Hi, I'm looking to import a Forester from Japan. Has anyone done this themselves? I'm trying to find out what fees there will be.
The car in question is £1200. I've had a quote from one company, OTR price is £3400, which seems high, or am i being naive?
How can it cost £2200 to import and register a car. I understand Duty is 10%, vat 15%, shipping £650, mot £50, registration £80, total £2250, what am i missing?

Thanks,Mit

 

I have some experience in importing cars and all I can say is it is not always as simple as it sounds...lol.

For starters, Forrester is a big vehicle and will take up a lot of footage on the boat, probably looking at a £700-£800 shipping fee!! That should cover your shipping insurance aswell I would think but just to get the car to the UK for a £1200 Forester is £2000....

Then 10% + 15% is another 500bucks.....

Be careful about costs at the docks cos there are a lot of other little payments to be made to clear the car. Defferment, entry and stuff but the company might give you a better idea! MOT, registration, number plates, tax...heaps to think about really that could add up.

Car £1200
Shipping + Ins. £700-800
Duty + Vat £500
Clear customs (entry and stuff) probs another £150-200ish
Mot £50 (plus say £10 to fit fogger) £60
Registration £80
Road Tax (6months) £100??
Underseal £100??
Mileage Converted and maybe fuel hole thing £100??
Number Plates £20

Not forgetting transporting the car to their workshop for the work....say 100-200bucks

That all comes out at £3110-3360.......

Then there is their profit margin cos they won't be doing it all for free......most companies I spoke to were asking for around £400 to arrange the import for me. I decided to do it myself but was a lot of hassle, running about etc. and I'm sure I ended up paying more than I should for certain things but I'll know for next time! Lol.

 

Thanks for the info, i decided to use a different company in the end, the full works, tax,plates,mot etc, drive away £2700. The cars cost is £1008. I can't believe how cheap they are, shame we have to pay so much! The cars only done 45k, very clean, see pic!

 

There was quite a good write up in red line (yes im sorry) a few months ago maybe, went into some depth on it. Looks like a bargain to me

Charlie