Shipping a car overseas usually costs £1,000 to £4,800 depending on the route and method, before import duty and local registration costs are added. RoRo is cheaper and faster where it is available, while container shipping works better for longer routes or higher value cars.
Get a clear, written quote for your exact car and route before deciding whether shipping makes more sense than selling and buying again at your destination.
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Shipping a car overseas almost always costs more than people expect, and it’s only worth it if the car has real financial or sentimental value, or if you genuinely can’t buy an equivalent model at your destination for a sensible price. For a mid-range family saloon, budget roughly £1,000 to £2,800 for a RoRo crossing on a short to medium sea route, or £1,800 to £4,500 for a container move on a long-haul route, before you add duty, taxes and registration costs at the other end. Once you factor in import duty, local compliance work and the months you’ll spend without the car, many expats conclude it’s cheaper to sell up and buy again on arrival. This guide walks through the real costs, the two main shipping methods, the paperwork you’ll be asked for, and how to get the car ready for its crossing.
Is shipping a car overseas worth it?
Run the numbers before you commit, because the sea freight invoice is usually the smallest part of the total bill. On top of the shipping cost itself, you’re likely to face import duty, VAT or GST on the car’s value, a registration or roadworthiness inspection, number plates, and sometimes a requirement to bring the vehicle up to local emissions or safety standards. In markets like Australia, importing a car that isn’t already compliant with Australian Design Rules can mean expensive modifications, which is one reason the Australian Border Force and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry treat vehicle imports so strictly. If you’re moving on the London to Sydney route, it’s worth checking current import eligibility before you even get a shipping quote.
The calculation looks different depending on the car. A car under finance usually can’t be shipped at all until the loan is settled. A car worth £3,000 to £6,000 rarely justifies £2,000 in shipping plus duty and compliance costs, so most people in that position sell locally and buy again after they land. A car worth £25,000 or more, a classic, a modified vehicle, or one that’s simply hard to replace in the destination market (left-hand drive in a right-hand drive country, or vice versa) is where shipping starts to make financial sense. Company relocations sometimes cover vehicle shipping as part of a senior hire’s package, which changes the maths again, since the employee isn’t absorbing the cost directly.
There’s also a timing cost that’s easy to overlook. A car can take anywhere from 3 to 10 weeks to arrive depending on the route, and then sit in customs for inspection before you can collect it. If you need a car the week you land, for the school run or a new job, you’ll be renting or buying a second vehicle anyway, which erodes the saving from shipping your own.
RoRo shipping vs container car shipping
RoRo (roll-on, roll-off) and container shipping are the two realistic ways to move a car by sea, and the right choice depends on the route, the car’s value, and how much else you’re moving at the same time.
RoRo shipping
With RoRo, the car is driven onto a specialised vessel at the port of departure and driven off at the port of arrival, secured on deck or below deck for the crossing. It’s the cheaper option on most routes because there’s no container to hire and less handling involved. RoRo works well on established car-shipping lanes, for example out of Southampton, Bremerhaven or Zeebrugge, where carriers run frequent, dedicated sailings. The trade-off is less control: you can’t usually pack the car with extra boxes, insurance options can be more limited, and the car is exposed to more handling and weather during loading than a sealed container. RoRo also isn’t available on every route, since it depends on a port having a regular car-carrier service.
Container car shipping
Container shipping means the car is loaded into a standard shipping container, either on its own (sole use), sharing with another vehicle, or as part of a shared container alongside household goods. It costs more than RoRo on a like-for-like route, but it offers better security, lets you pack the car with spare parts, tools or even some personal items (within customs limits and provided they’re declared), and suits routes where RoRo simply isn’t offered, such as many inland or less-trafficked destinations. If you’re already shipping furniture and boxes in a shared container, it can sometimes work out efficient to load the car in the same box, though most moving specialists will advise on whether that’s practical for your specific route and vehicle size.
As a rule of thumb: choose RoRo when it’s available, the route is well served, and cost matters most. Choose a container when the route doesn’t offer RoRo, the car is high value, or you want the added security of a sealed box. For a dedicated look at how vehicle shipping options compare, the vehicle shipping page breaks down what’s typically included in a quote.
What does it cost to ship a car overseas in 2026?
