Importing Cars to the UK: A Comprehensive Guide
Key takeaways
If you’re importing a car into the UK from abroad, you’ll need to take care of vehicle registration, tax and insurance for it to be road legal
You can either hire an import agent, arrange the shipping yourself, or even bring the car on your own via ferry or through the Channel Tunnel
The cost depends on a range of factors, including the type of import it is - grey imports from outside the EU tend to cost more due to extra vehicle checks required
Getting the legal bit right is crucial when you import cars into the UK, so understanding everything you need to do will make things easier once the vehicle arrives.
How to import cars from overseas
To import a car into the UK, you’ll need to ensure you register the vehicle with the HMRC and DVLA as well as paying car tax and at least third-party car insurance. If it’s from outside the EU then it will also need to pass environmental and safety checks, but EU imports already adhere to these so they won’t be necessary.
Lastly you’ll need to consider the shipping method, whether you bring it back yourself via ferry or the channel tunnel, arrange for an import or hire an import agent to sort it for you.
How do you import cars to the UK?
Importing a car into the UK requires following a few steps, and the exact order will depend on whether you’re having it shipped to the UK or bringing it yourself. If you’re having it shipped, here’s what you’ll need to do:
Find a reputable car dealer or exporter: Make sure you look at customer reviews online to see what other peoples’ experiences have been before buying
Find an import agent: An optional step that means hiring someone to take care of the rest of the process for you, for a fee. If you don’t hire an agent and choose to carry it out yourself, follow the rest of these steps
Arrange shipping: Compare shipping companies to find the best price, and choose a shipping method - usually either a shipping container or a roll-on/roll-off.
Make an import declaration: You’ll need to pay your shipping company or customs agent to do this for you, either before importing the vehicle or at the UK border
Pay import tax: At the UK border you’ll need to pay VAT and customs duty, which will normally be taken care of by the shipping company or agent
Inform the HMRC: You will need to tell the HMRC that the vehicle has arrived in the UK within 14 days
Get vehicle approval: You’ll need approval for the vehicle to show it meets the UK’s safety and environmental standards, although this will be easier if it’s an EU registered vehicle
Register and tax the car: You’ll need to register it with the DVLA and pay car tax. The DVLA will give you a registration number so you can arrange for number plates
Take out car insurance: Finally, before you can drive the car you’ll need to get it insured to at least a third-party level - remember to compare quotes online to find the best deal
What's the step-by-step process for importing a car independently?
If you choose to import your car yourself, via a ferry or the Channel Tunnel, the process will be slightly different.
Tell the HMRC: You’ll need to inform the HMRC that the car has arrived in the UK within 14 days with a Notification of Vehicle Arrivals (NOVA). This can be done via your shipping company or customs agent, or the HMRC’s CARS team, and will require certain documentation. This includes the relevant customs documents, invoice or bill of sale if it was bought in the last six months or a valuation if it was bought over six months ago, and confirmation of the VIN or chassis number.
Make an import declaration: You’ll also need to tell the CARS team if you recently bought the car outside of the UK, if you’re moving to the UK and bringing it with you, if you’re bringing a car back that you owned here previously, or you inherited the car from someone outside of the UK. After this, if the HMRC says you’ll need to pay VAT and customs duty, you’ll need to pay a shipping company or customs agent to make the import declaration
Get vehicle approval: As before, you’ll need vehicle approval to ensure your car meets the UK’s safety and environmental standards
Register and tax the car: You should then register the vehicle with the DVLA and get it taxed - you’ll then get your registration number
Take out insurance: Finally, you’ll need at least third-party car insurance to be road legal for the UK, then you’ll be set to drive your import
How much does it cost to import a car?
The cost of importing a car into the UK depends on a number of factors, so it’s hard to pin it down - generally speaking, the overall cost takes into account:
The amount you paid for the car
The actual shipping cost, which can range from £1,000 to over £2,000 plus transit insurance
Import duty and VAT, calculated using the purchase price, shipping and insurance - however you may qualify for relief which means you won’t need to pay this
Potential modifications if the car needs to be altered to meet UK standards
Vehicle approval costs, around £199 for passenger cars
DVLA registration, around £55
Road tax, which depends on things like your car’s engine, fuel type and emissions
Exchange rates if you purchase the car in a foreign currency
Do I need to insure an imported car if I bought insurance abroad?
Yes, you will need to take out car insurance that covers you for driving on UK roads, so foreign car insurance will likely not be enough. Depending on how long you’re in the country for, you can take out temporary car insurance if you only need cover for a set time.
Driving without valid insurance is illegal, and can result in fines, driving convictions and criminal prosecution.
How much does it cost to insure an imported car?
The cost of insuring an imported car is likely to be higher than standard car insurance, but it will depend on what kind of import it is. A grey import, one that was manufactured outside of the EU, may not conform to standards and regulations so will need to pass some extra tests to be road legal in the UK. These will almost certainly be more expensive to insure, particularly because parts might be more difficult to source.
Cars manufactured in the EU are known as parallel imports, so will meet EU and UK standards - and therefore it will likely be closer to standard insurance costs.