Quick Guide To Car Shipping Getting your classic between countries with ease
If you’ve found the car of your dreams beyond home shores, there are plenty of considerations to getting it back home – and plenty of companies to help
There are at least three good reasons to move a classic car from one country to another. Firstly, the model you want may be cheaper abroad; secondly, the only decent choice may be in another country and thirdly, you might want to enjoy touring in a car you already own. Shipping to or from countries outside the EU involves more cost and paperwork than the equivalent within Europe – for the time being anyway. Happily, many shipping agents now offer a door-to-door service that covers not only collection and road transport at each end, but customs clearance and form-filling as well.
UK customs regulations define a classic car very tightly, as Tim Fillingham of Tradeway Shipping explains: ‘Any car manufactured more than 30 years ago is exempt from import duty and pays only five per cent VAT on entry to the UK. Import a younger car and you’ll pay 10 per cent duty and then 20 per cent VAT on the purchase price, duty and other costs added together.’
Shipping outside the EU
Moving cars by ship from the USA may be less expensive than you’d expect – say £600 or less, if you share a container or use a roll-on/roll-off service. But there are many additional costs, including road transport to the port, marine insurance, handling charges at ports of exit and entry, VAT and charges for storage or managing import paperwork. We were quoted £1500 to move a 1969 Cadillac worth $15k from New York state to Felixstowe in a shared container, covering everything mentioned above but not including registration or UK delivery. If the car is a $150k E-type Jaguar, the price rises to £2900, because of the increased insurance cost.
Nick Roach of Ship My Car Ltd, who supplied these online quotes, offers his recommendation, ‘It’s always easier to stick with one operator for the whole process. You have one point of contact and avoid any arguments over whose insurance is supposed to cover you at which point, should anything go wrong.’
Marine insurance is not compulsory but it should be regarded as such, thinks Tim Fillingham, ‘You’re covered for any damage the car might incur through rough weather or poor handling, and also for salvage. If a ship runs aground or is lost, the captain can declare what’s called ‘General Average’ – all those with property on board must pay an equal share of the salvage costs. It’s unlikely but it has happened.’
Damage to cars in transit brings up the choice of which shipping method to pick. Roll-on, roll-off (Roro) is the low-cost option, but it’s not always right for classics. ‘Most Ro-ro operators will take cars as long as they have a working handbrake,’ says Kevin Lewis of RJJ Freight. ‘But there’s no protection from trophy hunters. Sometimes we’ve had gearknobs or even steering wheels go missing.’ Nick Roach has heard of fines being imposed by some Ro-ro services if classics fail to start and hold up the unloading process. ‘Shared containers are a safer bet,’ he says. ‘We can get four cars into a 40ft container, supported on very sturdy steel racking and shipped at a cost that’s barely any more than Ro-ro.’
For anyone needing the highest security or wishing to move other items like spares back with the car, an individual 20ft container is an option. ‘You’ll pay more than twice the fee for importing a car on the equivalent route in a shared container,’ says Fillingham. ‘But you have the advantage of a quicker turnaround, as shared containers often need to wait for other cars to fill them before they’re loaded.’
Truly long-distance shipping naturally costs more but does vary; shipping from Japan is more expensive than Australia because local charges are higher. For rapid movement, air freight is the only option and for typical
‘Many shipping agents now offer a doorto-door service’
journeys into the UK from North America or Dubai it will add between £6000 and £8000 to the surface shipping price. Insurance is handled in a similar way to marine cover, usually based around 1.5 to 2 per cent of vehicle value. ‘For temporary export such as use in an overseas rally, we can organise a carnet de passage that’s valid for a year,’ says Lewis. ‘It means there’s no messing about with duties and customs.’
Shipping within the EU
Shippers usually offer two approaches to European road transport: open-air carriers with up to ten vehicles on board, or closed pods for individual transit.
Much European car haulage to and from the UK is done for rallies, holidays and so forth, and as such is highly seasonal with prices moving significantly between summer and winter. As a compromise example, a oneway trip to bring a car from northern Italy to the UK in September or October on an open carrier is likely to be around £850 to £900, insurance included.
If in doubt, phone and ask, says Tim Fillingham. ‘Any good shipper should be able to advise on every stage of the process, from recommending a vehicle inspector to dropping the car off at your door. We expect people to be into classic cars, not into shipping. That’s our job.’