Import Japanese cars to the UK

You can import a Japanese car to the UK through our own team in Japan, who find cars at dealers and auctions and export only cars graded 4.0 or above. You see our inspection before your money moves, and one landed figure — to a UK port, plus the UK charges — before you commit.

Get your landed quote Importing for a dealership

You can import one car for yourself, or stock for a dealership

Import a Japanese car for yourself

One car, imported at the price a dealer pays in Japan, graded 4.0 or above and inspected before your money moves.

For private buyers

Import Japanese cars for your dealership

Up to five cars per inquiry, a first quote within 24 hours, and every car inspected before you pay.

For UK dealerships

What you get when you import a Japanese car to the UK with us

Importing a Japanese car to the UK at a glance
Drive side	Right-hand drive, as UK roads need
Where we export from	Dealers and auctions across Japan; auction bids only to the maximum you approve
Minimum grade	4.0 and above
Before you pay	Our multi-point inspection, photographed; the auction sheet translated; mileage checked against Japan's inspection records
Export ports	Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, Hakata
Sea transit	6–8 weeks to the UK
Order to UK port	Typically 8–12 weeks
Shipped to	A UK port, CNF, under marine insurance
UK paperwork prepared	The NOVA notification and the DVLA registration pack

Import your Japanese car to the UK in five steps

Tell us the car you want
Make, model, year and budget. Before you commit, we confirm whether the car needs an IVA test and work out what the UK will charge you to import it.
We find it in Japan
Our team in Japan searches dealers and auctions across the country for a car graded 4.0 or above. Where a car comes through auction, you get the auction sheet with an English translation, and we bid only up to the maximum you approve.
We inspect it before you pay
Every car gets the same multi-point physical inspection from our own team, whichever country it is exported from — 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. Its mileage is checked against Japan's inspection records.
We clear it for export and ship it
Our Japan team deregisters the car and prepares the export certificate, and it sails by RoRo or container under marine insurance, with milestone updates until it reaches a UK port.
You receive it at a UK port
The car arrives with its full document pack, and the NOVA notification and DVLA registration pack prepared. The import entry and registration are made in your name, with our team on the file.

Researching first? Read our guide, How to Import a Japanese Car to the UK: The Complete Guide.

Your landed figure is itemised into five costs

The car's price in Japan, plus auction fees where it is won at auction · Paid to us
Export costs in Japan: inspection, deregistration and export paperwork · Paid to us
Sea freight to a UK port and marine insurance · Paid to us
UK import duty and VAT — calculated for your car in the quote · Paid in your name
IVA if the car needs one, MOT and DVLA registration · Paid in your name

Read the full breakdown: Import Duty on Japanese Cars in the UK: 0%, 10% and the Proof Between

The documents that come with your car from Japan

Our inspection report and photographs
The original auction sheet with an English translation, where the car came through auction
Export certificate (deregistration) with certified mileage
Bill of lading
Commercial invoice
Marine insurance certificate
The NOVA notification and DVLA registration pack, prepared

Japanese cars UK buyers ask us for most

You deal with our London office and our own team in Japan

Providence Auto London

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

What our team in Japan does

Searching dealers and auctions across Japan
Physical pre-export inspection and daylight photography
Deregistration, export certificates and mileage certification
Port loading and shipping, under marine insurance

Tell us the Japanese car you want in the UK

One landed figure, itemised, before you commit.

Importing stock for a dealership? Use the dealer inquiry.

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Your questions about importing a Japanese car to the UK, answered

How long does it take to import a Japanese car to the UK with Providence?

Typically 8–12 weeks from order to a UK port: 1–2 weeks to find and inspect the car, then 6–8 weeks at sea. After it lands, HMRC must be notified within 14 days, the car needs an IVA if it is 10 years old or younger, and the DVLA issues the V5C. We prepare the NOVA and DVLA paperwork.

When do I pay, and is my money protected?

Your funds are held and released only once the car is confirmed, inspected and cleared for shipment. You see our inspection report and photographs before your payment is released, and if the car does not match the description you approved, it does not ship and you are not charged.

What does the landed figure include?

Two parts, itemised before you commit. What you pay us: the car, the export paperwork, freight and marine cover to a UK port. What you pay in your own name when it lands: the import duty and VAT, and the IVA, MOT and DVLA registration. We work out the second part for your exact car.

Will my car need an IVA test?

Only if it is 10 years old or younger: cars with up to eight passenger seats that are over 10 years old need no vehicle approval. We confirm which route your car takes before you commit, so the test, its fee and its waiting time are in the plan rather than a surprise after the car lands.

Do you deliver the car to my door?

No. We ship to a UK port on CNF terms. The import entry and the registration are made in your name, with our document pack and our team on the file, and collection from the port is yours to arrange. We prepare the NOVA notification and the DVLA registration pack so you are not starting from a blank form.

Read our guides to Japanese imports in the UK

How to Import a Japanese Car to the UK: The Complete Guide

Every step between a car in Japan and a number plate in Britain, in the order the law makes you take them — with the rules that change the bill and the myths that do not.

16 min read

Import Duty on Japanese Cars in the UK: 0%, 10% and the Proof Between

The 0% rate is real, but on a used car it is a claim someone has to prove. Here is what the treaty, HMRC and Japan Customs actually require.

12 min read

Which Years of Japanese Car to Import: The Age Lines That Change the Rules

Two identical cars, one eleven years old and one nine, take different routes to a UK number plate. Here is every age line that changes the rules, and what each one costs you.

13 min read

Shipping a Car From Japan to the UK: How Long It Really Takes

The sea is the predictable part. Here is the whole timeline — what happens in Japan before the car sails, and what happens in Britain before you can drive it.

10 min read

Japanese Import Condition: Grades, Mileage and the Rust Question

Japanese cars earn their reputation for condition through inspection and records, not magic. That also tells you exactly where the reputation does not hold.