Buying a Car in Denmark / American in Denmark / Expat Life
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- Опубліковано 4 лют 2021
- #buyingacarindenmark #carsindenmark #lifeindenmark #expatlife #newcar Hi! I'm Kelly, an American living in Denmark. In this video, I tell you about our experiences with renting and buying both a used and a new car in Denmark. I give you lots of information about what the experience of buying a car is like while living abroad (versus what it is like buying a car in the USA). I also give you tips for understanding the Danish taxes, places to buy car accessories and more.
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Buying a Car in Denmark: www.mynewdanishlife.com/buyin...
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Getting Reading and Moving to Denmark: www.mynewdanishlife.com/prepa...
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The car taxes in Denmark ARE crazy. But, (in theory) it pays for road maintenance etc. which primarily is used by cars. And it also has the positive side effect that it makes owning a car, a little bit nicer, since it otherwise would be bumper to bumper all day long. But it sure is expensive.
Yes, you order a car in the US, but there are so many cars built here that they can just look around for the one that matches your wishes. Denmark is small so it makes sense to work it this way.
Kristi Himmelfartsdag = Ascension Day. Opel Insignia is sold in US as Buick Regal.
The only experience I have with cars outside of Denmark was renting a car in England, boy was that an experience 😂
The Opel Insignia was sold as a Buick Regal in the US. Perhaps there was not as popular a car as it is here in Europe. It was previously GM that owned Opel, now it’s the PSA group which also owns Citroën and Peugeot.
We've gone through a used polo that only lasted a couple years, with constant maintenance issues. I just drool over Teslas but my wife distrusts electric vehicles.
So we found a good used Mazda (CX, I think) which has been great. (aside from some initial air-con issues). We don't have kids so it's really more car than we need.
I didn't look close enough to your channel to realize you have a site with expat resources. neat! I'm fairly settled in for years now but I'm a shy guy and usually just stay isolated in my own bubble. Even before [gestures broadly at everything]. It suits me fine, but it means I have no irl friends here and should really try to network better. Anyway, stay safe, and hello from the Slagelse!
You are the leader of your household, if electric is what you believe is best, you should lead and have your wife follow you
The car my parents own now was similair to the way that the one you are buying now(a Mercedes), but the car before(a Skoda, so a cheaper car than the current one but I think considered to be good quality at least considering the price) that was the model that was in the car dealership(since it was the right colour and the one that actually included all the things my parents wanted), so they could pretty fast get that car.
Hi Kelly!
Thanks for the - as always - great video.
I can appreciate your wanting a car with automatic transmission...it's so much easier and comfort than driving with a stick. Automatics have really only in the last 5-6 yrs started winning the hearts of the Danes. Before that it was an expensive luxury.
Regarding the green tax... It's basically a road tax. In the old days (before about 1996 I THINK) the road tax was based on the weight of the car - the heavier the car, the more expensive. Then it was changed so it related to the cars fuel consumption - the more efficient the car is, the less you pay. Then of course there's the differance between gas and diesel.
Regarding delivery costs... One of the good things the EU has enforced, is the requirement for delivery costs to be INCLUDED in the price of the car - previously it had to be added.
The extremely high registration tax - which is basically an import tax - originates from just after the war. It was put in place so the economy wasn't drained moneywise. Actually, cars have been built in Denmark... Up until the late 70s I believe, FORD built cars in Copenhagen. But also, GM also built cars both before and after the war. These cars were for domestic sale and weren't as far as I know, exported.
Congrats with your new car order! I'm so happy on your behalf. The dealers here receive cars from the main importeres of the manufacturer, which are either completely basic, or with some of the extras the think will be most popular. In the case where you want additional extras in the car, then yes, the car is made bespoke to YOUR order....which results in quite a wait/delivery time.
You are right regarding the sale of new gas and diesel cars being phased out from 2030 I believe it is. The cars with ICE's already on the road will be allowed to continue driving, but I'm sure they will be taxed more and more....eventually these too will make it to the scrapyard.
Good luck with the new car and stay safe!!
Thanks so much.
I realize I'm kind of randomly asking but does anyone know of a good place to watch newly released tv shows online ?
@Jamal Finnley meh I would suggest flixportal. just google after it:D -maximiliano
@Maximiliano Aarav thanks, signed up and it seems like a nice service :D I appreciate it!
