How to buy a car in Lithuania (2026): sites, markets, prices

To buy a car in Lithuania, start with the classifieds portals autoplius.lt and autogidas.lt: both have an English version and list used cars from private owners and dealers. To see many cars in person, visit a car market such as Gariūnai in Vilnius or the Kaunas car market. Before you pay, check the car by VIN and in the Regitra register. If it is already registered in Lithuania, declare the purchase within 5 working days and insure the car before your first drive.

This guide is for English speakers living in Lithuania and buyers from other EU countries, and is current as of September 2026. Confirm deadlines and fees on the Regitra website, which has an English version.

Contents

• Where to find used cars online: sites in English
• Car markets in Lithuania: Vilnius, Kaunas and more
• Buying from a private owner or a dealer
• What to check before you pay
• Paperwork and registration with Regitra
• How to tell if a price is fair
• Buyers from Latvia, Estonia, Poland and the rest of the EU
• Frequently asked questions
• Cars in stock and to order at Vin Motors

Where to find used cars online: sites in English

Most searches start on the classifieds portals. Two of the biggest work in English; for the rest, your browser's translation feature helps.

autoplius.lt belongs to Baltic Classifieds Group and describes itself as the most visited site in its category. skelbiu.lt is in the same group, so its car section overlaps heavily with autoplius.lt.

The VIN is optional in ads, so use the VIN filter or ask for the number before a viewing. Mileage is entered by the seller and not checked by the portal. If a car is flagged as not yet used in Lithuania, its first Lithuanian registration falls to you.

If you want a used premium car you can inspect in Vilnius, buy a car in Lithuania from our stock, with documents and service history. If the choice here is too narrow, look in Germany: our guide to using mobile.de in English explains German listings.

Car markets in Lithuania: Vilnius, Kaunas and more

Vilnius. The Gariūnai car market (Gariūnų g. 70) still operates in 2026. Most spaces are rented by sellers, but a private seller can park a single car in a shared area. The official site gariunai.lt gives two different sets of opening hours, so check before you go.

Kaunas. Kauno automobilių turgus (Taikos pr. 141B) has been running since 1993. According to kaunoturgus.lt, it is open daily from 08:00 to 18:00, with insurance, registration and technical inspection services on site.

Klaipėda and Šiauliai. Klaipėda's car market is part of Tilžės turgus (Tilžės g. 51). In Šiauliai, Pabalių turgus (Serbentų g. 92) rents out spaces for used cars. Check the hours on their websites.

Marijampolė. The town has long been known as one of Lithuania's main used-car trading centres. We found no official website with a current schedule, so confirm days and hours before you travel.

The rule is the same as online: pay nothing until the car passes the checks below. If you do not speak Lithuanian, bring someone who does.

Buying from a private owner or a dealer

Both big portals have a seller-type filter.

From a private owner. Often cheaper, and the owner can tell you how the car was maintained, but riskier:

• Buying from a private person is not a consumer transaction: disputes are settled between the parties or in court, not through the consumer protection authority.
• The seller may not be the owner. With a leased car, the bank or leasing company owns it on paper and the seller is registered only as the user.
• A verified-identity badge confirms who posted the ad, not who owns the car.
• A suspiciously low price, a car that is "still abroad" and pressure to pay a deposit to "reserve" it are typical signs of a scam.

From a dealer. You buy from a company that is easy to check, and you get an invoice. If the car is sold under the margin scheme, VAT is charged only on the dealer's margin and is not shown separately. Many dealers offer a seller warranty and purchase through leasing companies; prices may be higher.

Run the checks below whoever the seller is.

