Buying a commercial vehicle

Please note that these guides do not constitute legal advice and any information provided in the guides should not be construed as legal advice or legal interpretation. We do not accept any liability for any loss caused by your reliance on this guide.

DoneDeal guide to buying a Commercial Vehicle

For cars read our guide to buying a car

Check that the vehicle has a Certificate of Roadworthiness (CRW), there should be a disc displayed on the windscreen of all trucks/buses/vans/jeeps. A CRW disc should be displayed as close as possible to the registration plate of goods trailers.

If a commercial vehicle does not have a CRW disc displayed it may mean that the vehicle has not passed its annual commercial vehicle roadworthiness (CVR) test.

The CVR test history remains with the vehicle regardless of change of ownership, therefore, if the vehicle has a poor test history you may get a CRW with a short expiry date when it is next tested.

Beware of fraudulent Certificates of Roadworthiness

You can find out when a vehicle is due its CVR test by logging onto www.cvrt.ie and clicking ‘Check my CRW’

The CVR test is not a prediction of future vehicle roadworthiness, it is an assessment of the vehicle on the day of the test.

When buying a second-hand commercial vehicle you should have the vehicle independently checked by your own mechanic/engineer and follow the guidelines from the Competition and Consumer Protection Comission (CCPC)  www.consumerhelp.ie/buying-a-car

You can find out more about Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness at www.cvrt.ie