Import duty and VAT calculator

Put in the car price and the shipping to the UK port. See the duty, the VAT and what lands on the bill, then change a number and watch it move.

The car

Price currency

Pounds, £ US dollars, $

Car price (£)

US haulage, ocean freight and marine insurance to the UK port (£)

Your own figure, in pounds. £1,500 is the round number used in the worked example, not a typical price. Costs after the UK port are not part of it.

Vehicle type

Passenger car 10% duty Motorbike over 250cc 6% duty Motorbike 125 to 250cc 8% duty Pickup, double-cab (treated as a car) 10% duty

Route

Standard importDuty, then VAT on top of it Transfer of Residence reliefDuty and VAT nil, if every condition is met Collector's piece, heading 9705Only if HMRC accepts it

This page works out the sums with JavaScript. Without it you see the £20,000 worked example below.

Your estimate

£6,880 duty and VAT together, 34.4% of the car price

The car: £20,000
Haulage, freight and insurance to the UK port: £1,500
Customs value: £21,500
Duty at 10%: £2,150
VAT base: customs value plus duty: £23,650
VAT at 20%: £4,730
Duty and VAT together: £6,880
Landed cost before the items below: £28,380

Not in this number

Our own fees.
UK port and handling charges after arrival.
IVA (under ten years old) or MOT.
Lighting work a US car usually needs.
The DVLA registration fee, £55 on gov.uk, and vehicle tax.

An estimate from the published rates, not a quote. HMRC's figures on the day decide the bill.

What if the shipping moves by £1,000?

£1,000 more on the shipping figure adds £320 of duty and VAT, and £1,320 to the landed cost.

£1,000 less takes off £320 of tax, and £1,320 from the landed cost.

Shipping is taxed twice over: it is in the customs value, and the VAT is charged on top of the duty.

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How the sums work

Customs value is the price paid plus transport and insurance up to the UK port, including the haulage in the USA. Duty is a percentage of that. VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus the duty, so the tax comes to more than a flat 30% of the price on a standard car. The method and a worked example are on the cost page, and the guides cover relief in detail.

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Send us the vehicle, the price and where it is. You get an itemised quote with every line filled in.

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