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Import Guides

Importing a car, explained properly.

Clear, current guides to every country we source from — how each market actually works, what the documents prove, what a car really costs to land, and where buyers get caught out.
Car keys handed over — importing a car to Ireland

Start here · Complete guide

Importing a Car to Ireland in 2026: The Complete Guide

Everything that decides the price of an Irish import — the three taxes, the best source countries, and the cars that land cheapest — in one place.

Read the guide

Japan

Cars on a Tokyo street, where the auction network feeds the market

How to Buy a Car at a Japanese Auction

You cannot bid at a Japanese auction yourself. Here is exactly how the system works, and what a good agent does on the floor that a broker cannot.

11 min read
Vehicle inspection paperwork of the kind used at Japanese auctions

Japanese Auction Grades Explained

The auction sheet is the single most valuable document in a Japanese import. Learn to read one and you stop depending on anybody's description.

10 min read
Toyota AE86 Trueno at a Japanese car meet

The Best Cars to Import From Japan

Japan exports everything. These are the models where the price, condition and parts availability all line up — and the ones that flatter to deceive.

12 min read
Working out the landed cost of importing a car from Japan

What It Really Costs to Import a Car From Japan

The hammer price is roughly half the story. Here is every other line on the bill, in the order it hits you.

10 min read
Handover of keys and documents for an imported Japanese car

Every Document You Get With a Japanese Import

A Japanese import is a paperwork exercise with a car attached. Here is what every document in the file actually proves.

9 min read

United Kingdom

British-built car of the kind exported from the UK

How to Import a Car From the UK

Britain has the most checkable used cars in the world and one of the easiest export routes. Here is the process in order.

11 min read
Range Rover on a forest track — a British-built export

The Best Cars to Import From the UK

Some cars are cheaper to import from Britain because of what they are. Others are only cheaper because of where they were built.

10 min read
Vehicle history documents for a UK used car

UK Car History Checks Explained

Britain publishes more about its used cars than any market on earth. Here is how to read all of it — and what still needs human eyes.

10 min read
Calculating the cost of importing a car from the UK

What It Costs to Import a Car From the UK

The UK is the cheapest source in our network for European buyers and a middling one for everybody else. Here is why, line by line.

9 min read
Export documentation for a car leaving the United Kingdom

UK Car Export Documents Explained

One missing statement of origin can cost you ten percent of the car's value. Here is the full document set and why each piece exists.

9 min read

UAE

Supercar on a Dubai desert road at sunset

How to Import a Car From the UAE

Dubai moves more used cars for export than any city on earth. That is an opportunity and a risk, and both come from the same place.

11 min read
Land Cruisers driving the dunes outside Dubai

The Best Cars to Import From Dubai

Dubai is unbeatable on nearly new luxury SUVs and a poor choice for several other things. Knowing which is which is the whole skill.

10 min read
Car in desert country — the conditions GCC specification is built for

GCC Spec Cars Explained

GCC spec is a genuine engineering difference, not a marketing label. In a hot country it is an advantage. In a cold one it can be a problem.

9 min read
Calculating the landed cost of a car imported from the UAE

What It Costs to Import a Car From the UAE

UAE cars are usually newer and more valuable than the network average, which changes the shape of the bill. Here is how.

9 min read
Documentation handed over with a car exported from the UAE

UAE Car Export Documents Explained

A UAE export lives or dies on the export certificate. Here is the whole file and what each part is for.

8 min read

India

SUV on the Indian coast — India-built stock heading for export

How to Import a Car From India

India's price advantage is real. Capturing it depends entirely on buying through a network that can verify what it sells you.

11 min read
Modern India-built SUV

The Best Cars to Import From India

India's cheapest cars are not always its best exports. These are the models where price, durability and parts supply all agree.

10 min read
Dealer forecourt stock of the kind supplied from India

Importing Cars From India: A Dealer's Guide

For a dealership, India is a margin play with a consistency problem attached. Here is how to run it properly.

11 min read
Calculating the landed cost of a car imported from India

What It Costs to Import a Car From India

India's 30% price advantage is easy to lose at the destination port. Here is where it goes, and how to keep it.

9 min read
Export documentation for a vehicle leaving India

India Car Export Documents Explained

Indian export paperwork is procedural rather than complicated. It is also unforgiving of small errors. Here is the whole set.

8 min read

Thailand

Double-cab pickup of the kind built in Thailand

How to Import a Car From Thailand

Thailand is where most of the world's pickups are made. Buying at the source removes every layer of margin between the plant and you.

11 min read
Double-cab pickup working off-road

The Best Pickups to Import From Thailand

Six pickups, four SUVs built on them, and one honest comparison of which suits which job.

11 min read
Comparing Thai-built and Japanese-market 4x4 imports

Thailand vs Japan for Pickup Imports

Thailand builds them new; Japan sells them used with an independent grade attached. The right answer depends on what you actually need.

10 min read
Calculating the landed cost of a vehicle imported from Thailand

What It Costs to Import a Car From Thailand

Pickups are taxed differently from cars in a lot of countries. That single fact changes the whole calculation.

