Importing your car from Spain to the United Kingdom

Given the large number of expats in Spain, there are regular vehicle shipments from Spain to the United Kingdom and vice versa. It is potentially one of the cheapest locations in the EU to transport a car from, despite being fairly far away.

This is because of the volume of cars being moved between the two locations. We always advise filling in our quote form for the latest price.

At the time of writing, it is around £1,200–£1,500 per vehicle. Prices will always fluctuate with transport, and it usually directly correlates with the price of fuel.

How we move cars from Europe →

If you have a larger vehicle please call. These will not fit on a standard multi-car transporter. They can however be transported on their own or with a larger two vehicle HGV that is capable of moving two at a time.

The rate of transport on motorhomes varies, but you can expect it to cost roughly two to three times more than moving one car.

Absolutely. The most common methods include road transportation and shipping via a RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off) vessel or in a shipping container. We usually offer road freight as it is often the cheapest way to get your car back from Spain to the United Kingdom.

Please note that these are just estimated timeframes.

You can drive a car from Spain in the UK. However, there are a few important things to bear in mind.

Ensure that you have a valid driving licence that is accepted in both Spain and the UK. We get asked this question a lot! If you have a driving licence issued in an EU/EEA country, it is generally valid for driving in the UK. Usually if you are moving to the United Kingdom you can exchange it for a GB licence.

You should ensure that your car is properly registered and insured in Spain. It is recommended to contact your insurance provider to confirm the coverage for driving in the UK. A lot of our customers will bring their cars here when they move, and then will wait for the registration paperwork to come through so the car can still be used.

Here are a few of the common documents you might need depending on whether or not you are a transferring resident:

It’s a phrase we invented to assist with those who just need help with the paperwork. You bring your car to the UK, and get an MOT. Our role is to check over all your documents, and submit your registration application for you.

During the entire process of getting your vehicle registered you are assigned one of our import agents to assist in answering any queries and to ensure you have everything that you need to get your vehicle registered.

It is a fantastic way to get vehicles over ten years old registered with as little stress as possible. Basically you take your car for an MOT and we take care of the paperwork side.

We like to think of it as the best of both worlds, and a lot of our customers choose this route for older vehicles that can be driven on foreign insurance until they are registered.

It’s also a fantastic option for classic vehicles that we don’t physically need to see.

We do this using an IVA test. We have a privately operated IVA testing facility in the UK, meaning your car will not be waiting for a testing slot at a government testing centre, which can take weeks, if not months to obtain. We IVA test every week on-site and therefore have the fastest turnaround to get your car registered and on UK roads.

Every car is different and every manufacturer has different support standards for assisting their clients through the import process, so please get a quote so we can discuss the optimum speed and cost option for your circumstances.

We manage the whole process on your behalf, whether that is dealing with the homologation team of your car’s manufacturer or the Department for Transport, so you can relax in the knowledge that you will be legally registered with the DVLA in the shortest time possible.

We have built an extensive catalogue of the makes and models of cars we have imported so can give you an accurate estimate of what your car will require to be ready for its IVA test.

Cars over 10 years old are type approval exempt but still require a safety test, called an MOT, and similar modifications to an IVA test prior to registration. The modifications depend on the age but are generally to the rear fog light.

If your car is over 40 years old it does not need an MOT test and can be delivered directly to your UK address ahead of it being registered.

Yes, quite a few! Here are a few of our favourites:

• Bugatti Chiron
• Ferrari F40
• Jaguar XJ220
• Ferrari California T
• Aston Martin DB12
• Maserati Quattroporte and 4200 GT Gransport

For most of these vehicles we would have arranged enclosed transport or air freight. The Chiron was a particular favourite of ours, but the F40 is also a very amazing car to see in real life.

Thanks to the sun, these cars are often in better condition than their UK counterparts.

In the past few years we have helped to import the following classic cars from Spain to the United Kingdom. Here are a few of our favourites:

• Lancia Fulvia and Ardea
• Lotus Elan
• Morgan 4/4
• Opel Kapitän
• Buick Master 6
• Corvette C3 and C5
• Porsche 964
• MGB
• Ford Escort and Sierra

Each one would have had a unique route to registration and possibly a lot of interest from the people in the office.

We have had a few British cars that were actually built in Spain. Like the Authi Mini Cooper 1300, which is essentially a Spanish-built Mini. It was produced between 1968 and 1975 so quite rare, and there were also a pair of Santana Land Rovers, which were manufactured in Spain around 1958.

Then there have been a few American vehicles, like a Hummer H2 and Cadillac Escalade, that both found their way to Spain, and then on to the United Kingdom.