@Jamal Finnley You are welcome :D
Old video but the reason for thes long waiting times is lack of components for manufacturing, due to Covid.
in the past you could get a brand new Toyota within 1 - 3 days, 3 days if they had to get it from the importer.
There is some brands that has had a long delivery time back then
I've only ordered cars the way I want in the US since 2005. I generally wait about 3 months to receive it. I'm in the process of looking for a new car and I build it online and if there's a match, then it will show me where I can buy it. I can also see similar matches (like a different color).
When an importer imports a model of a car, he orders different variations and colors of that car.
If you want a specific variation and colour, you just have to wait. That's normal in most countries.
There are some modifications that can be mounted or altered by a car shop locally, but I believe it's in rare cases.
An alternative could have been to visit a dealer in Germany and ask if they could get the specific model and setup right away.
Btw. delivery is way cheaper in Denmark, than in the US.
I think I've seen prices up to over $5000 in the US, while here in Denmark it's a few thousand Danish kroner.
I am an ex-expat... Born and raised in Chicago. Moved to Ølstykke 1986. Ended up moving to Gundsømagle a few years later. Moved back to the U.S. in 1994. Always loved Queen Margrete! Went to school to learn danish for only 3 months. The school was in Copenhagen. Now there are times I struggle to find the correct word or phrase in English but I know what it is in Danish. I also found myself constantly doing the currency exchange from dkr to usd in my head to try to determine the value in dollars of goods and services. Did the same thing in reverse when I first moved back to America.
Very funny. I grew up outside of Chicago too! :) I don't think I'll ever been in a position to think more in Danish than English. LOL I've been here 5 years. ;)
Hi Kelly.
We are at the moment looking at a Hybrid car.
The registration tax are low this year and we are not ready to go full electric.
Please check the Citroen C5 AirCross Hybrid.
Thanks for the tip. Good luck with your car purchase! :)
The "delivery cost" is included in the sticker price. It is illegal for the cardealer not to.
Danes are used to say that we pay for 3 cars but we only get 1 delivered. When you buy a new car usually it’s made to order but there are some cars in stock but thats often those models that are the least popular.
Very interesting!
Actually, they have Opel Insignia in the US too, it's just rebadged as Buick Regal.
The station wagon variant you have is named Buick Regal TourX in the US.
Opel was own by GM, until 2019 or 2020, where the PSA group(Peugeot and Citroen) brought Opel.
@Per Sørensen Yes I know that GM owned Opel for a very long period, but actually, they sold it to PSA back in August 2017. For the last month, Opel has been owned the newly founded Stellantis through the merger of PSA and Fiat Chrysler. But I'm not sure what point you were trying to make? It doesn't change the fact that Opel Insignia is on the US market rebadged as Buick Regal. Buick is still owned by GM.
Don´t even have a car but I can´t resist listening to you! You are very good at explaining stuff. When it comes to the tax issue. The new car you choose wasn´t a car from any EU brand. LIke Volvo, Mercedes, or WV. If you have chosen an EU car instead you might have had a lower tax on the car. But this is only speculation from my side
Back in 2009 when I moved back to Denmark, I brought back my 2006 Volvo. Shipping from CA to Denmark only cost about USD2300 and took about 7 weeks to get here. Upon arrival to Denmark, I immediately had to pay 25% VAT Tax and about 2 hours of paperwork later,. was allowed to drive it home. Took another month for the Tax office to determine its value. Lot of work but I saved at least about USD10.,000 importing it rather than buying a similar Volvo here in Denmark. Now in the market to replace it with a 2021 GLE450 which will be bought in Denmark. Sad about the high 150% car tax but it did get lowered few years ago from 180%.
I wonder what it would cost someone in today's prices. Thanks for the info. Very interesting.
@@MyNewDanishLife Sorry, had to edit the shipping cost, it was actually around USD2,300 only, shipping via Sea, really has not gone up in price much. Air Freight via CargoLux is about USD8,000 but you would then have to arrange for truck transport from Luxembourg to Denmark.
Opel is just called "General Motors" or Vauxhall (??) in the US - I guess it is a branding thing because the US was reluctant to buy German sounding brands for a lot of the 20th century
Remember that the price at the car dealer is the price that you start to negotiate from. If you add different things that you want: another colour, digital display etc., then it is easier to get a discount in the price. If buying a new car, ask several dealers for the same car. I got 10% discount from the price listed at Volkswagen web site.
