Import a car from Germany to Greece: listings, inspection, registration tax and transport

Germany is where most Greek buyers start looking, and the reason is choice. With roughly 620,628 cars on sale at the same time, almost every engine, gearbox and trim level of a given model exists many times over, so you compare like with like instead of settling for the one car that happens to be for sale in Athens or Thessaloniki. German dealers sell a large share of one-owner cars with a stamped service book and a valid HU, and for the same age and mileage the asking prices are often lower than on the Greek portals — before the registration tax, which is the number that decides whether the deal still makes sense.

The price of that choice is distance. A car in Munich, Stuttgart or Hamburg stands at the other end of the continent, which means buying from photos, negotiating in German by phone and organising a transporter or a truck-and-ferry route without ever standing next to the car. That is where most of the money is lost — not on the paperwork, but on a car that turns out to be repainted on three panels, has error codes cleared the day before the viewing or an HU passed a week before the sale. Our own inspector covers Germany up to 250 km by road from Antwerp; further away the inspection costs a fixed €367 including travel and you get the same report with photos.

This page gives the German market figures we measure, what to check on a German listing before you pay, the inspection price, how the Greek registration works (customs clearance, registration tax, KTEO, Directorate of Transport), how transport from Germany to Greece is priced and the steps in order.

Germany: the market in numbers

Measured on 3 November 2026 from the public DAExport listing feed (AutoScout24, 2dehands, Autohero and other sources, deduplicated); the numbers move every day, so treat them as the order of magnitude, not a quote.

Germany is the largest used-car market in Europe by a wide margin, with the broadest choice of engines, trims and price levels. The listings are concentrated on a few portals and most sellers are dealers; the trade-off is distance — most German cars stand several hundred kilometres from Antwerp and from Greece.

The German paperwork you need: the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and Teil II (registration documents), a valid HU (periodic inspection, the “TÜV sticker”) and ideally a stamped service book. A car with the HU due soon is not a problem for export, but it is a negotiation argument.

Deregistration in Germany is done by the seller at the Zulassungsstelle; the car then needs Kurzzeitkennzeichen (short-term plates, five days) or Ausfuhrkennzeichen (export plates with insurance) for the drive, or a transporter. Our own inspectors cover Germany up to 250 km by road from Antwerp; further away the inspection is done at a fixed price of €367 including travel.

What to check before you pay for a car in Germany

• Both registration documents (Teil I and Teil II) in the seller’s hands, not “at the bank”.
• HU date and the last inspection report; a car with a recent HU still needs an independent look.
• Accident history: German dealers must disclose “Unfallfahrzeug”; ask in writing and keep the answer.
• Distance from Antwerp: up to 250 km by road our own inspector drives out; beyond that the inspection is at a fixed price of €367 incl. travel.
• A VIN check for accident records, theft and open finance; the free decoder is on the VIN check page.

The step that saves the most money is the one most buyers skip: an independent inspection on site before you pay. A DAExport inspector drives to the car in Germany, spends 1.5–2 hours on it — OBD scan, paint thickness on every panel, underbody, test drive, documents and VIN history — and sends you a report with photos within 24–48 hours. The price is €278.30 including VAT with the first 30 km of the round trip included; every further kilometre costs €0.47 net. You can see what the report looks like on the sample report page.

If you do not want to negotiate in Dutch, French or German, the add-on “negotiation and closing the deal” (€99 incl. VAT) means we hold the conversation about the price and the paperwork with the seller. The full scope and the order form are on the pre-purchase inspection page.

Taxes and registration in Greece

Greece applies a classification tax (τέλος ταξινόμησης) at the first registration of an imported car; it is based on the taxable value and the CO₂ emissions and is assessed by customs — the amount has to be calculated individually for the car and its age. Our calculator shows only the local registration fees, not the classification tax.

A private buyer pays no Greek VAT on a used car older than six months with more than 6,000 km. The annual road tax (τέλη κυκλοφορίας) depends on CO₂ for newer cars and on engine size for older ones.

The registration goes through the regional transport directorate with the certificate of conformity, the customs clearance and a Greek technical inspection (KTEO).

Indicative amounts from the DAExport import calculator (tables as of July 2026) for a car priced at the Germany median; fuel, engine size and the CO₂ value from the certificate of conformity change the result. The calculator gives the figure for your car.

Open the import cost calculator

Transport Germany → Greece

We have no fixed route to Greece in the price list yet, so transport to Greece is quoted individually: tell us where the car stands and where it should arrive, and you get a written price before you decide. The rules (driver, insurance, deposit, delivery time) are the same as for every route on the car transport page.

Step by step: from the listing to the plates

• Shortlist the car and check the VIN and the listing: price versus the market, photos of the interior and the underbody, seller type.
• Order the inspection; we contact the seller, inspect the car in Germany and send the report.
• Decide on the price with the report in hand; reserve the car in writing in your name, then pay.
• Collect the complete set of documents: invoice or contract, registration documents, COC, service history and the mileage certificate where the country issues one.
• Drive the car home on temporary plates or order transport.
• Clear the car at customs: declaration, classification tax assessment and payment.
• Pass the KTEO technical inspection.
• Register at the regional transport directorate and collect the Greek plates.

Order an inspection of a car in Germany

The full description of the import service is on the car import page; the prices of all services are in the price list. More routes: Import by country.