How much does it cost to import a car from Japan?
Discussion
Just wondering what all the costs are when importing a car from Japan, and wondered if anyone could give any examples?
There seem to be quite a few interesting cars over there, and the prices look quite good, but then I have no idea how much on top of that I would have to pay.
I think there is shipping, insurance, VAT and import duty, but would appreciate any real examples of costs.
Cheers
There seem to be quite a few interesting cars over there, and the prices look quite good, but then I have no idea how much on top of that I would have to pay.
I think there is shipping, insurance, VAT and import duty, but would appreciate any real examples of costs.
Cheers
Dont do it.
I did it twice in 2008, but in 2010 the company went bust and I lost the car
Now the Yen is too strong, so its not the bargain it used to be.
As an example the last car I imported (and never got) A Legacy B4 was £1100 over Japan. £3800 back on the road here.
Taxes, tax on the taxes (10% import tax on the total amount of the car and VAT), shipping (about £650), insurance, fees for de registration, registration, MOT,road tax
I did it twice in 2008, but in 2010 the company went bust and I lost the car
Now the Yen is too strong, so its not the bargain it used to be.
As an example the last car I imported (and never got) A Legacy B4 was £1100 over Japan. £3800 back on the road here.
Taxes, tax on the taxes (10% import tax on the total amount of the car and VAT), shipping (about £650), insurance, fees for de registration, registration, MOT,road tax
Hi,
i'm a keen follower of a guy on youtube called "wasabicars". He goes around Japan filming classic jap metal whereever he may find it and has uncovered some real gems.
With a bit of a resurgence in Classic jap metal getting more popular these days like early Celicas, GT-R's, even the really early Hi Lux's & wot not, is it possible to import the classic stuff?, as there seems to be no shortage. They don't seem to cost vast fortunes (a few are abandoned). Does anyone know if the duties are less on say a 20/30 year old car than a relatively new one?.
i'm a keen follower of a guy on youtube called "wasabicars". He goes around Japan filming classic jap metal whereever he may find it and has uncovered some real gems.
With a bit of a resurgence in Classic jap metal getting more popular these days like early Celicas, GT-R's, even the really early Hi Lux's & wot not, is it possible to import the classic stuff?, as there seems to be no shortage. They don't seem to cost vast fortunes (a few are abandoned). Does anyone know if the duties are less on say a 20/30 year old car than a relatively new one?.
I imported through japan-partner.com a few years ago, I'm in Ireland so some costs won't apply to you, but just to give you an idea.
I paid for the car, and for shipping (€800 to get it to Dublin)
Vat (20 ish% as its outside the EU)
Customs and Excise (another 10%)
Port costs (about €130)
VRT on the plate (€314, your DVLA costs will be different)
Here's what's cheap with them at the moment:
http://www.japan-partner.com/stocklist.html?sort_b...
I paid for the car, and for shipping (€800 to get it to Dublin)
Vat (20 ish% as its outside the EU)
Customs and Excise (another 10%)
Port costs (about €130)
VRT on the plate (€314, your DVLA costs will be different)
Here's what's cheap with them at the moment:
http://www.japan-partner.com/stocklist.html?sort_b...
I didn't import my car previous owner did few years before and bugger me its expensive to insure for that reason, in fact I have only be able to insure it through Adrian Flux. Nno one else wanted to know and I am still paying substantially more than a similar UK version of the car would be, so think of insurance cost as well as the actual import and required customisation.
Stiglet80 said:
I didn't import my car previous owner did few years before and bugger me its expensive to insure for that reason, in fact I have only be able to insure it through Adrian Flux. Nno one else wanted to know and I am still paying substantially more than a similar UK version of the car would be, so think of insurance cost as well as the actual import and required customisation.
Just to balance this out Adrian Flux are most expensive for me.We are insuring a Legacy B4 RSK for £240 with quote me happy. Flux are over a grand.
Never had a problem with insurance for any of my imports.
Breakdown of costs and timeline for importing a car from Japan
http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.php?342007-Guid...
VAT is slightly higher now, otherwise I think costs should be similar.
http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.php?342007-Guid...
VAT is slightly higher now, otherwise I think costs should be similar.
nottyash said:
Just to balance this out Adrian Flux are most expensive for me.
We are insuring a Legacy B4 RSK for £240 with quote me happy. Flux are over a grand.
Never had a problem with insurance for any of my imports.
Interesting! I will have to try quote me happy, I gave up with all the main stream dealers. We are insuring a Legacy B4 RSK for £240 with quote me happy. Flux are over a grand.
Never had a problem with insurance for any of my imports.