What to check before you pay

1. VIN and history. Paid reports from carVertical, autoDNA and Autoistorija.lt show mileage, damage and theft records where such data exist. carVertical's 2025 transparency index for Lithuania, based on cars its customers checked, found signs of a rolled-back odometer in about 7% and damage records in more than half.
2. Regitra search. On eregitra.lt (in Lithuanian and English), enter any two of the plate number, VIN and registration certificate number. It shows registration status, inspection and insurance validity, whether the police list the car as wanted and whether restrictions apply.
3. SDK code. A car registered in Lithuania needs a valid owner declaration code (SDK), or you cannot transfer it into your name. The seller must show the code in the ad; check it on the Regitra website.
4. Mileage from inspections. Transeksta's free check on vta.lt (plate plus registration certificate number) lists past inspections, defects and the mileage recorded each time. Since July 2025, a reading below the last recorded one is a major defect, and the car loses its permission to be used on the road.
5. Insurance claims. On cab.lt, a VIN search shows the insured events this car caused in the last 5 years. It is not a full damage history.
6. Pledges. The Regitra search flags restrictions; pledges are recorded in the Register of Contracts and Restrictions of Rights, kept by the Centre of Registers (Registrų centras).
7. Documents and contract. Match the registration certificate to the seller's ID. Regitra advises signing only with the owner or a legal representative, putting the price, mileage and known defects in the contract, saving the ad and getting all documents and both sets of keys.
8. Test drive and inspection. Have an independent garage check the car before you pay; a seller who refuses is a warning sign. Our guides to buying a used BMW and buying a used Mercedes-Benz cover model-specific weak spots.
9. Payment. No more than €5,000 of a single deal may be paid in cash; the rest must be paid non-cash, for example by bank transfer. Never send a deposit for a car you have not seen.

Paperwork and registration with Regitra

For a car already registered in Lithuania:

Declaration and registration can be done online in Regitra's self-service or, if you cannot use it, at a branch by appointment. The online declaration is free; registration fees are in Regitra's price list, and e-services are cheaper. According to Regitra, a car not registered in time is automatically deregistered.

Registration tax. Often called the pollution tax (taršos mokestis), it is due at first registration in Lithuania and at every change of keeper, including when you buy a car already registered here. It depends only on CO2 emissions and fuel type: nothing up to 130 g/km, more for diesel than petrol, zero for electric cars. Age and Euro class do not count. Rates are indexed yearly, so use the calculator on the Regitra website. Lithuania has no annual tax on privately owned cars.

Insurance and inspection. The seller's policy passes to you only if the sale contract says so, and you must then notify the insurer in writing within 15 days; otherwise buy your own TPVCA policy. You may drive only with a valid technical inspection; if it has expired, you can get a one-off permit to drive to an inspection station.

How to tell if a price is fair

There is no official reference price. Collect 10-15 comparable ads on autoplius.lt and autogidas.lt (same model, generation, engine and gearbox, similar year and mileage) and compare:

• year and mileage, backed by inspection and service records;
• damage history and number of owners;
• engine, gearbox, drivetrain and equipment;
• country of first registration and whether the car has been used in Lithuania.

Add the registration tax, insurance and any repairs the inspection finds to the asking price, and be wary of below-market prices, as Regitra advises. For a car from Germany, count every import cost; see our article on car import taxes from Germany. Our used Porsche buying guide and used Audi buying guide give typical 2026 prices. When you negotiate, the inspection report and VIN history carry the most weight.

Buyers from Latvia, Estonia, Poland and the rest of the EU

Paperwork in Lithuania. If you live abroad and will not register or resell the car here, the seller declares the transfer to Regitra and you file nothing. Transit plates are the exception: they are a temporary Lithuanian registration, so you declare the purchase yourself.

Transit plates. To drive the car home yourself, you can use Lithuanian transit plates. Regitra issues them once per car, with a temporary registration of up to 30 days, even without a valid inspection and with no registration tax. You need the ownership declaration (with the SDK code for a Lithuanian-registered car) and compulsory insurance. Vin Motors can arrange Lithuanian transit plates: plates and a temporary registration certificate are sent by courier within 24-48 hours, for €129.99 per vehicle, or €79.99 each for businesses ordering 2 or more, plus actual costs (state fees, plate production, delivery).

