Import cars from the UK

You can import a car from the UK with its history checked before you buy. Our UK team finds the car at dealers, specialist retailers or private sellers, checks its MOT, mileage and finance record, inspects it before your money moves and ships it to your port on one all-in landed price.

Get your landed quote Our United Kingdom team

What you get when you import a car from the UK with us

Importing a car from the UK at a glance
Drive side	Right-hand drive
Where we buy	Main dealers, specialist retailers and private sellers
History check	Public MOT and mileage record, plus outstanding-finance and write-off checks
Export ports	Southampton, Tilbury
Typical sea transit	Days to Ireland and Europe, roughly 3–6 weeks further afield
Where we ship	Ireland and mainland Europe by short-sea ferry; Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and the Caribbean by container or RoRo

Import your car from the UK in five steps

Tell us the car and your country
Send the make, model, year and budget, and the country it is going to. We confirm that country's import rules — age limit, drive side, any pre-shipment inspection — before anything is bought.
We find it in the UK
Our UK team works main dealers, specialist retailers and private sellers, and runs the MOT, mileage, finance and write-off checks before a car reaches your shortlist.
We inspect it before you pay
Every car gets the same multi-point physical inspection from our own team, whichever country it is bought in — engine, transmission, underbody, electronics, bodywork and interior — photographed and sent to you before your payment is released. If it does not match the description you approved, it does not ship, and you are not charged. Anything with a discrepancy in its MOT, mileage, finance or write-off record is rejected outright.
We clear it for export and ship it
Our United Kingdom team prepares the export documents, and the car sails from Southampton and Tilbury under marine insurance, with tracking updates until it reaches your port.
You receive it at your port
The car arrives at your port with its full document pack. We support your customs clearance; the import entry and registration are made in your name.

Researching first? Read our guide, How to Import a Japanese Car From the UK.

Your landed quote covers five costs

We add them up into one all-in figure to your port before you commit, so you decide on the real number. Duty and taxes depend on your own country, so we calculate them for yours.

The car's purchase price in the UK
Export costs in the UK: inspection, deregistration and export paperwork
Sea freight from Southampton and Tilbury to your port, and marine insurance
Your country's import duty and taxes — calculated in your quote, paid in your name
Port and clearance charges when the car arrives

Read the full breakdown: What It Costs to Import a Car From the UK

The documents that come with a car from the UK

Our United Kingdom team prepares the export side; you receive the whole pack before the car arrives, ready for your clearance agent.

Notification of permanent export
Customs export declaration
VAT treatment for qualifying export sales, stated in your quote
Origin documentation where your country gives preference to UK-built cars
Bill of lading
Commercial invoice
Marine insurance certificate

Cars people commonly import from the UK

Choose one to start your inquiry with it filled in, or tell us any other car in the form.

You deal directly with our own team in the UK

Providence Auto London

Address: 468 Church Lane, KingsburyLondon NW9 8UAUnited Kingdom
Phone: +44 208 004 3000
Email: [email protected]

What our United Kingdom team does

Group head office, finance and customer support
Finding cars through dealers, specialist retailers and private sellers
Provenance, MOT history and finance checks on every purchase
Export declarations, origin documentation and European freight

Tell us the car you want to import from the UK

One all-in landed price to your port, quoted before you commit.

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Your questions about importing a car from the UK, answered

Can I import a car from the UK?

Yes. You choose the car, and our own team in the UK finds it, inspects it before your money moves, clears it for export and ships it to your port. Whether it can be registered is set by your own country — its age limit, drive side and inspection rules — and we confirm those before anything is bought.

How do I get a quote to import a car from the UK?

Send the make, model, year and your country through the form on this page. A named consultant replies with one all-in landed price to your port — the car, export costs in the UK, freight, marine insurance and your country's import charges — before you commit to anything.

Do I pay before the car is inspected?

No. Our own team inspects the car first and sends you the photographs and report. Your payment is released only once the car is confirmed, inspected and cleared for shipment; if it does not match what you approved, it does not ship and you are not charged.

How long does it take to ship a car from the UK?

Sea transit from Southampton and Tilbury is days to Ireland and Europe, roughly 3–6 weeks further afield. Allow time before that to find and inspect the right car and prepare the export paperwork. Your consultant gives you the sailing date and tracking updates once the car is booked on a vessel.

Do you deliver the car to my door?

We ship it to your port rather than your door — CNF, in every market. When it arrives you have the full document pack and our support through customs clearance; the import entry and registration are made in your name, and the last leg from the port is yours to arrange.

Will I see the car's MOT and finance history before I pay?

Yes. We run the public MOT and mileage record and a provenance check for outstanding finance, write-offs and theft markers before a car reaches your shortlist, and you see the results with the inspection report — all before your payment is released.