Buying a car in Malta

As you have a UK, license you will not need a new one as both countries are in the EU.

but see http://www.transport.gov.mt/land-transp … ng-licence

it's not clear what exactly they consider "shall be entitled to drive in Malta for a period not exceeding twelve months from the date of his last entry into Malta"

volcane wrote:

but see http://www.transport.gov.mt/land-transp … ng-licence

it's not clear what exactly they consider "shall be entitled to drive in Malta for a period not exceeding twelve months from the date of his last entry into Malta"

That extract from the TM website refers to a licence from outside the EU.

This extract relates to a licence issued by an EU country as in the case of the OP.

'Any holder of a European Union driving licence, a Swiss or an Australian driving licence issued by a Swiss or an Australian State and Territory licensing authorities, who takes up normal residence in Malta, shall be entitled to have his driving licence exchanged for an equivalent Maltese licence.

European Union driving licences shall be recognised in Malta as long as they are valid in country of issuance.'

Ray

dhirst2901 wrote:

Only been here 3 weeks and looking to pruchase a small runabout as rental is a bit pricey.  I have applied for e residence card so hopefully I will have that in a few weeks.

Is there anything I need to be aware of?

I have a UK driving licence, only a couple of sp30's on my licence and been driving since 1992....never disqualified.

I have looked at the government website but still not clear....

Cheers in advance

Davex

You are entitled to drive here without any problem as your licence is an EU licence issued by the UK.
It is a legal requirement in the UK that your licence shows your current UK address so either keep it registered to an address over there, if you can, or change it here for a Maltese issue EU licence.

When I went to change mine here they told me not to bother until it was due for renewal!

Ray

There are a lot of things you should consider when buying a car.
An old cheap car can turn into a waste of money, but a recent import also can become quite expensive when it comes to registration tax and road tax.

There are a lot of posts with personal experience, important is what you expect.
Sometimes local bought new cars will be cheaper on the long run than imported used cars.

My car (ta Malta) is from 2008 with 1.3cc engine and costs me only 214 Euro per year (insurance and road tax), the 2004 Smart with 0.7cc of my wife, imported 2012, cost around 350 Euro a year and annual costs for a Toyota RAV4 from 2000 with 1.8cc can go up to 800 Euros. On the other hand a (almost) new car with 1,6cc petrol can be as cheap as 300 Euros. It all depends on the engine size (registration before 1009) resp. CO2 emissions (registration after 2009).

It seems that a used car registered before 2009 is cheaper than a used car imported after 2009, but this depends on the condition of the car. Maltese roads stress all parts and after a few years it starts with spending money for repairs. Once you need to fix the steering, gearbox or suspension, the bargain might turn into a nightmare.
As I found it does not really make a difference if you buy a car from a dealer or from private. Sometimes a purchase from private person, who took care of the vehicle, is more advisable than going to a dealer.

To cut the long story short: it all depends 

Cheers for this really useful. Thanks

Thanks for the info!