The price of cars is high in Denmark (I admit), but I believe you don’t complain about the health insurance, prices for education, SU (payment to students for studying each month) etc. It is not for free. In US you often have to lend money for studying and if you get ill (from Traveling Young on UA-cam).
BR Peter
Well there is a law if you marry danish person /moving back to Denmark /studying or having inheritance you can bring all your household including cars with tax free . So you could bring your car and shipping cost is about 800-1.5k ish per car from US depends where you at .
Very interesting.
Yes cars are expensive in DK, which is probably also why you see 20+ year old cars on the road.
Anyway, you can easily bring a car to DK costing only the shipping cost... Where it gets expensive is when you want it to be road-legal, they'll evaluate your car and tax it, probably 185%, when you want danish license plates on it. Otherwise you have to bring it to an enclosed racing track to drive it (not exactly the most fun with an RV).
As a Dane, I've, of course, learnt to drive stick... but it is possible to get an automatic-only license. Automatics are not the most popular cars in DK, still, so I'm not surprised you could find something useful at a reasonable price... The thing is, if you do your stick right, it can perform better than an automatic... but it gets boring.
So even as a stick-learner I have to agree that automatic, and especially the rather new invention of adaptive cruise control, makes it SO much more relaxing to perform a longer drive. I believe that in 10-20 years we won't see much sticks on the road, other than driven by classic enthusiasts. Hybrids and electric cars just works better that way.
I haven't tried mini-lease, but I believe it quickly becomes cheaper to buy a second-hand car. Since we moved to "the greater capital area" we've not necessarily needed to own a car, but now, as our kids are getting older, it would indeed be nice with a more convenient way of transportation than public. But you said you moved to the middle of the peninsula, I believe it's not too far from where I grew up near Silkeborg... Yes, you do need a car in that area.
Yes, Silkeborg has for decades promoted itself as "Bilernes By" in DK. And even today, I'd say that when I visit I'm still amazed about the variety of cars I see in my childhood area, it's not uncommon to see the biggest Mercedes', fastest Porsche or cutest Fiat or VW parked right next to each other in Silkeborg,, capital area it's more about what neighborhood you're in.
Anyway in most English speaking countries of the world, Opel is known as Vauxhall, it's pretty big in Australia if I'm not totally wrong.
Diesel is not necessarily unenvironmental... depends whether it has a particle filter etc., Diesel mostly got its bad rep from what VW did, about faking the numbers. But it's a fact that many bigger cities in the world have banned those cars from the center of the city. But if you look at BMW's latest Diesel-Hybrids, they're actually very awesome, also environmentally. And with some modest modifications, they can run on vegetable oil... mmmmh, the smell of fries running by.
My wife is also very much into the SUV's and cross-overs, but I'm really not... there's a bigger risk of tumbling over, because higher balance point and so on... why not just get a VW Transporter, or Mercedes Sprinter, bus if it's all about sitting high? They probably have better road performance than a half-butted crossover... and you get more space.
It is possible to buy a used car without a loan - but it would be more of a used USED car 😂
I hope in the future Denmark won't "get rid of" the cars - Motorsport will suffer too much, more than it already does
Thansen is not a great store to purchase from - they claim they have the original product, but it is not even the same size as the real original. Thansen is like wish for car parts. My boyfriend is a mechanic and I am studying as a mechanic - we have seen so many times people tried to repair their cars with thansen parts and it is really no good. They end up going to the mechanic for a higher repair cost.
We refuse to work with thansen parts, so we can actually guarantee the car is repaired and safe to drive.
Congratulations on buying a Toyota. We are now on our third Toyota since 1998. Our experience is that Toyota cars last long and causes few problems.
That is good to know! ;)
In fact, Silkeborg is known as "bilernes by" , because of all the car dealerships.
Hi Kelly! I like your videos...always funny to get an other perspectiv of life in DK.
My wife and I also drive Toyota Hybrid and we are so pleased with it.....No troubles at all!
Hope you'll be pleased too......but I'm not sure you can tow a caravan with your new car due to the very special transmission in Hybrid-cars.
You better check with your cardealer!
