Payment options when buying a car in Germany

This article is dated as shown. Laws, fees and prices have changed since then. Check the figures before you rely on them.

It is convenient and comfortable to have a specialist company search for a German car in the manufacturer's own country. Buying a car from Germany this way is simple. You do not need to leave your home, and all the details are settled over the phone. There is just one question: how do you pay for a car purchase from a distance? Let us look at the payment methods in more detail.

How to pay for a car

Modern technology has brought many conveniences into our lives. One of these improvements is the range of different payment technologies.

How do we usually pay for goods?

• Cash.
• Card.

These two methods also work in German shops. But when you need to buy a car in Germany, these approaches take on their own specifics depending on the dealership.

Why dealerships do not accept these forms of payment

Agree the acceptance of cash and any possible limits with the specific seller before you travel. The sum of 5,000 euros from the old example is not a general limit for all dealerships.

Whether card payment is possible, and up to what limit, also needs to be confirmed with the seller; a refusal by individual dealers does not mean a general ban.

In seven years of practice we have had only one case where a dealer agreed to accept card payment. Most likely this happened by pure chance, because the young woman handling the payment was inexperienced.

Fees and the rules for accepting cards depend on the seller and their payment agreement. Check the available payment method before you buy.

How to pay for the car purchase

Agree the payment method with the seller in advance. SEPA may be used for transfers in euros; whether it applies, and the timing and fees, should be checked with the banks. SWIFT is not the only way to pay.

If you need support with the payment, agree the parties to the transaction, the recipient of the money and the required documents in writing before the transfer.

• selected a model with the required specifications;
• inspected the condition of the vehicle and carried out diagnostics;
• settled up with the dealer.

The procedure described in the article of 25.09.2018, with an intermediary receiving the money, is not a confirmed current Destacar service. For a new transaction the payment procedure is agreed separately.

• Do not hand money to an intermediary without an agreed contract and a clear basis for the payment.
• The recipient's account and the payment reference must be checked before the transfer.
• The contract must reflect the actual seller and buyer; a transfer via a third party does not automatically make that party a party to the transaction.
• Collection of the vehicle and the handover documents are agreed with the actual parties to the contract.

Contact Destacar to discuss support with your purchase and agree the scope of work, the cost and the payment procedure.