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How to bring your car to England

Last activity 16 May 2017 by JeremyRob

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Bhavna

Hello everybody,

If you exported your car to England, were there any formalities that needed to be completed beforehand? What were they?

What is the best way to export your car? Is there a limit on the number of vehicles, or perhaps the age of the vehicle? Are there limits on emissions or emission controls in England?

What are the expected costs of exporting a car? In your opinion, is it worth it?

Once you arrived in England, what were the applicable taxes? What was the customs process like?

How do you go about registering an imported car in England?

Is it best to buy a car once you have arrived or to bring your car with you, in your opinion?

We look forward to hearing from you!

Bhavna

AlluringAnil

Hi, I don't think it would be worth bringing your car from anywhere outside the EU. I believe, even within the EU you will have to pay the taxes if you are intending to stay more than 3 months. Buy a car here when you arrive and leave your beloved car at home to be used when you visit home.
Good luck with your move to England !

Bhavna

Hi AlluringAnil,

Thank you very much for the feedback.

Here is what i found : https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-i … k/overview  but i don't know if the rules will change in a near future.

All the best,
Bhavna

Cynic

Apart from the costs and red-tape involved in bringing a car into the UK, the biggest issue to consider is the fact that if it's left-hand drive, the UK drives on the other side of the road, so overtaking is a bit challenging.  That said, I drove a left-hand drive car for a couple of years and lived to tell the tale. :)

Aussie Dreamer

Hi all.

As Citizens of the Globe; we were given the ability to get our 6 month old owned car Shipped from Australia across to America when hubby's work transferred and covered all our removal & visa costs back in 2001. 
However,  upon closer research we opted to sell instead of having all of the internal driving controls switched over to the Left for a Right Hand drive in USA - as for A$15,K with no guarantees it'll be a success plus we were advised despite being tied down; if the Seas or rough, a lot of Under bonnet & engine damage can be caused in being Shipped across the Pond.   Then upon arrival additional fees and Taxes would apply B4 you can collect your vehicle and a daily parking fee would be charged until you collect.     Closer research found cars are cheaper  to re-purchase in USA. 
Same goes for United Kingdom; cars are reasonably cheap to purchase and so I'd recommend you sell or store and purchase another here in UK.

Now if we were to return to Australia; a UK car can be shipped across to OZ for £7,K plus A$500.00 Port Fees upon arrival B4 it's release to you. 
Plus you can foil the vehicle with personal effects (excludes any stuff being stored in the front seat).  Now I'd consider this option given both Countries are Right Control for a Left side Drive and cars to purchase in OZ are super expensive to replace.  So do your research - and weigh up all options B4 you decide.  Just remember it's unpredictable how well it'll travel through turbulent waters??

Aussie Dreamer

As a Citizen Of The World;
Having begun driving on the Left side - I drove 17 years in Australia then switch to driving 15 years on the Right side and now been driving these past 2 years in UK back on the a Left again; I too live to tell this Story!    However, be pre-warned: from 2018 UK will be updating their Driving Test to include Sat Nav & other everyday driving situations - currently not included in today's driving portion of their D-Testing process.
UK was the 3rd Country I've re-sat my Theory and Driving-Test in and it's way more harder to get a license in UK.   However, you can drive using your Current Drivers license for 12 months from date you arrived into the UK.

AlluringAnil

Thanks Bhavna,
That would be the link you should monitor closely as it is the government website. I would think it would be expensive to get your car shipped when you can buy a car here at a cheaper rate. Which car are you planning to ship?

SimCityAT

AlluringAnil wrote:

Thanks Bhavna,
That would be the link you should monitor closely as it is the government website. I would think it would be expensive to get your car shipped when you can buy a car here at a cheaper rate. Which car are you planning to ship?


Bhavna is one of the Moderators of the site, they ask questions like this all the time to keep the site flowing nicely. She is not asking for herself but everyone.

SimCityAT
Expat.com Expert Team

SimCityAT

Aussie Dreamer wrote:

However, be pre-warned: from 2018 UK will be updating their Driving Test to include Sat Nav & other everyday driving situations - currently not included in today's driving portion of their D-Testing process..


Driving test changes: 4 December 2017

JeremyRob

What I suggest is... sell you car in your home country and get a used car in the UK (that's what I did).

They're quite cheap (insurance might not be, though), and also, having the wheel on the right makes them safer to drive in many circumstances thanks to better visibility.

Also, when you drive alone and have to pay for parking at the gate, you won't need an extra-long arm if you're sitting on the right side... that's just an example.

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