion. A car more than five years old at import must pass the island's roadworthiness examination before it is registered: book it straight away, as tests are usually available within 14 days of asking. A car under 10 years old needs its type-approval information, and one without EU type approval may also need a Single Vehicle Approval.

What registering it involves

1. Keep the complete V5C and send only the permanent export section to the DVLA.
2. If the car is more than five years old, book the roadworthiness examination at the Vehicle Test Centre straight away.
3. Arrange Manx motor insurance.
4. Apply at any Post Office for registration and the first vehicle licence, with the V5C, the type-approval information for a car under 10 years old, the insurance certificate and the roadworthiness certificate.
5. Fit Manx plates and keep the vehicle duty (road tax) paid.

What it costs

• Roadworthiness examination for an imported car over five years old: £59. A second examination within 21 days of a failure costs half.
• Single Vehicle Approval, if a car under 10 years old has no EU type approval: £189.
• Registration and Manx vehicle duty when the car is first licensed; the rates are on form VL1 from Vehicle Licensing.
• Manx motor insurance and number plates on top.

The alternative: sell it back to the UK

The alternative is to take the car back to the mainland and sell it there: the ferry, the drive to a buyer, the sale itself and the trip home, and only while the MOT and UK insurance are valid. Selling to us skips all of that: we buy the car as it stands, collect it free from your address, handle the paperwork and pay in pounds sterling (£) on collection day.

Common questions

Rules, rates and thresholds change. This guide is a general summary as of October 2026, not legal or tax advice — check the current position with the registration authority before relying on it.

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