“You won’t get it insured” is one of the first things people hear about a Japanese import, and it is wrong in the way most car myths are wrong: it takes something true about some insurers and applies it to all of them. A Japanese import can be insured in Britain. What it cannot always be is insured by the company that covers your current car, at the same price.
The short version
- Many mainstream insurers may decline a car not sold new in the UK; specialist insurers exist for exactly that.
- The premium follows parts and repair cost, not the country the car came from.
- Declare every modification, including the fog lamp and speedometer work done to meet UK rules.
- The car must be insured before it is driven — including the one permitted trip to a pre-booked test.
Is a Japanese import hard to insure in the UK?
Not if you go to the right insurer. Uswitch notes that many insurers may decline to quote a car that was not sold and registered new in the UK, but specialist policies exist for exactly that, and comparison services run import-specific searches. The real variable is price, which follows the cost of parts and repairs.
Where the insurance myth comes from
Uswitch’s guide, updated 25 May 2026, gives three reasons insurers treat imports differently: safety and environmental standards may differ from UK rules, parts and repairs may cost more to source, and left-hand-drive cars add risk. The third does not apply to a Japanese-market car, which is right-hand drive. The first is what the IVA, the fog lamp and the speedometer conversion deal with. The second is real, and it is model by model.
The insurer Cuvva adds a structural reason: a grey import does not fit into a UK insurance group, which leaves the insurer without its usual starting point for a price. A specialist that already knows the model does not have that problem.
What actually moves the premium on a Japanese import
| Factor | Why it matters | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Parts and repair cost | Parts for Japan-only models may have to be shipped in; even shared models can differ in trim and lights | Parkers; Cuvva; Uswitch |
| No UK insurance group | The insurer has no standard reference point for the model | Cuvva |
| Modifications | Including the changes made to meet UK rules | Uswitch; Cuvva |
| Theft and performance | Rare, valuable or powerful cars carry more theft and claim risk | Cuvva |
Uswitch (updated 25 May 2026), Cuvva (updated 15 August 2024), Parkers (updated 25 March 2026). Accessed 7 October 2026.
Notice what is not on the list: the word “Japanese”. A Japanese-market version of a car Britain also sold, with parts on the shelf here, is a different risk from a model nobody in Britain stocks. Parkers makes the same point: popular Japanese models with UK parts specialists can be cheaper to insure. Our guide to parts for Japanese imports covers how to tell which kind of car you are looking at.
What insurers ask about a Japanese import
- Its origin and specification — Uswitch lists both. The model code and grade matter more than the badge.
- Every modification, including those made to bring it up to UK standards, such as a rear fog lamp or a speedometer conversion.
- The chassis number, because the car may not have a UK registration yet when you need cover. Some specialist brokers advertise cover on the chassis number for exactly that stage.
- Where it is kept, and its security.
How to keep the premium down
- Choose a model with UK-shared parts if running cost matters more than rarity.
- Go to a specialist. Parkers notes specialists are more likely to understand the car and how easily it can be repaired.
- Skip non-essential modifications — Uswitch’s advice — and declare the essential ones.
- Get quotes before you import, on the exact model code, so the premium is part of the decision rather than a surprise after it.
When insurance cover has to start
GOV.UK lists insurance as a step in its own right: insure the vehicle before you drive it on UK roads. Until the car is registered, the only journey it may make under its own power is to a pre-booked MOT or vehicle approval test — and it must be insured for that one too. Arrange cover on the chassis number before the test, not on the morning of it. The rest of the road-legal list is in road tax on a Japanese import.
If you want the details an insurer will ask for before you commit, you can import a Japanese car for yourself with the inspection report and, for an auction car, the translated auction sheet in hand first.
Insurance availability and pricing are set by individual insurers and change constantly. This page reports what Uswitch (updated 25 May 2026), Cuvva (updated 15 August 2024) and Parkers (updated 25 March 2026) say, accessed on 7 October 2026, and GOV.UK’s requirement to insure before driving. Naming a company is not a recommendation. Get quotes for your exact car before you import it.