Providence Auto Logo
ProvidenceAuto

Import Japanese cars for your UK dealership

You can stock your UK forecourt from Japan without floor-planning cars on spec. Name up to five cars or just the market; our team in Japan sends your first quote within 24 hours, inspects every car before you pay, and ships it to a UK port with the export paperwork prepared.

Step 1 of 4

Where does your dealership import cars into?

Yes — you can import into United Kingdom.

Cars ship CNF to your port, with the document pack prepared and clearance support when they arrive. The rules for your exact cars — age limits, the hand they're built in, the duty — are confirmed before you commit.

years trading
15+
countries with our own teams
7
dealership clients
200+

You can import Japanese cars straight from Japan for your forecourt.

With the access, the tools and the documentation support to do it — so you stock the cars your buyers ask for, without floor-planning them on spec.

Import direct from source, not from a middleman's stock.

Dealers and auctions across Japan, exported by our own team there — never subcontracted to an exporter you never speak to.

See every car before your money moves.

The inspection photographs, the Japanese auction sheet translated, and the landed figure per car — before you commit.

The export paperwork, prepared.

Deregistration and export certificates done in Japan, and the NOVA and DVLA paperwork prepared for the UK side.

One consultant owns your request.

One named consultant runs your inquiry from the first message to arrival at the port.

Japanese stock for UK dealers, at a glance

Japanese stock for UK dealerships at a glance
Where we export fromDealers and auctions across Japan
Minimum grade4.0 and above
First quoteWithin 24 hours of your inquiry
Before you payEvery car inspected and photographed by our own team; the auction sheet translated
Export portsYokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, Hakata
Sea transit6–8 weeks to the UK
Shipped toA UK port, CNF, under marine insurance
Per inquiryUp to five cars, or a source market to start from

Your landed figure per car is itemised before you commit

  • The car, export costs in Japan, freight and marine cover to a UK portPaid to us
  • UK import duty and VAT at the border — import VAT is recoverable by a VAT-registered dealership under the normal rulesPaid by your dealership
  • IVA where a car needs one, MOT and DVLA registrationPaid by your dealership
The VAT and duty rules for dealers: Importing Japanese Cars to Sell in the UK: The Dealer's Rulebook

Your dealer order runs in five steps

  1. Send your inquiry

    Confirm your market, tell us about the dealership, and name up to five cars — or just ask us to find stock in Japan.

  2. Get your first quote within 24 hours

    Landed per car to a UK port, itemised into what you pay us and what your dealership pays on arrival.

  3. Approve each car before you pay

    Our team in Japan inspects every car in person and sends the photographs and, for auction cars, the translated sheet. A car that does not match its description does not ship.

  4. Export and shipping

    Deregistration, export certificates and loading are done by our Japan team; the car sails under marine insurance with milestone updates.

  5. Receive the stock at a UK port

    Your agent makes the import entry in your dealership's name, with our export file and the NOVA and DVLA paperwork prepared.

Start your dealer inquiry

Your questions about Japanese stock for your dealership, answered

How quickly will I get a quote for Japanese stock?

Your first quote comes back within 24 hours of your inquiry, landed per car to a UK port and itemised into what you pay us and what your dealership pays on arrival. Name the exact cars, or just the market, and we start from there.

How many cars can I ask for in one inquiry?

Up to five cars in one inquiry, each with its own make, model, year range and budget. If you would rather we found the stock, tell us you want stock from Japan and leave the cars blank; your consultant comes back with what is available.

Is every car inspected before my dealership pays?

Yes. Our own team in Japan inspects every car in person — engine, transmission, underbody, electronics, bodywork and interior — photographs it and sends the report before payment is released. A car that does not match the description you approved does not ship, and you are not charged for it.

Who clears the cars through UK customs and registers them?

Your dealership, as the importer, through its customs agent. We ship on CNF terms to a UK port and prepare the export file, the NOVA notification and the DVLA registration pack, so the UK side starts from completed paperwork rather than a blank form.

Can my dealership reclaim the import VAT?

A VAT-registered dealership recovers import VAT under the normal input-tax rules and can postpone it to its VAT return. Our guide for dealers sets out the rules from HMRC's guidance, including why stock you import yourself is sold outside the margin scheme.

Who will my dealership deal with?

One named consultant runs your request from the first message to the car's arrival at the port, backed by our own team in Japan. We have traded for more than 15 years and supply more than 200 dealership clients.

You can make Providence Auto a preferred source on Google.

Google then marks our pages as preferred in AI Overviews and AI Mode, and shows more of our reporting in your Top Stories.