9 min read
Documentation for a vehicle exported from Thailand

Thailand Car Export Documents Explained

New-vehicle exports and used-vehicle exports carry different files. Here is what each one contains and why.

8 min read

Australia

Dual-cab 4x4 in outback desert country

How to Import a Car From Australia

Australia stopped making cars in 2017. It is still one of the best places on earth to buy a 4x4 — for entirely different reasons.

11 min read
Touring-specification Land Cruiser of the kind sourced from Australia

The Best Cars to Import From Australia

Three categories where Australia beats every other source country, and one where it is the only source country at all.

10 min read
Australian dual-cab ute with touring equipment fitted

Importing a Ute or 4x4 From Australia

A well-set-up Australian tourer is a bargain. A hard-worked one is a liability. Here is how to tell them apart from 10,000 miles away.

11 min read
Calculating the landed cost of a car imported from Australia

What It Costs to Import a Car From Australia

Australia has one cost line no other source country has: moving the car to a port that may be 2,000 miles away.

9 min read
Export documentation for a vehicle leaving Australia

Australia Car Export Documents Explained

Australian export paperwork has one item most source countries do not: a cleaning certificate that can stop your car at the far end.

8 min read

New Zealand

Imported car on the road after entry certification

How to Import a Car From New Zealand

New Zealand's used cars have already been through somebody else's inspection regime. Here is how to use that to your advantage.

11 min read
Rows of used cars at a vehicle marshalling yard

The Best Cars to Import From New Zealand

New Zealand is a filtered version of the Japanese market, plus more used EVs per head than almost anywhere. Both matter.

10 min read
Cars on a Japanese coastal street — the origin of most New Zealand stock

New Zealand vs Japan for Used Imports

New Zealand's stock came from Japan in the first place. So why would you ever buy the second-hand version? There are three good answers.

10 min read
Calculating the landed cost of a car imported from New Zealand

What It Costs to Import a Car From New Zealand

New Zealand prices are retail, not wholesale. The question is whether what you get for the difference is worth it.

9 min read
Used electric car plugged in to charge

Importing a Used EV From New Zealand

On a used EV, the battery is most of the value. Everything else about the car is secondary — and testable.

11 min read

Sri Lanka

SUV on a South Asian coastal road

Importing a Car to Sri Lanka: The Complete Guide

In Sri Lanka the car is the easy part. The valuation, the duty bands and the permit position are what decide your final cost.

12 min read
Customs and duty paperwork for a vehicle imported to Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Vehicle Import Taxes Explained

Sri Lanka does not tax what you paid. It taxes what it decides the car is worth — and that distinction is worth understanding.

10 min read
Compact hatchback of the kind widely imported to Sri Lanka

The Best Cars to Import to Sri Lanka

The same handful of cars dominate Sri Lankan roads for a reason. Understand the reason and the shortlist writes itself.

10 min read
Import clearance documentation for a vehicle arriving in Colombo

Sri Lanka Car Import Documents Explained

In Sri Lanka a missing document is not an inconvenience, it is daily storage charges. Here is the complete file.

9 min read
Electric car charging at a wall box

Importing Hybrids and EVs to Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a hybrid country by tax design. Whether it is ready to be an EV country is a more interesting question.

10 min read
Working through the landed cost and holding cost of vehicles imported into Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Vehicle Import Rules for Dealers

The margin is not made at the auction. It is made by not owning an unregistered car in month five.

11 min read

Cost & Cheapest

Compact hatchback — a cheap car to import to Ireland

The Cheapest Cars to Import to Ireland in 2026

Not all imports are cheap. These specific models combine 0% duty, low VRT and genuine auction value — with landed costs to prove it.

10 min read
Calculating the cheapest way to import a car to Ireland

The Cheapest Way to Import a Car to Ireland

The cheapest import isn't a trick — it's a sequence of legal decisions. Here's the playbook that keeps duty, VAT and VRT as low as the rules allow.

11 min read
Working out the cost of importing a car to Ireland

How Much Does It Cost to Import a Car to Ireland?

Purchase price is only the start. Here's every line on the bill — duty, VAT, VRT, NOx — with worked totals so there are no surprises at the port.

9 min read

Tax & Rules

Paperwork for Vehicle Registration Tax in Ireland

VRT Explained: How Vehicle Registration Tax Works in Ireland

VRT is the biggest and most controllable cost of any Irish import. Here's exactly how Revenue calculates it — and where buyers get caught.

9 min read

Source Country

Choosing between importing a car from Japan or the UK to Ireland

Japan vs the UK: Where Should You Import Your Car From?

Brexit ended the UK's automatic advantage and Japan just hit 0% duty. Here's how the two best source countries really compare in 2026.

10 min read
Modern Indian-manufactured car

Why Are Indian-Manufactured Cars Cheaper? (And Is the Quality Low?)

Roughly 30% cheaper than the global average — and it's not corner-cutting. The five real reasons India builds cars for less, and the truth about quality.

9 min read

Latest news · Auctions

Revealed: the man in the red fedora who paid $40m for Ferrari's most hated car

For 24 hours the buyer was 'an anonymous bidder'. He isn't anonymous any more — and he's the same man who paid $26m for the one-off Daytona SP3 last year. The full story of a $66 million two-year run.

Read the story

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