Is VOO available in Europe & UK? Alternative ETFs (UCITS)

The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) is one of the most popular ways to invest in the 500 largest US companies, with a 0.03% expense ratio.

However, due to European regulatory restrictions, VOO isn’t available to retail investors in Europe and the UK.

In this article, we explain why, what workarounds exist, which UCITS ETFs European and UK investors can buy instead, and how to invest in them.

Why isn’t VOO available in Europe & UK?

VOO is a US-domiciled ETF, and in the European Union it falls under the Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products (PRIIPs) regulation.

This regulation requires that investment products sold to retail investors in the EU come with a Key Information Document (KID), which sets out the product’s features, risks and costs in a standard format, so investors can compare products easily.

US-domiciled ETFs like VOO don’t produce KIDs, because US rules don’t require them. As a result, they can’t be sold to ordinary retail investors on European platforms such as eToro, DEGIRO, Interactive Brokers, Trading 212* and Trade Republic.

In the UK, the PRIIPs rules were replaced on 6 April 2026 by the new Consumer Composite Investments (CCI) regime, with a transition period until June 2027. Instead of a KID, products now need a CCI “product summary”, and platforms can’t sell a product to retail investors without one. So, unless Vanguard produces a UK product summary for VOO, it remains out of reach for UK retail investors for now.

In some cases, investors classified as professional clients can buy US ETFs, but most retail investors don’t meet the requirements. VOO is also quoted in US dollars, so buying it would involve currency conversion for most European and UK investors.

Is there any workaround to invest in VOO?

The only direct way for most European and UK investors to get exposure to VOO is through contracts for difference (CFDs), on platforms like eToro. A CFD lets you speculate on VOO’s price movements without owning the ETF. This approach carries significant risks, especially if you use leverage, and most retail CFD accounts lose money.

What are CFDs?

CFDs are financial instruments that let traders take positions on the price changes of an underlying asset, such as VOO, without owning it. That’s very different from investing, where you own the asset. To learn more, read our article CFDs vs shares: understand the differences.

The better option for long-term investors is to buy a UCITS ETF that tracks the same index as VOO, the S&P 500. These ETFs give you practically the same exposure, with European investor protection.

How to buy the VOO CFD on eToro

If you are a European or UK investor and want to trade the VOO CFD on eToro, follow these steps:

a) Search for VOO:

• In the eToro search bar, type “VOO” or “Vanguard S&P 500 ETF”;
• Select the VOO instrument from the search results.

b) Open a trade:

• Click the “Trade” button on the VOO page to open the order window.

c) Set your trade parameters:

• Amount or units: enter the amount of money you want to invest or the number of units;
• Leverage: retail clients can use up to 5x on ETF CFDs, but we suggest keeping it at x1 to avoid magnifying losses. Leverage amplifies both gains and losses;
• Stop loss and take profit: optional orders to manage your risk. A stop loss closes your trade if the price drops to a set level, while a take profit closes it when the price reaches your target.

d) Execute the trade:

• Review your order details carefully;
• Click the “Buy” button to place your order.

Best VOO alternatives for European and UK investors

EU and UK investors have solid alternatives to get exposure to the S&P 500 without taking on the risks of CFDs. These UCITS ETFs track the same index as VOO, the 500 largest US companies, within the European regulatory framework.

The table below shows the four largest options, with the ticker in euros (on European exchanges) and in pounds (on the London Stock Exchange). All four track the S&P 500 and are domiciled in Ireland, so the main differences are cost, replication and what they do with dividends:

VOO alternative ETFs in Europe and the UK

The iShares Core S&P 500 (SXR8 / CSP1) is the largest ETF in Europe. The Invesco ETF is the cheapest of the four but uses synthetic replication, through a swap with a bank. According to justETF, the cheapest S&P 500 UCITS ETFs now charge as little as 0.03% a year, although they are much smaller than the four above.

