Are American cars worth importing? | Import American Cars

A car that looks like a bargain in dollars can stop looking like one by the time it is registered here. The way to shrink that is to stop guessing at a total and read the parts. There are not many of them, most follow a rule, and only a few move with the car you pick.

What the bill is made of

Every import has the same lines. Some are a percentage of what you paid, some depend on where the car is and how it travels, and some barely change whatever the car is worth.

The car: What you pay for it, in dollars, at the exchange rate on the day you pay.
US haulage: Collection to the port. The further inland the car is, the more it costs.
Shipping: Container or roll-on roll-off. Marine insurance is included in our shipping quotes.
Import duty: 10% for a passenger car from the USA, charged on the customs value.
Import VAT: 20%, charged on the car, the delivery costs and the duty together.
Clearance and testing: The customs entry, the NOVA notification, then an IVA or an MOT depending on age.
Conversion: Lights, usually. It varies a lot with the car.
Registration: The DVLA application, the V5C and UK plates.

Customs value is broadly the price paid plus the cost of getting the car to the UK port of arrival. Duty is worked out on that, and the VAT is then charged on top of the duty, which is why the two taxes together come to more than a flat 30% of the purchase price. The costs page walks through the sums line by line.

The taxes scale with the price. The rest of the bill does not. The reason cheap cars disappoint

When it makes sense

The numbers hold up when the car is hard to find here, or it is the car you actually want, or one of the reliefs applies.

There is no UK equivalent. The Mustang has been sold officially in the UK since the 2015 model year, and the C8 Corvette is offered in right-hand drive. Many American models were never sold here officially, so there is no UK price to compare. If the car is not here to buy, price is not the comparison.
It is old enough to change the rules. Over ten years old, a car needs an MOT rather than an IVA. Over 40 years old and unaltered, it may be exempt from the MOT, and cars built before 1 January 1986 can stop paying vehicle tax from 1 April 2026. The 40-year rule guide sets out the two dates.
HMRC accepts it as a collector's vehicle. That can mean no duty and a reduced VAT rate. HMRC decides on age, originality and whether the model is still built, so it is not a switch that flips at 30 years. A mass-produced 1990s car will often not qualify. HMRC recommends asking for a ruling before you import, and it cannot give one once the car is at the border.
You are moving to the UK. Transfer of Residence relief can remove duty and VAT on a car you already own, if you have lived outside the UK for at least 12 months, owned the car for at least six and import it within 12 months of the move. It needs approval before the car ships. See moving to the UK from the USA.

When it does not

Be wary where the same car is sold here at a similar price. Duty and VAT alone will usually eat the gap, before shipping and conversion have started. A cheap car is the other trap. Haulage, clearance, testing and registration do not get cheaper because the car did, so the fixed lines weigh most on the least expensive cars.

A price that looks too good in the US often reflects a branded title. A seriously damaged vehicle cannot be registered in the UK, and we only import clean-title cars. Our guide to salvage and rebuilt titles explains why.

Check these before you buy

The title is clean, and the VIN matches the paperwork.
The year, which decides IVA or MOT and whether any age relief might apply.
Whether a pickup is built for passengers or mainly for cargo.
Whether you will drive into London. ULEZ is judged on declared emissions. The ULEZ guide has the detail.
The lights, which are the usual work. US-spec against UK-spec shows where the gap is.
Whether it runs. Roll-on roll-off needs a driveable car. Container does not.

Grey Ford Raptor pickup truck parked in a gravel yard with other vehicles in the background. — A Ford Raptor in our yard. HMRC classifies a pickup by how it is built, which is worth settling before you commit.

Get the number before the car

The cheapest mistake is the one you make on paper. Send us the make, model, year and location and we will tell you the route, the likely conversion work and what the full cost is made of, before you buy anything. Customs entry, IVA or MOT and DVLA registration are all done by us, so the quote covers the lot rather than one leg of it. Our guide to checking a used US car covers the buying side, and insuring and running one covers the years after.

Importing is not a saving in every case. It is worth it when the car is one you cannot easily buy here and the sums are done first. If it is not, we will say so when we answer your quote request.

Quick answers

Is it cheaper to import an American car than to buy one in the UK?

Sometimes, and sometimes not. It depends on the car. Where the UK market has the same model, the saving has to cover duty, VAT, shipping, conversion and testing. Where the UK has no equivalent, the question is not cheaper, it is whether you want the car enough.

Do I pay VAT on top of the import duty?

Yes. Duty is worked out first. VAT at 20% is then charged on the vehicle, the delivery costs and the duty together. Our costs page has a worked example of the method.

Can I avoid duty and VAT?

In a few cases. A car that HMRC accepts as a collector's vehicle can carry no duty and a reduced VAT rate, and Transfer of Residence relief can remove both for someone moving to the UK. Neither is automatic, and both are checked before you commit.

Does a cheap car make the numbers work?

Usually the opposite. The taxes scale with the price, but shipping, clearance, testing and registration do not shrink as the car gets cheaper. A low price on a US listing is also often a branded title, and we do not import those.

What do I need to give you for a proper answer?

The make, model, year and where the car is. With those we can say which route it takes, what it is likely to need and what the full cost is made of, before you buy anything.