VAT. A private EU buyer pays the Lithuanian VAT included in the dealer's price and no VAT again at home, as long as the car counts as used: more than 6 months since first use and over 6,000 km. Otherwise it counts as new, and VAT is paid where it is registered. An EU VAT-registered company can buy at 0% if its VAT number is valid in VIES, the transport out of Lithuania is documented and the car is not sold under the margin scheme.

Taxes at home. You register the car where you live and pay local taxes there.

• Latvia. Owners pay an annual vehicle operation tax, based on CO2 for cars first registered from 2009. When an M1 or N1 car up to 10 years old bought in another EU country is registered in Latvia, CSDD passes the data to the State Revenue Service and briefly blocks resale.
• Estonia. Since 2025 owners pay an annual motor vehicle tax, and a registration fee is due at first registration in Estonia. Both depend on CO2, mass and age; see emta.ee.
• Poland. A car never registered in Poland is subject to Polish excise duty on the price paid, private buyers included. File the AKC-US declaration within 14 days and pay within 30 days of the day the car enters Poland, in both cases no later than the day of registration. Rates are 3.1% up to 2000 cm³ and 18.6% above. Conventional hybrids, mild hybrids included, pay 1.55% up to 2000 cm³; hybrids including plug-ins pay 9.3% above 2000 and up to 3500 cm³. Electric and hydrogen cars are exempt, as are plug-in hybrids up to 2000 cm³ until the end of 2029. A private buyer of a used car pays no Polish VAT. Apply for registration within 30 days of bringing the car in.
• Other EU countries. Check registration rules and local taxes with your own vehicle registration authority before you buy.

Frequently asked questions

Can a foreigner buy a car in Lithuania?

Yes. If you live in Lithuania, you follow the same steps as any buyer (declare, register with Regitra, insure); ask Regitra which documents it needs from a foreign resident. If you live elsewhere in the EU and the car leaves unregistered, for example on a car transporter, the seller declares the transfer; on transit plates, you declare and insure it yourself.

Which Lithuanian car sites are in English?

autoplius.lt and autogidas.lt. skelbiu.lt works only in Lithuanian and Russian, alio.lt only in Lithuanian. For Germany, mobile.de is in English at mobile.de/en.

Where is the car market in Vilnius?

The Gariūnai car market is at Gariūnų g. 70. Its official site, gariunai.lt, gives two different sets of opening hours, so check before you go.

Do I pay the pollution tax on a car already registered in Lithuania?

Yes, at every change of keeper. It is zero up to 130 g/km and for electric cars; the Regitra calculator gives the exact amount.

How long do I have to re-register a car in Lithuania?

Declare within 5 working days of the deal; the seller confirms within 5 working days. If you will drive the car, register it within 10 calendar days of the declaration.

Do I pay VAT again when I take a used car from Lithuania to another EU country?

No. A private buyer pays only the Lithuanian VAT in the dealer's price, though registration and road taxes are due at home. The exception is a car that counts as new (up to 6 months or up to 6,000 km): its VAT is paid where it is registered.

Cars in stock and to order at Vin Motors

Vin Motors sells used premium cars from stock in Vilnius (Kelpių g. 37): BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Audi and other makes, with service history and documents. Each car page shows the price, VIN, specifications, photos and warranty terms; most cars carry a seller warranty, and newer models may have the manufacturer warranty. Prices are agreed individually, and buying through leasing companies is possible.

Browse our used premium cars in stock in Vilnius, or go straight to a make if you want to buy a BMW in Lithuania or see our Mercedes-Benz cars for sale, used Porsche cars in Lithuania and Audi models in stock in Vilnius. We deliver across Lithuania and the EU; the cost depends on distance.

Can't find the right car in stock? We also offer cars sourced to order: we search Germany and the rest of Europe, check the car, negotiate with the seller and handle transport and paperwork.

We are open Monday to Friday 10:00-18:00 and Saturday 10:00-15:00. Call +370 662 76235, email info@vinmotors.lt or use our contact page.