Importing a coupe to the UK
Two doors, a fixed roof and usually a reason. Here’s what it takes to bring one in and what the age of it does to the tax.
- Our own IVA and MOT lanes
- Plates on in 10 working days at the DVLA
- Customs handled in-house, not farmed out
- 25+ years of imported coupes
Worth knowing first
The good ones are turning thirty
The coupes we get asked about were mostly built between 1990 and 2000. Supras, RX-7s, Skylines, NSXs. They’re crossing thirty years old now, and thirty is the age at which a car pays 5% import VAT and no duty at all, instead of 20% VAT and, from outside the EU, 10% duty on top. On the cars people bring in, that gap is worth more than the shipping.
Thirty and forty are different rules
Thirty years gets you the historic rate of import VAT. Forty years is when the MOT requirement falls away. They catch people out because they sound like the same thing: a 1996 coupe qualifies for the tax break and still needs an MOT.
What your coupe needs before it can be registered
Testing is a separate question from tax, and it’s decided by the same thing: how old the car is. We confirm which one applies before you commit.
Under 10 years old
IVA test
A newer coupe has to satisfy UK type approval. Either we’ll register it on a Certificate of Conformity from the factory, or it goes through an IVA test in our lane. We run ours weekly.
Over 10 years old
MOT and modifications
Type approval no longer applies. The car needs an MOT and whatever work its age calls for. On a Japanese coupe that’s nearly always the lights and the speedometer.
Over 40 years old
Neither
No MOT, no approval test. An old coupe can be delivered to your door while the registration goes through. These are the ones where the paperwork is the hard part and the car is the easy part.
Modified cars are worth mentioning early. A lot of the JDM coupes coming over have had something done to them, and heavy modifications can change what an IVA test wants to see. Tell us at the quote stage and we will tell you where you stand.
Where the coupes come from
The country changes the shipping and the customs. It has no bearing on who does the work once the car lands.
Japan
The heartland. Supras, RX-7s, Skylines, Silvias, NSXs, and a steady run of things that never wore a UK badge. Right-hand drive already.
United States
Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers and the older pony cars. Left-hand drive, so the lights and the speedometer go on the list.
Germany
911s, M-cars and AMGs, often bought there because the spec was better or the price was. Post-Brexit these carry import VAT.
We ship from 54 countries. Find yours
Tell us about the coupe
Year, model, where it is sat and where you want it. We come back with one figure covering the lot, including what the tax will actually be.
Coupes we handle most
Every marque has its own page with the models, the paperwork and the things that tend to catch people out.
Port to plates
What the import involves
Hand over the whole job or just the end of it. Some customers arrange their own shipping and come to us for the testing and the plates.
- 1CollectionWe collect from the seller, the auction house or your own drive and get the car to the loading warehouse.
- 2ShippingContainer or RoRo, with marine insurance for the crossing. We book it, we track it, you watch it on the portal.
- 3CustomsWe’re HMRC CDS authorised agents with customs staff in-house, so your entry is filed by the same firm that shipped the car.
- 4UnloadingContainers come to our own facility rather than a port warehouse. That means no port waiting times and nobody rushing a car off a trailer.
- 5ModificationsHeadlights, rear fog light and speedometer, done here, to the standard the test needs.
- 6TestingIVA, MSVA or MOT in our own lanes. We book the date, so your car does not leave the site to be tested.
- 7RegistrationOur dealer-level DVLA account gives an expected turnaround of 10 working days, then the plates go on.
- 8DeliveryCollect it from us, or we’ll bring it to you on an open or enclosed trailer.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
No two imports are quite the same. If your question isn’t here, ring the office.
My coupe is over thirty. What does that actually save?
Import VAT drops to 5% and the 10% duty falls away entirely. It’s charged on the purchase price plus the cost of getting the car here, so on the sort of money these cars now make, the saving is substantial. We work the figure out for you before you commit to anything.
Does a GT-R or a Supra count as a coupe?
For our purposes, yes, and they are a good chunk of what comes through. The R32 and R33 Skylines are past thirty already and the R34 is getting there, which puts them in the historic VAT band.
The car has been modified. Is that a problem?
Not necessarily, but say so up front. Engine swaps, cages, big brake kits and suspension changes can all affect what an IVA test looks at. Over ten years old it matters far less, because the car is going through an MOT instead.
Can I import a left-hand-drive coupe?
Yes. It registers the same as anything else. The work is the headlights, the rear fog light and the speedometer. Read the full guide →
What will the shipping cost?
It turns on the route. We publish guide prices by region, built from a sample of a year’s worth of real jobs. See the guide prices →
When would I get it?
A car from Europe is a matter of days. Japan and America are a matter of weeks at sea. Then the testing, then ten working days for the registration. We put a real date against it when we quote rather than a range.