That was one of the big requirements we made sure it could fulfill! ;)
@@MyNewDanishLife Hi Kelly - sure you can if its a RAV4 hybrid. Our previous RAv4 hybrid has a towing capacity of 1650 kg. And our new RAV4 plugin hybrid has 1500kg
@@hellefrederiksen5564 Thanks for this, Helle! I think we are getting something like that, and I know that my husband talked with them about the towing capacity because the camper is pretty much our number 1 priority. LOL :)
Fun Fact, Denmark used be place where Ford model T was build in big numbers :)
I mean... Automatic shift cars are nice and all.. But most of us Danes just find that it is an unnecessary extra expense better spent somewhere else entirely, or on other custom features. (you non-Danes have to remember the +150% (not +50%) tax on cars here)
Hello :) I am wondering if I could live in Denmark next year after the end of my studies (PhD in science in France). All the jobs that I have found ask to speak english fluently (quite normal, I am not going to talk to them in french lol), but I wonder if it is possible to be hired in a big company (as an engineer) and start learning danish once I am based in the country. Do you think it is possible ?
It doesn't disturb me to learn the langage and it is absolutely normal. I have an indian friend who has spent 5 years here in France without speaking french. It was so hard for him in his daily life : especially because the vast majority of the people here don't speak english at all but it doesn't seem to be the case in denmark.
Thank you so much :)
since there has been no answer i will try to tell you...
if cyou are a french citizen.. you dont actually say so in your post, then youv can live in denmark all you want, EU countrys have free mobility and you can live whereever you want within the EU...
if you are from outside the EU, then it is a bit harder to move to denmrk, you most normaly need to have a job on hand before you can move here, and if you are going to emigrate here, then you will have to learn the language within a couple off years to get citizenship...
you will need to learn english at the least, we only have frenchc and german as third optional language, but english and danish is compulsive...
as an engiineer there should be good chances of getting work here tho...
so go for it if you feel like denmark is the place for you
You could've went down to Deutschland to purchase a car then register it in DK. That's also a solution
But that Opel is just Buick Regal.
Interesting... the last time I was in Denmark, I seen only a small number of cars that were made in North America. I heard from relatives that taxes that are applied to new North American cars are high in Denmark.
Many people here in Canada, especially individuals living in smaller towns and rural areas, buy full size four door 4 wheel drive pickup trucks. I would imagine that such a vehicle would be quite costly to buy and own in Denmark.
Cheers and thanks for the video!
I think the only American car maker, that has remained relevant in Europe for at least half a century, is Ford. And even that is a bit of a stretch, as Ford Europe basically designed and built their own models here in Europe. American cars have had a pretty bad reputation for poor build quality for a long time, probably at least since the 1960s. Pickup trucks are very rare here, as are some of the very large American family cars. Not only is the gas mileage atrocious for European gas prices, which have historically been a lot higher than in the USA, but another factor is all the old and often quite narrow city streets and roads we have here. I've only ever seen one Humvee on the roads here, and I can't even imagine how they manage to drive that thing around here. Even a standard American pickup truck looks comically large on most European roads. Until Tesla made their way to the market, the only truly American cars that seemed to be somewhat desirable to a certain group of people were Corvettes, Mustangs, Vipers and other similar sports cars.
@@papaquonis Thanks for your feedback and insights PapaQ. :)
@@papaquonis One US-ish car that is currently getting very popular in Denmark is the latest Ford Kuga, sold in the US as Ford Escape. Another is Ford Mondeo (Ford Fusion in the US) and finally it's worth mentioning that Mustang recently got properly reintroduced on the danish market after being sorta sidelined for many years. You could buy them, but only on special order.
A car make that has disappeared completely here, however, is Chevrolet. Their cars used to have an ok reputation, but then they bought korean brand Daewoo and decided to rebadge all previous Daewoo-models as Chevrolet. Daewoo had, for many years suffered from the lowest customer loyalty of all brands, and their build quality was considered atrocious by many.
I'm sure the intention was to improve the reputation of the ex-Daewoos, but instead, the opposite happened. People started "hating" on Chevrolet too and sales plummeted all over Europe. Finally GM decided to cancel all Chevrolet sales in Western Europe by the end of 2015.
@@teebodk3917 Yeah, I deliberately didn't mention Chevrolet, since it was so obviously just rebranded korean cars that were sold in Europe. Personally, I think I would instinctively have more confidence in a Daewoo than in a Chevrolet. I know it doesn't really make much sense, but that's just how I feel about it.
