Behind every imported Ford sits an eight-digit statistical code — Revenue's link between your exact car and the OMSP your VRT is charged on, returned when you run the VIN or plate through the ROS VRT enquiry. The blue oval is worn by everything from a city runabout to a one-tonne van, so with Ford the first question is not which code, but which rule book.
Ranger and Transit: category before code
The commercials are where importers lose the most money, and the mistake happens before any code is picked. A Ford Ranger comes as a regular, super or double cab, and that configuration can move it between VRT categories — two Rangers of the same year and 3.2 TDCi engine can produce very different bills on cab and payload alone. The Ford Transit works the same way: its panel-van, kombi and minibus bodies are treated differently, so a kombi with seats is not the panel van it resembles.
Category B commercials are charged at a flat 13.3% of the OMSP with a €125 minimum, ignoring the CO₂ bands passenger cars use — so settling the classification first is what keeps every later figure honest. It is the same van-versus-passenger split that snares importers of the Volkswagen Transporter and the Land Rover Defender hard top. And for anything so rare that ROS returns nothing, the fallback is the vehicle not listed procedure, where Revenue fixes the details at inspection.
Ka and Mondeo: generations and outputs
Move to the passenger side and the splits turn on year and power. The little Ka is a clean generation trap: the original and the later Fiat-based Mk2 are unrelated cars in the database, and a date check separates them. The Mondeo adds the output problem — its 2.0 TDCi is sold as both a 150 and a 180 bhp car with separate codes, and the hatch, estate and saloon bodies split again, so one "Mondeo 2.0 TDCi" search can surface several plausible entries where only one is yours.
Fiesta and Focus: the trims that cost
The everyday Fiesta already fragments by engine — the 1.0 EcoBoost power steps and the 1.5 TDCi are each coded apart, three- and five-door shells again on top — but the warm Fiesta ST is the one to watch, on its own higher-OMSP code. The Focus is where that bites hardest: Zetec, Titanium, ST and RS are all separate, and a 2011 Zetec TDCi is not the Zetec petrol code either. At the top, the Focus RS carries a distinctly high OMSP — match it to a lesser Focus by accident and the VRT swings by thousands.
Ford code splits at a glance
The variant splits that most often cost Ford importers money, with the trap to check before your NCTS appointment:
| Model | Variants with separate codes | Import trap |
|---|---|---|
| Fiesta | 1.0 EcoBoost power steps, 1.5 TDCi, 3dr vs 5dr, ST | ST is a distinct, higher-OMSP code — don't select a Zetec entry for it |
| Focus | Zetec / Titanium / ST / RS, petrol vs TDCi, hatch vs estate | RS carries a high-OMSP code; 2011 Zetec TDCi ≠ Zetec petrol |
| Ka | Mk1 vs Mk2 (Fiat-based) | Two unrelated cars — a year check separates them |
| Mondeo | 1.5 / 2.0 TDCi outputs, hatch / estate / saloon | 2016 2.0 TDCi comes in 150 and 180 bhp — separate codes |
| Ranger | Regular / super / double cab, 2.2 vs 3.2 TDCi | Cab configuration can change the VRT category, not just the code |
| Transit | Panel van vs kombi vs minibus, wheelbase, 2.2 TDCi outputs | Panel van = Category B (13.3%, min €125); classify before you code |
Ford VRT questions
Does a Ford Focus ST or RS have a different code from a Zetec?
Yes. The ST and, especially, the RS carry their own statistical codes with much higher OMSPs than a Zetec or Titanium, and even a Zetec diesel is coded separately from a Zetec petrol. Matching the exact trim and fuel type is what stops you understating the bill or overpaying against a higher-value entry.
Is a Ford Transit charged the same VRT as a passenger Ford?
Not usually. A Transit panel van is a Category B commercial, charged at 13.3% of the OMSP with a €125 minimum, while a minibus or a car-derived version can fall under different rules. Classification comes before the code, because it decides which rate table applies to the whole calculation.
Why does a Ford Ranger's cab type change my VRT?
A Ranger's category depends on its configuration — regular, super and double-cab pickups can be treated differently, and that classification decides the rate before any code is applied. Two Rangers of the same year and engine can therefore produce very different figures purely because of the cab and payload setup.