How much does it cost to import a car from Japan to the UK?

Almost every quote you see online leaves something out. Someone spots a Toyota Crown that sold for ¥800,000 at auction, converts it to pounds, and assumes that is the price. Then the shipping invoice arrives, then HMRC, then the MOT bill.

This guide lists every cost in the order you pay it, so there are no surprises. If you would rather skip the reading, our landed cost calculator does the same maths in about ten seconds.

The eight costs of importing a car from Japan

Import duty and VAT: the part everyone gets wrong

Two things matter here, and mixing them up is what produces those wildly different quotes you see on forums.

First, duty and VAT are not charged on the hammer price. They are charged on the CIF value, which is the car plus insurance plus freight to the UK port. Land a £5,000 car with £1,500 of shipping and HMRC is working from £6,500, not £5,000.

Second, VAT is charged on top of the duty, not alongside it. So the order is: work out CIF, add duty, then charge VAT on the whole lot.

Which rate applies to your car

The 0% rate comes from the UK–Japan trade agreement, and it is the single biggest change in import costs in recent years. It is not automatic. The Japanese exporter has to supply a statement on origin with the shipping documents, and your customs agent has to claim the preference on the declaration. Miss either step and HMRC charges the full 10% by default.

The 30-year rule is the other big saving, and it is why a 1995 Supra can land more cheaply than its value suggests. A vehicle manufactured at least 30 years ago and still in substantially original condition is treated as a collectors' item: no duty, and VAT charged on a reduced value, which works out at an effective 5%. Substantially original matters. An engine swap or a heavily modified chassis can lose you the relief.

A worked example

A 2009 Toyota Alphard, bought at auction for the equivalent of £6,000, shipped RoRo to Southampton, qualifying for the preferential duty rate:

So a £6,000 car becomes a £10,500 car. As a rule of thumb, budget for the landed cost being 60% to 80% above the hammer price once everything is paid. That multiplier shrinks as the car gets more expensive, because shipping and fees are close to fixed.

Where people lose money

• Budgeting on the hammer price. It is the single most common mistake, and it is why people back out halfway through.
• Assuming duty is charged on the car alone. Freight and agent fees are in the taxable value too.
• Forgetting the exchange rate moves. Weeks pass between the auction and the invoice. A 3% swing on a ¥1,000,000 car is real money.
• Skipping the auction sheet. Grade 3.5 with corrosion marks on the sheet can cost you more in welding than you saved at auction. Learn to read the sheet before you bid.
• Missing the 30-year window by months. If a car is 29 years old, waiting can save you thousands in duty and VAT.

Is importing still worth it?

For ordinary cars available in UK showrooms, usually not. For Japanese domestic market cars, the maths still works, for three reasons. Japanese cars are typically rust-free, because roads are salted far less. They cover low mileage, because the shaken roadworthiness test makes keeping older cars expensive in Japan. And many of the best models were never officially sold here at all, so the UK supply is only ever what someone else imported.

The honest answer is that you import for the car and the condition, not purely to save money. Plenty of buyers do save, especially on kei trucks and MPVs, but the real win is getting a specification you simply cannot buy here.

Common questions

How much does it cost to import a car from Japan to the UK?

Budget for the landed cost being roughly 60% to 80% above the auction hammer price. On a car bought for £6,000 in Japan, expect around £10,500 by the time it is shipped, cleared, MOT'd and registered. The percentage falls as the car gets more expensive because shipping and fees are broadly fixed.

Do I pay import duty on a Japanese car in 2026?

Japanese-built cars can qualify for 0% duty under the UK–Japan trade agreement, but only if the Japanese exporter supplies a statement on origin and your customs agent claims the preference. Without it, the standard 10% rate applies. VAT at 20% applies either way, and cars over 30 years old in original specification pay no duty and an effective 5% VAT.

Is it cheaper to import a car from Japan than buy one in the UK?

Sometimes, but the bigger advantage is condition and choice. Japanese cars are generally rust-free and low mileage, and many JDM models were never officially sold in the UK, so importing is the only way to get the exact specification you want.

How long does it take to import a car from Japan?

Typically eight to twelve weeks from winning the auction to driving the car. Shipping alone takes around four to six weeks, with the rest going on export paperwork in Japan, customs clearance at the UK port, and DVLA registration.