Shipping a car from the USA to the UK costs the shipping plus UK import tax: most vehicles pay 10% import duty and 20% VAT on the vehicle value plus shipping, while classics over 30 years old in original condition pay 0% duty and just 5% VAT, and if you are relocating with Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief, you pay no tax at all. On top of that, budget for container shipping and marine insurance, a fixed £150 customs clearance and NOVA fee, and testing and registration on arrival. Our instant online calculator prices every one of those items for your exact car and US collection address in under a minute:
International Shipping / UK / EU Transport
Get an INSTANT breakdown of all costs involved for UK / EU Transport, or International shipment by air / sea freight.
Private vehicle import support
ShipMyCar is a private vehicle shipping and import specialist, not a government agency. We provide logistics, compliance preparation and guidance; official decisions, fees and records remain with the relevant authorities.
We are industry leaders in importing American cars into the UK: experts in the required modifications, testing and road-readiness process for any US-spec vehicle.
To get a car out of the USA you will need an original title / ownership document. Without this it can take a lot longer to get the car exported. If you are just buying the vehicle now you do not need to transfer the title into your name; the bill of sale will prove transfer of ownership from the seller to yourself.
If you have already owned the vehicle in the USA the title will need to be in your name and clear from any loan / lien. If there is still finance on the vehicle it will need to be either paid off or have a letter from the lienholder stating they are OK with the car being exported.
The USA is a very big place which makes transporting a car across states a very difficult task. We only use A* rated hauliers to make sure your vehicle is moved from the US address to the closest port as safely as possible.
Journey times can often be days rather than what we are used to here in the UK of hours!
Our specialist handling teams will securely load your vehicle into either a 20ft dedicated container or a shared 40ft container. We only ship cars in our containers for the safety of the vehicles inside. We do not ship cars by RoRo or roll-on-roll-off.
Your vehicle will be fully insured during the entire process; we take a full condition report on collection and a full condition report on UK arrival. Any damage is covered up to total vehicle loss.
All imports from the USA are subject to UK import tax unless you qualify for relief. To summarise:
- Standard rate: 10% import duty plus 20% VAT, calculated on the vehicle value plus the shipping cost.
- Classics over 30 years old in original condition: 0% duty and just 5% VAT.
- Transfer of Residence relief: if you have owned the vehicle at least 6 months and lived in the USA at least 12 months, there is zero duty and zero VAT to pay.
We handle the UK customs entry and NOVA submission for a fixed £150 fee, ensuring you pay HMRC no more than what you should. For a full breakdown of every scenario, see our UK import duty and tax guide, or get exact figures from our online quote system.
Any vehicle under ten years old will require an IVA test. This is a very difficult test to get through and requires extensive modifications to the vehicle's lighting systems. ShipMyCar has an in-house IVA test lane at our Milton Keynes facility, so modifications, preparation and the DVSA-conducted test all happen at one site. Our quote system is accurate for most makes / models of US spec vehicles.
If the vehicle is older than three years old then it will need an MOT test as well which checks road-worthiness, for example, the tyres and suspension components.
Once you have all the necessary testing completed, the car can then be prepared for UK road use and the relevant final paperwork.