I have seen quite a few trucks lately. I wonder where they buy them, because I haven't seen any at dealerships when we went to look for our car.
What does the green tax cover or pay for? Does the tax go into a government fund for infrastructure or to fund social welfare programs?
A good you tube channel -Scotty Kilmer ,American, view but his take is Toyota and Lexus most reliable cars made. He is reliable and honest
The green tax does not really differ from other kinds of taxes. It's a source of income for the government which can be allocated to roads, schools, hospitals or whatever. I'm personally fine by that. I also don't mind paying high taxes since we get a lot in return. I do think that our tax system is more complicated than it has to be though.
Yeah! Anywhere from 85-150% taxes on a new car. Plus 25% sales tax. NO! DK is not cheap. Guessing that Kelly's new Car, is going to be in the 150% bracket. She could get 3 cars in the US, for the price of one, here :-( ! Universal Healthcare and Education doesn't come cheap No such thing as a free lunch :-D ) ! But Kelly! Hope Y'All find a good one, to last many years ;-) !! But Kelly is right! The price on the label, is the price. Now buying a car, some things can be added. Delivery and such. Otherwise! Any taxes are always included in the price tag.
Thank you! I hope so too! :)
So I ALWAYS go for A LARGE SUV, when I go to the STATES! I know! I'm awful :- ( ! But I visit friends in Maine and Texas. In Maine, it makes sense. In Texas, everything is just bigger! So there :-D :-D ! Luv your channel :-) ! I'd like to see you and "The Youngs", doing a crossover. Now that would be cool! The best of both worlds :-D !
@@KHValby I am wondering if you mention my channel in their comments as much as you mention their channel in mine??? LOL I am also wondering why it would be the "best of both worlds". How are our two channels different "worlds"?? Very curious indeed.
@@KHValby I have been in contact with them, but I guess, if the need for us to collaborate is there, something will happen. It is up to fate to decide. Thanks for watching!
@@MyNewDanishLife Yeah, I have. Big fan of both you and the "Youngs". As we say in Danish "Del Sol og vind lige" :-D ! They know your out there, you know there out there, so no reason to push it further. But yeah. I've mentioned you on their site ! But they already know you, and have mentioned you (in a good way) ;-) ! Kelly! I really do like your channel :-) No BS. Take care :-) ! And "Møjn" to Hubby :-D !
Remote start er nok ikke lovligt i EU
In short, buy one pay for two
Just bought a french car. I regret.
Oh no!
Im not sure the french done much changes yet since psa bought it from gm not so long ago 🤔
I’m sorry to burst your eco bubble, but it is unlikely that your new Toyota is more eco friendly than your old opel insignia, and for sure it is not more eco friendly than a brand new diesel...
Even though it is a hybrid?
@@MyNewDanishLife Hi Kelly, Dont trust him. Both hybrid and plug inhybrid are more eco friendly than diesel in Denmark. And if its a Toyota RAV4 plugin hybrid like ours, the co2 savings are getting even bigger in the future. At the moment 50% of electricity consumption is green . But Denmark has decided to expand with two dedicated energy islands : one 80km west of jutland in the north see, with capacty for 3 million households. And one in the Baltic sea near Bornholm . These dedicated energy-islands are the first of its kind in the world, and will make both EV and HV driving even more green in the future..
Don't US tax foreign manufactors ?? .. why are you always compairing our tax system with other country I don't get it .. why aren't you talking about what we are getting for our taxes ..
Do you suggest that I make a video about Danish taxes? Most of all my videos talk about what life in Denmark is like from the perspective of an American. The video is already 26 minutes long, so I didn't want to put too much more in it, but I can add a tax video to my list if you suggest it. I am always interesting in making videos that can help others. Thanks.
@@MyNewDanishLife you didn't answar my question .. 😄
Sure I did. Q: "Why aren't you talking about what we are getting for our taxes?" A" Talking only about taxes should be another video. I can make a video about what the taxes give the residents of Denmark, but that doesn't have to do with buying a car... :)
One day, you will rip the bottom out of your car. Then you can "Flintsone" it everywhere...you don't have to worry about it being diesel or electric or hybrid. LOL
That is my fear! LOL :)