How to buy a car on mobile.de or AutoScout24 from Andorra without getting scammed

mobile.de is Europe's biggest car marketplace, and for anyone living in Andorra it is a huge shop window: almost any car you are after is there, often for less than here. But buying from Andorra has its traps: VAT, scams, export paperwork and transport. This guide sums up what we check before buying any car for a customer, after more than 500 imports.

First: work out what the car will cost in Andorra

The listed price is not what you will pay. You take off German VAT if it is reclaimable, then add transport, customs with the 4.5% IGI, inspection, registration and plates. We break it down in how much it costs to import a car to Andorra. And to skip the maths, on our website you can search mobile.de stock and see the final price in Andorra straight away, or send us the listing link and we will work it out.

1. Reclaimable VAT: the biggest difference

This is the first thing we check. In Germany there are two kinds of listing:

• Reclaimable VAT ("MwSt. ausweisbar"): the dealer can invoice the car without VAT. For a car leaving for Andorra, that saves you the 19% German VAT: on a car listed at €40,000 including VAT, about €6,390.
• Margin scheme ("Differenzbesteuerung"): the VAT cannot be separated and you pay it regardless. The saving is gone.

Mind how it works in practice: the dealer charges you the VAT as a deposit and refunds it once you send proof of export, proof of import into Andorra and the Andorran registration certificate. If the export file is not done properly, getting that VAT back can become very complicated. So every step has to be done in order; we explain it in our guide to importing a car to Andorra.

2. Who is selling it

Buy from an official brand dealer or a large dealer with a track record. On mobile.de each seller shows how long they have been on the platform and other buyers' ratings: take them seriously. And a trick we always use: look up the seller's address on Google Maps and compare the building and premises with what you see in the car photos. If they do not match, be suspicious.

3. How to spot a scam

• A price that is too good. On mobile.de you can see dozens of listings for the same car: when one is unusually cheap, assume the worst.
• They offer to deliver the car to your country. A seller who insists on handling transport to Andorra is another warning sign.
• The copied listing. The most common scam is not selling a non-existent car to many people, but copying a real car's listing from another dealer, posting it as their own at a very attractive price and asking for a reservation deposit. Someone always bites.
• Check the car exists and they have it. Call, talk to them and ask for a video call with the car in front of them. And double-check the address on Google Maps.

Scammers do this full time and keep getting more sophisticated, so do not rely on a single sign: stack several checks before paying anything.

4. Negotiating the price

You can negotiate in English without any problem. But when a car is well priced, the seller knows it too, and often will not move at all. On mid-priced cars, a €500 to €800 discount is already a good result; more than €1,000 is rare. Always try anyway: you have nothing to lose.

5. Pre-purchase inspection: when it is worth it

If you are buying from a seller you do not know, paying for an inspection before closing the deal is worth it. Many companies do it in Germany (a quick search will find them) and it usually costs about €300 plus the inspector's travel to the car.

The key detail: normally the seller will not hold the car while the inspector goes; they keep selling it. If the inspection is fine, reserve straight away; otherwise you may pay for the inspection and lose the car. The German market is very fast: a well-priced car sells within days.

6. What usually goes wrong when you do it yourself

• The car's age. Andorra only registers cars up to 6 years old (or over 30 as classics). Some people buy first and only then find out the car does not qualify. Check before you pay.
• The customs file. If the export from Germany and the import into Andorra are not properly prepared, everything gets complicated: the car is stuck and the VAT deposit does not come back.
• Transport. A car bought in Germany is handed over deregistered, so to drive it you need temporary or export plates. Many people do not plan for this.

mobile.de or AutoScout24?

mobile.de is the best option for Germany: far more stock, better organised, and cars with reclaimable VAT are easy to spot. AutoScout24 works well for countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium, where mobile.de is less present; there you find plenty of well-priced electric cars in particular.

Mini glossary for reading a German listing

• Erstzulassung: first registration date (the one that counts for the 6 years).
• MwSt. ausweisbar: reclaimable VAT.
• Unfallfrei: no declared accidents.
• Scheckheftgepflegt: full service history in the service book.
• Vorbesitzer: number of previous owners.
• HU: the German roadworthiness test.

Or let us do it

At Importocotxe we do all of this for you: we check the listing and the seller, negotiate, arrange transport, customs, inspection and registration, and deliver the car registered in Andorra in your name, at a fixed final price with a 5% fee. See the cars available with their final price in Andorra.

Frequently asked questions

Can you buy a car on mobile.de from Andorra?

Yes. The key points are that the car has reclaimable VAT, that you buy from a reliable dealer and that export and import are properly prepared so you get the VAT deposit back.

What does "MwSt. ausweisbar" mean on mobile.de?

That the VAT is reclaimable: the dealer can invoice the car without the 19% German VAT, which is recovered when it is exported to Andorra.

How can I tell if a mobile.de listing is a scam?

Be wary of unusually low prices and of sellers offering transport to your country. Check the address on Google Maps, look at the seller’s ratings and ask for a video call with the car.

How much does a pre-purchase inspection cost in Germany?

About €300, plus the inspector’s travel. The seller usually will not hold the car in the meantime.

How old can a car be to register it in Andorra?

Six years from first registration, or over 30 years if registered as a classic.

Is mobile.de or AutoScout24 better?

For Germany, mobile.de: more stock and better filtering by reclaimable VAT. AutoScout24 is useful in the Netherlands and Belgium, especially for electric cars.

Guide checked in October 2026, based on our experience buying cars in Germany for customers in Andorra.