Ship your car to the UK with West Coast Shipping, a US based international car shipper with over 15 years of experience. We load cars in containers using our experienced team, from our own facilities in California , New Jersey and from our latest depot in Miami, Florida. We handle ground transportation, vehicle documentation, export and import clearance, and shipping overseas. Let's get your car home to the UK.
Get an instant quote to ship your car using our shipping calculator.
We export thousands of cars and motorcycles each year from the US to the UK. Vehicles in the US are collected nationwide, safely transported to our facilities by ground, and then loaded and shipped to the port of Felixstowe, Liverpool, London Gateway, and Southampton. Cars imported to the UK are greeted by our local UK agents who clear import customs, unload the container, and provide local delivery to anywhere in the UK. We also offer turn-key solutions to get you driving your American cars in the UK, including inspections and DVLA.
How To Import Cars To The United Kingdom
Shipping Costs Involved
With our global reach you receive competitive market rates across all container sizes, ports, and ocean carriers when shipping cars to the UK.
Rates on container shipping from the USA to United Kingdom are currently at an all time low. You can ship a car from New Jersey to a number of ports for as little as $900 in a consolidated container. This includes the cost of loading the car at our California location, US customs export clearance, and shipping by ocean port-to-port. The freight cost does not include import clearance, VAT or customs duty in United Kingdom. Those costs can be obtained through a local agent which we can provide.
Shipping Costs Involved
With our global reach you receive competitive market rates across all container sizes, ports, and ocean carriers when shipping cars to the UK.
Rates on container shipping from the USA to the United Kingdom are currently at an all time low. You can ship a car from New Jersey to a number of ports for as little as $1100 in a consolidated container. This includes the cost of receiving , loading the car, US customs export clearance, and shipping by ocean port-to-port. The freight cost does not include import clearance, VAT or customs duty in United Kingdom. As a starting point the destination charges for a car in the UK is GBP475 and for a motorcycle it is GBP350 not including taxes.
Calculate UK Import Duties and Destination Charges
Import Duties and VAT for the UK vary from the type of vehicle, its age, and if you are a British national or you are moving back to the UK for work or study.
Cars over 30 years old are imported without any import duties, only a 5% VAT has to be paid. However, the authorities are strict to ensure the classic car is original, without any modifications to the engine, chassis, etc. They want to make sure the vehicle is unmodified from its original form. If you are importing cars originally built in the UK, the import duty is £50, plus 20% VAT. Pickup trucks and commercial vehicles are the most expensive, taxed at 22% import duty and 20% VAT. Late model cars are usually imported at 10% import duty and 20% VAT.
You can also avoid paying import duties if you are moving permanently to the UK, get more details here. Temporary imports for up to 6 months can avoid paying the VAT and import duties completely.
Destination charges are separate from the shipping cost provided by the calculator. Destination charges are what's required to be paid in the UK in order to have the container your vehicle is in picked up from the port, unloaded, and cleared with customs. As a starting point the destination charges for a car in the UK is GBP475 and for a motorcycle it is GBP350 not including taxes.
Import Cars from United Kingdom
We also import cars to the United States from United Kingdom.
Documents Required To Ship
Shipping your car from the United States requires clearance by US customs. This requires documents to be submitted to the shipper, who then provides it to the local customs office.
These are the documents required for export:
Bill of Sale for the vehicle
Original Vehicle Title - if it currently has a lien on it, you must also provide a lien release letter
Copy of Passport (if you are an international citizen without a US passport)
Copy of EIN letter if you are a US citizen
UK Vehicle Testing & Inspections
Vehicles are required to pass one or more inspections before they can be licensed and registered in the UK. The required inspections are based on the vehicle year, level of modification, and country of origin.
Vehicles under 10 years old require Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) which may require reworking the vehicle's exterior lights. MOT testing is required for most vehicles. After passing the MOT, you can apply to register the vehicle with the DVLA. Because of the numerous steps involved, we always recommend first time UK car importers to work with one of our agents to ensure their imported vehicle is correctly modified and registered for UK roads.
Car Shipping Options
Safely Handle Classics & Exotics
West Coast Shipping specializes in transporting classic cars around the world. We have the experience to carefully handle
classic cars using specialized equipment to ensure no damage. We ship classic cars of any condition to the UK.
EVENTS AND RALLIES
Our dedicated events and rallies team is experienced with organizing international logistics for car rallies, shows, and other automotive events. We provide bespoke solutions for your event including temporary vehicle imports, local trucking, documentation clearance, and carnet handling. We previously worked with the following events to ensure cars are delivered on time:
Transamerica Rally
Pebble Beach Concours
Rennsport Reunion
Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
Monterey Auctions
Scottsdale Auctions
Amelia Island Auctions
CONTAINER
By using a container for shipping, we can load anywhere from 1 to 6 cars (depending on size), the vehicles can either run and drive, or be project cars. We offer consolidation when shipping to the port, saving you money by shipping your vehicles along with other cars in the same container. When shipping high-value vehicles, we can load them in their own dedicated 20ft or 40ft containers.
RORO
Shipping via Roll-on/Roll-off is another option when shipping cars overseas. However, unlike with containarized car shipping, you cannot ship anything inside of your vehicle, and the car be in run and drive condition to be able to drive on and off the ship. The ports which support RoRo vary widely, and so do the rates.
AIRPLANE
If you require your vehicle overseas as quickly as possible, we recommend shipping the car via Air-Freight service. Compared to lengthy shipping times and possible port delays when shipping in a container or via RoRo, shipping your car by Air is the quickest shipping options. Transit time is estimated at around 3 to 10 days, depending on the documentation and customs requirements.
How Motorcycles Are Shipped Overseas
Motorcycles are a popular import from the US, and most customers use a container. You can fit up to 8 motorcycles in a 20ft container and up to 16 in a 40ft container. They are securely strapped and braced. This makes it the perfect solution for wholesale buyers and dealers. Use the shipping calculator on this page to get a quote, or contact us.
Another option is shipping your motorcycle via air freight to any international airport. It's a more expensive option, and it requires a custom crate to be built around the bike. However, air freight will minimize transit time.
Dream Cars Delivered Worldwide
Leading dealerships, auctions, museums and events ship their vehicles, motorcycles, and special projects around the world with West Coast Shipping. We have the expertise to handle them all.
We pride ourselves in safe and reliable international car shipping for consumers, dealers, collectors, and wholesalers around the world. We speak English, German, French, Dutch, Arabic, & Spanish.
"Professional service at unbeatable prices. We have tried WCS with a number of cars from NJ and CA to Bremerhaven and we are happy with the results. They handled our classic cars with care and responded rapidly to any of our emails. All together they offer a great service!"
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"With West Coast Shipping, I am always on top of what's going on in the industry. Their guides are a great resource for beginners and seasoned car professionals alike. I have learned so much since I partnered with West Coast Shipping 5 years ago."
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