Left-hand drive is fine
A left-hand drive vehicle is entirely legal to register and drive in the UK. It goes through the same approval and registration process as anything else — there is no conversion requirement.
The process
From a US listing to a UK number plate
Typically 8 to 16 weeks, in seven stages. Here is what happens at each one, who does it, and the few points where we need something from you.
The seven stages
The timings below are typical rather than guaranteed — sailing schedules and port congestion move, and we will always tell you when they do rather than let a date quietly slip.
- Day one
You tell us the vehicle
Send the listing, the auction lot or just the make, model and year, plus where it is. We come back with an itemised landed cost covering every line — shipping, duty, VAT, IVA, registration.
You: Give us the vehicle and the ZIP code it sits at.
- Week 1–2
Purchase and collection
Once you are happy, we arrange collection from the dealer, private seller or auction yard, and inland haulage to the export port.
You: Pay the seller and get us the original title and bill of sale.
- Week 3–8
Ocean crossing
Container or roll-on roll-off from the east or west coast, with marine insurance in place. We tell you the vessel and the expected arrival date, and update you if it slips.
You: Nothing. We keep you posted.
- On arrival
Customs clearance and NOVA
We file the customs entry, submit the NOVA notification to HMRC and settle the duty and VAT so the vehicle is not accruing storage at the dock.
You: Settle the duty and VAT with us.
- Week 9–11
IVA, MOT and modifications
Vehicles under ten years old need Individual Vehicle Approval; older ones need an MOT. We carry out whatever the test requires — headlights, speedometer, rear fog lamp — in our own workshop, and we run our own IVA lane rather than queueing for a DVSA slot.
You: Nothing, unless you want optional work doing while it is with us.
- Week 11–12
DVLA registration
We submit the registration application, the DVLA issues the V5C in your name, and we fit UK plates.
You: Arrange insurance and tax before you collect.
- Week 12
Yours
Collect it from Castle Donington or we can arrange delivery. It leaves us road-legal, on UK plates, with the V5C in your name.
You: Drive it.
What makes an American import different
Lighting is the usual work
US lighting differs from UK and European requirements. Headlight beam pattern, a rear fog lamp and side repeaters are the changes that come up most often at IVA. Newer vehicles with integrated lighting units tend to cost more to convert than older ones.
Speedometers in mph help
US vehicles read in miles per hour already, which removes one of the common IVA failures that affects imports from mainland Europe and Japan.
Check the title before you buy
We only import clean-title vehicles. A US salvage or rebuilt title means the car has been written off, and we do not take those on. Ask the seller for the title status before you commit, and remember a vehicle has to be roadworthy before it can be registered here.
Ready to get it moving?
Tell us the vehicle and where it is. We will come back with an itemised landed cost — no deposit, no obligation.