The table below gives indicative 2026 price ranges for shipping a standard family car (saloon or small SUV, roughly 4.5 to 5 metres long) door to port or port to port, in GBP as a neutral reference currency. These are estimates only. Actual quotes depend on the car’s exact dimensions and weight, the specific ports, fuel surcharges, insurance level, and whether you need door-to-door collection and delivery rather than port-to-port. A written quote after the moving specialist has your car’s details and route is the only reliable figure, so treat this as a planning tool rather than a price you can book against.
| Route type | Method | Typical transit time | Estimated cost (GBP, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short sea crossing (e.g. UK to mainland Europe) | RoRo | 1 to 2 weeks | £600 to £1,400 |
| Medium haul (e.g. Europe to North America east coast) | RoRo | 2 to 4 weeks | £1,000 to £2,200 |
| Medium haul | Container (shared) | 3 to 5 weeks | £1,600 to £2,800 |
| Long haul (e.g. Europe or UK to Australia or New Zealand) | RoRo | 5 to 8 weeks | £1,800 to £3,200 |
| Long haul | Container (sole use) | 6 to 10 weeks | £2,500 to £4,800 |
| Long haul (e.g. UK or Europe to Gulf states) | RoRo or container | 3 to 6 weeks | £1,400 to £3,000 |
These figures cover the shipping leg only. They don’t include import duty, local taxes, compliance inspections, number plates, or the agent fees some countries charge for customs clearance, all of which can add anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand pounds depending on the destination and the car’s value. If you’re moving to a country with notably strict or costly import rules, such as the Singapore or Dubai markets, it’s worth getting a clear picture of the landed cost, not just the shipping quote, before you decide to ship rather than sell.
Documents you’ll need to ship and import a car
Paperwork is where car shipments most often stall, so it pays to start gathering documents weeks before the booking date rather than days before. Requirements vary by country, but most customs authorities ask for a broadly similar set of proof: who owns the car, what it’s worth, and that it’s allowed into the country.
In practice, you should expect to need the vehicle’s registration document (the V5C in the UK, or the equivalent title in other countries), proof of ownership if the registration document isn’t in your name, your passport and visa or residence permit for the destination country, a bill of sale or purchase invoice showing the car’s value, and an export certificate or permit from the departure country in some cases. On arrival, many customs authorities also want proof that duty or VAT has been calculated and, where applicable, paid, plus evidence that the car meets local standards or that you qualify for a transfer-of-residence exemption. Genuine returning residents and new immigrants can sometimes bring a car in under a duty relief scheme (HMRC runs one for people moving to the UK, for example) but the conditions, such as how long you’ve owned the car and how long you must have lived abroad, are specific and worth checking with the relevant authority rather than assuming you qualify. Because the exact list of documents differs by both origin and destination, it’s sensible to read a general guide to customs documents for moving abroad alongside this one, and to confirm current requirements with the customs authority in your destination country before the car leaves port.
If your move also involves bringing a pet into the country, note that vehicle and pet import rules are handled by entirely separate authorities and timelines, so it’s worth reading up on moving abroad with pets separately rather than assuming the paperwork overlaps.
Duties, taxes and conversion rules in general terms
Every country calculates import duty and tax differently, and the figure usually depends on three things: the car’s declared value, its age, and sometimes its engine size or emissions rating. Some customs authorities apply duty as a percentage of the vehicle’s value, then add a local sales tax or VAT on top of the combined total, which can make the final bill considerably higher than people expect from the duty rate alone. Rather than guess, treat the shipping quote and the duty calculation as two separate conversations: your moving specialist can usually give you a shipping cost quickly, but the duty figure needs to come from, or be confirmed against, the customs authority at your destination, since rates and reliefs change and vary by nationality, visa type and how long you’ve owned the car.
Left-hand drive to right-hand drive conversions, or the reverse, are one of the most expensive surprises in car importing. A small number of countries allow left-hand drive cars on the road with no conversion needed, but others require headlamp adjustment, a speedometer change, or in the strictest cases a full steering conversion that can cost more than the car is worth. This is a separate issue from duty and needs checking with the destination country’s transport authority, not just its customs authority, since the two bodies often handle different parts of the import process. Emissions standards work the same way: a car that’s perfectly legal in the EU may not meet the local standard in Singapore or parts of the Gulf, and finding this out after the car has landed is far more stressful than finding it out before you book the crossing.
Age limits catch people out too. Some countries cap the age of a car that can be imported at all, commonly somewhere between 3 and 10 years old depending on the market, which rules out shipping an older but much-loved car regardless of how much you’re willing to pay in duty. None of this is standard across borders, so the only safe approach is to check the current rules with the customs authority and the vehicle registration authority in your destination before you commit to shipping rather than selling.
Preparing your car for the crossing
A car that’s properly prepared moves through loading, the crossing and customs inspection with far fewer delays than one that isn’t, and preparation is largely about reducing fuel, removing valuables and having the right paperwork to hand at the exact moment it’s asked for.
Most carriers ask you to bring the fuel tank down to around a quarter full, partly for weight and partly for safety during loading, and you should check this figure with your specific carrier since it varies. Remove all personal items from the car unless you’ve specifically arranged to ship belongings inside it as part of a container booking, because loose items can shift during the crossing, aren’t covered by the marine insurance, and can trigger a more thorough customs inspection if they’re found undeclared. Disconnect or remove any aftermarket alarm that could be triggered by the movement of loading and unloading, and let the carrier know about anything unusual fitted to the car, such as a tow bar, roof box or non-standard exhaust, since these can affect how the vehicle is measured, loaded and classified at customs.