How to buy a VOO alternative (SXR8) on Trading 212

As an example, we show how to buy the iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF (SXR8), the largest S&P 500 ETF in euros. UK investors follow the same process with the pound listing (CSP1). Below are the steps to buy SXR8 on Trading 212*:

a) Search for SXR8 and select it:

• In the Trading 212 app, type “SXR8” in the search bar;
• Select the iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF from the search results.

b) Review the ETF details:

• You can check details about SXR8, such as its expense ratio, assets under management and dividend policy.

c) Open a trade:

• Click the “Buy” button on the SXR8 page to open the order window.

d) Set trade parameters:

• Enter the number of shares you want to buy, or choose to invest a specific amount of money. You can also choose market, limit or stop orders.

Note: if you invest less than the price of one share (€531.20 in the example above), you will buy a fractional share. Fractional shares can’t be transferred to another broker, so if you ever want to move your portfolio, you would have to sell them first. You can find more information on the Trading 212 website.

e) Execute the trade:

• Review your order details and click “Send buy order” to execute your purchase.

By following these steps, you can invest in the iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF (SXR8) on Trading 212*, getting exposure to the S&P 500 within a regulated framework suitable for European investors.

What to look for in an S&P 500 ETF (in EUR and GBP)?

When evaluating an ETF, consider several factors to make sure it fits your goals and strategy:

a) Fees

ETF providers charge an annual fee, usually shown as the total expense ratio (TER) or, in Vanguard’s case, the ongoing charges figure (OCF).

Taking the Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF (VUAA) factsheet as an example, you can see the OCF of 0.07%:

b) Replication method

ETFs can replicate the performance of the S&P 500 in two ways:

• Physical replication: the ETF holds the actual shares in the index, which gives direct exposure and avoids the complexity of derivatives;
• Synthetic replication: the ETF uses derivatives, usually a swap with a bank, to deliver the index return. This can be cheaper and, for the S&P 500, can have a small tax advantage on US dividends, but it adds counterparty risk.

The Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF (VUAA) uses physical replication, holding the actual stocks of the S&P 500:

c) Use of income

ETFs handle the dividends from their holdings in different ways:

• Accumulating ETFs reinvest the dividends inside the fund, which can boost returns through compounding;
• Distributing ETFs pay out the dividends to you regularly, which gives you an income but may be less tax-efficient in some countries.

The best choice depends on your goals. An accumulating ETF may suit you better if you’re focused on long-term growth. A distributing ETF is the natural choice if you want a regular income.

The Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF (VUAA) is an accumulating ETF:

d) Size

Larger ETFs usually have tighter spreads and a lower risk of being closed down.

The Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF, the fund behind both VUAA and VUSA, has around €75 billion in assets across its two share classes (justETF, July 2026). The factsheet shows the fund’s total assets:

e) Currency

ETFs can be listed in different currencies, such as USD, EUR or GBP. This affects your investment in a few ways:

• Currency risk: the listing currency doesn’t remove currency risk. These ETFs hold US stocks, so their value in pounds or euros still moves with the dollar, whatever currency you buy them in;
• Transaction costs: buying a listing in a currency different from your account currency may involve conversion fees;
• Convenience: buying the listing in your own currency (EUR for European investors, GBP for UK investors) makes things simpler and avoids repeated conversions.

f) Currency hedging

Some ETFs offer hedged share classes that reduce the impact of movements between the euro or pound and the US dollar. Hedging can reduce short-term swings, but it has a cost and can reduce long-term returns if the dollar strengthens.

Looking to backtest your ETF portfolios?

If you are an EU investor looking to backtest your ETF portfolios, check out our Portfolio Analyser. It lets you analyse your portfolios with charts and metrics, so you can compare and evaluate EU-domiciled ETFs.

Bottom line

VOO isn’t available to retail investors in Europe and the UK: EU rules require a KID it doesn’t have, and the UK’s new CCI regime still requires a product summary. However, several UCITS ETFs track the same index, the S&P 500, with the protection and transparency of European rules.

For European investors, SXR8 (iShares) and VUAA (Vanguard) are two of the most popular accumulating options. UK investors can buy the same funds as CSP1 and VUAG, or VUSA if they prefer to receive dividends. Buying the listing in your home currency avoids conversion fees, although you remain exposed to the dollar.

Platforms such as Interactive Brokers, DEGIRO, Trading 212* and Trade Republic offer access to these ETFs.