Stiglet80 said:
I didn't import my car previous owner did few years before and bugger me its expensive to insure for that reason, in fact I have only be able to insure it through Adrian Flux. Nno one else wanted to know and I am still paying substantially more than a similar UK version of the car would be, so think of insurance cost as well as the actual import and required customisation.
Sorry to be slightly off topic but, there are loads of insurance companies out there that specialise in imports. The last Impreza I had about 18 months ago. I was paying just over £500 full comp on an Impreza MY97 STi - 31 full ncb. My dad was paying just under £400 on a UK wagon MY2000 - 52 full ncb. Not bad considering the difference in our ages.
Try companies such as A-Plan and Keith Michaels. My current import (eunos v-spec) is insured under a classic policy and is no more expensive than a UK model.
mneame said:
Sorry to be slightly off topic but, there are loads of insurance companies out there that specialise in imports.
The last Impreza I had about 18 months ago. I was paying just over £500 full comp on an Impreza MY97 STi - 31 full ncb. My dad was paying just under £400 on a UK wagon MY2000 - 52 full ncb. Not bad considering the difference in our ages.
Try companies such as A-Plan and Keith Michaels. My current import (eunos v-spec) is insured under a classic policy and is no more expensive than a UK model.
Cool thanks, it is renewal time soon so will defo have a ring round. The last Impreza I had about 18 months ago. I was paying just over £500 full comp on an Impreza MY97 STi - 31 full ncb. My dad was paying just under £400 on a UK wagon MY2000 - 52 full ncb. Not bad considering the difference in our ages.
Try companies such as A-Plan and Keith Michaels. My current import (eunos v-spec) is insured under a classic policy and is no more expensive than a UK model.
Happy Christmas! ! My Toyota Prius 2012 have arrived from Japan.I must say the cars are better quality and have more gadgets....I have paid all togather 1600 pounds each vehicle in which certainly I paid delivery from port to my house around 160 quid each ...you can check the duty calculator on www.japaneseusedcars.co or email them I had all info supplied to me before I booked my car.Thanks
2008/2010 was a long time ago now so just pay attention when you pick the company and you should be ok. Torque GT and JM Imports are the two I've heard with the best reputation, the former is who I used so check out their website for a look at what they do. The only thing you should be annoyed about with importing a car from Japan is how long the sea journey takes!
I'd also ring up a couple of them and ask directly, the two mentioned were friendly and open to discussion on the phone.
I got a grade 4 R33 Skyline from Torque with under 50,000 miles on the clock and FSH for just under £7k, which is about £1k - £1.5k more than an already landed one, but then you get to be the first owner over here so know that it's going to be treated right from the off!
I got an "on the road" price (so doing things like MOT, DVLA registration, Foglight etc) so can't give you much of a breakdown I'm afraid.
If you want anymore info let me know
I'd also ring up a couple of them and ask directly, the two mentioned were friendly and open to discussion on the phone.
I got a grade 4 R33 Skyline from Torque with under 50,000 miles on the clock and FSH for just under £7k, which is about £1k - £1.5k more than an already landed one, but then you get to be the first owner over here so know that it's going to be treated right from the off!
I got an "on the road" price (so doing things like MOT, DVLA registration, Foglight etc) so can't give you much of a breakdown I'm afraid.
If you want anymore info let me know
A couple of people I know have bought cars via TorqueGT and the purchase went smoothly an the cars are in excellent condition.
As a rough guide around £1500-2000 should get the to the UK an have it ready to drive. Additional taxes will need to be added which are calculated based on the vehicle value.
As a rough guide around £1500-2000 should get the to the UK an have it ready to drive. Additional taxes will need to be added which are calculated based on the vehicle value.
When I imported my Mazda RX7 Type RZ didn't find the import cost to be too painful however insurance on the other hand can be an issue.
Standard insurance companies generally take a punitive stance against import drivers.
Found Keith Micheal reasonable who also provide a fairly comprehensive guide on import insurance & costs :
https://www.keithmichaels.co.uk/jap-import-car-ins...
Another thing to bear in mind though when looking at importing is your general maintenance cost are going to increase if there isn't a close domestic model with similar parts, meaning your going to be shopping around a lot for any replacement parts you may need.
Would definitely advise getting different quotes on insurance & weigh up the long term maintenance costs before you buy
Hope this Helps.
Standard insurance companies generally take a punitive stance against import drivers.
Found Keith Micheal reasonable who also provide a fairly comprehensive guide on import insurance & costs :
https://www.keithmichaels.co.uk/jap-import-car-ins...
Another thing to bear in mind though when looking at importing is your general maintenance cost are going to increase if there isn't a close domestic model with similar parts, meaning your going to be shopping around a lot for any replacement parts you may need.