Before the car leaves, take dated photographs from all four sides, the roof, the boot and the interior, along with close-ups of the odometer reading and any existing scratches or dents. This isn’t just useful for your own records: it’s the evidence you’ll need if you want to make a claim against the marine insurance for any damage that happens in transit, and a clear set of “before” photos makes that claim far easier to process than a dispute based on memory. Keep the original registration document, the bill of sale and your passport copies somewhere you’ll have immediate access to on arrival, not packed away with the rest of your household move, since customs clearance can happen on a different day and timeline to your furniture delivery.
Getting quotes and next steps
Vehicle shipping quotes vary more than most people expect, mainly because carriers price RoRo and container space differently depending on current vessel capacity, fuel surcharges and how far in advance you book. Booking 6 to 8 weeks ahead of your preferred sailing date generally gets you more choice and a steadier price than booking at short notice, particularly in the run-up to the European summer and the months before Christmas, when both household and vehicle shipping volumes rise and space tightens on popular lanes.
The most reliable way to work out whether shipping your car makes sense is to get an actual quote rather than rely on general ranges like the ones in this guide, since your specific car, route and timing will move the number up or down. If you fill in one form to get moving quotes, international moving specialists who cover your route will come back to you directly with options for RoRo or container shipping, so you can compare a real price against the cost of selling and replacing the car at your destination. There’s no obligation to proceed, and comparing a firm quote against the sale value of the car is usually the fastest way to settle the “is it worth it” question for good.
If you’re shipping a vehicle as part of a wider relocation that also includes furniture, a pet, or a period in storage while you find permanent housing, it’s worth reading the relevant service pages alongside this one, including dedicated container shipping and storage options, so you can see how the vehicle fits into the rest of the move rather than booking it as an isolated decision.
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Shipping a car overseas: common questions
What documents do you need to ship a car overseas?
You'll typically need the original vehicle registration document (V5C in the UK or equivalent), proof of ownership, your passport, a bill of lading once the car is booked, and an export certificate from your home country's licensing authority. At the destination you'll usually need an import permit or customs declaration, proof of duty and tax payment, and sometimes a roadworthiness or compliance certificate before the car can be registered. Requirements vary by country, so it's worth confirming the exact list with a specialist who covers your specific route before booking.
Do you need insurance to ship a car overseas?
Most destination countries require the car to be insured for the voyage, either through the shipping company's marine cargo cover or a separate policy you arrange yourself, and it's worth checking exactly what's included before you sign anything. Your existing domestic car insurance almost never covers the vehicle while it's at sea or in transit, so don't assume it carries over. Once the car lands, you'll also need to arrange new local insurance before you can legally drive it, which usually can't be set up until the car is registered in-country.
How do you prepare a car for overseas shipping?
Most carriers and customs authorities ask that the fuel tank is no more than a quarter full for the crossing, both for safety reasons and because full tanks add unnecessary weight. The battery is often disconnected or isolated, and loose items, roof racks or anything that could shift or fall off are usually removed beforehand. You'll also need to give the car a thorough clean, inside and out, since countries like Australia and New Zealand carry out strict biosecurity checks for soil, seeds and plant matter and will refuse entry or charge for cleaning if the car fails.
Can you ship personal belongings inside the car?
Yes, in most cases you can ship a car with personal belongings inside it, but only if you're using container shipping rather than RoRo, since RoRo vessels generally don't allow loose items in the vehicle. Even then, there are usually limits on what and how much you can pack, and everything must be declared to customs, as undeclared goods can delay clearance or trigger fines. RoRo shipments are stricter still, often restricted to the glovebox or boot with nothing visible or loose inside the cabin.
Can you ship a right-hand drive car to a left-hand drive country?
A right-hand drive car can usually be imported into a left-hand drive country and vice versa, but many destinations impose extra conditions, higher duty, or outright restrictions on cars with the steering wheel on the
Can you ship a classic or vintage car overseas?
Classic and vintage cars can usually be shipped, and many owners prefer container shipping over RoRo for the extra protection it offers against handling and weather during the crossing. Some countries apply different, sometimes more favourable, duty or import rules for vehicles over a certain age, so it's worth checking whether your car qualifies as a classic under the destination country's definition. Agreed value insurance is particularly important here, since a standard marine policy may not reflect what the car is genuinely worth to you.
What happens if a car fails to clear customs at the destination?
If a car fails to meet the destination country's import, compliance or biosecurity requirements, customs can refuse entry, require the car to be re-exported at the owner's cost, or in some cases order it destroyed if it can't be brought up to standard or sent back. Storage and inspection fees usually keep accruing the whole time the car sits in the port, so delays get expensive quickly. This is why it's worth confirming eligibility and compliance requirements with the destination country's authority before you book shipping, rather than finding out after the car has already left.