Would definitely advise getting different quotes on insurance & weigh up the long term maintenance costs before you buy
Hope this Helps.
Edited by Cmann on Monday 12th June 10:49
Forums would be the best place for local maintenance people, I'm lucky with my Skyline with some great guys about 40mins away but when I had my MG the best people were 2hrs away! 
Also watch insurance companies depending on the car you get, I've had a couple stop doing Skyline's when I was getting my quotes this year which is a PITA!
Skyline Insurance
Greenlight
Adrian Flux (I'd never go with these guys)
are some other recommendations.
Also watch insurance companies depending on the car you get, I've had a couple stop doing Skyline's when I was getting my quotes this year which is a PITA!
Skyline Insurance
Greenlight
Adrian Flux (I'd never go with these guys)
are some other recommendations.
got a car on its way over from Japan right now. The pound may not be too great against the yen but when a car is 1/5 the price of here there's still lots of savings to be made.
I've found it a fairly painless process but I have a friend who did it a few years ago who's guided me through the steps I'll need to take in order to get it road legal.
Costs so far
£4,000 (568,000 Yen) for Car and for it to be shipped to Newcastle
£200 for car to be transported to Glasgow
£1000 for tax etc (may vary depending on value of Yen/GBP)
£30-50 for MOT
£55 to register car
£240 for tax
£600 for insurance
Ends up at around £6,000. The car in question is a 2002 Subaru Legacy GTV Rev D. Grade 4 with around 65,000 miles with no rust. It was bought from a dealership in Japan rather than an auction so has lots of history and paperwork with it and all looks good.
There's cheaper earlier models in the uk but they have quite a few issues. For good ones in similar spec it comes out as slightly cheaper. I've never really had issues with insurance as my Rx7 FD is around £450 a year to insure.
I've found it a fairly painless process but I have a friend who did it a few years ago who's guided me through the steps I'll need to take in order to get it road legal.
Costs so far
£4,000 (568,000 Yen) for Car and for it to be shipped to Newcastle
£200 for car to be transported to Glasgow
£1000 for tax etc (may vary depending on value of Yen/GBP)
£30-50 for MOT
£55 to register car
£240 for tax
£600 for insurance
Ends up at around £6,000. The car in question is a 2002 Subaru Legacy GTV Rev D. Grade 4 with around 65,000 miles with no rust. It was bought from a dealership in Japan rather than an auction so has lots of history and paperwork with it and all looks good.
There's cheaper earlier models in the uk but they have quite a few issues. For good ones in similar spec it comes out as slightly cheaper. I've never really had issues with insurance as my Rx7 FD is around £450 a year to insure.
Edited by KaiserDahms on Friday 23 June 17:57
Hi Guys,
First post.
I was trying to make a new post but there wasn't a option (registered today)
I am looking to import a car from japan first time,
The car is FOB 5,640 and CIF 6,825 (I believe this is including shipping to UK southampton)
I have spoken to a local mechainc who said I need to get the car Individual Vehicle Approval Test this will be
£199.00 VOSA FEE
£75 DVLA FEE
£600 CHARGE FROM HIM
KM to miles conversion
mot
fog lights
model report
now I don't understand how it works, do I pay £6,825 to the seller there and they ship it to the port and I collect it from the port?
I have read somewhere that there is a import tax to be paid, how much is this?
The car is a 2014 prius
In london the similar model and miles is around 10-11k I am just wondering what the process was from start to finish.
Any help would be great!
First post.
I was trying to make a new post but there wasn't a option (registered today)
I am looking to import a car from japan first time,
The car is FOB 5,640 and CIF 6,825 (I believe this is including shipping to UK southampton)
I have spoken to a local mechainc who said I need to get the car Individual Vehicle Approval Test this will be
£199.00 VOSA FEE
£75 DVLA FEE
£600 CHARGE FROM HIM
KM to miles conversion
mot
fog lights
model report
now I don't understand how it works, do I pay £6,825 to the seller there and they ship it to the port and I collect it from the port?
I have read somewhere that there is a import tax to be paid, how much is this?
The car is a 2014 prius
In london the similar model and miles is around 10-11k I am just wondering what the process was from start to finish.
Any help would be great!
Based on your figures above, after import costs, VAT, import duty, customs clearance fees etc. you will be looking at about £10K to get it on the road.
Try using the UK calculator here and adjust it for the current exchange rate and your costs for shipping and SVA: https://www.japaneseusedcars.com/auction/auctions_...
Try using the UK calculator here and adjust it for the current exchange rate and your costs for shipping and SVA: https://www.japaneseusedcars.com/auction/auctions_...
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