Average Cost of Shipping a Car From the USA to the UK

1. What Is the Average Cost of Shipping a Car From the USA to the UK?
2. How Much Is Vehicle Insurance When Shipping My Car From the USA to the UK?
3. What Methods Are Available for Shipping a Car From the USA to the UK?
4. What Delivery Services Are Available for Shipping a Car From the USA to the UK?
5. How Much Money to Get My Car Shipped Fast From the USA to the UK?
6. What Is the Least Expensive Time of Year to Send My Car From the USA to the UK?

The idea of moving from the USA to the UK is an exciting prospect. Whether you're already making plans to move overseas to the UK or mulling over the idea—a rich history, substantial educational opportunities, and iconic cities like London draw people to the UK from all over the world.

If you're evaluating a move from the USA to the UK and own a car, chances are you're wondering how much it'll cost to ship your vehicle overseas to the UK.

We're here to give you the ins-and-outs regarding the costs of shipping a car from the USA to the UK by covering:

• Average costs
• What goes into a vehicle shipping quote
• Additional fees
• Insurance
• Shipping and delivery methods
• Delivery time estimates

—and more!

Let's cut to the chase and discuss average costs along with how your quote will be calculated.

What Is the Average Cost of Shipping a Car From the USA to the UK?

While there is no one clear-cut answer to how much money it'll cost to ship a vehicle from the USA to the UK, we can provide you with average baseline costs. It will cost you at least $650 to send your vehicle from the USA to the UK. The exact cost of shipping your car from the USA to the UK will be based on your vehicle's make and model, the shipping and delivery method you select, as well as where your vehicle is coming from and the port you're it's going to. Chances are you're going to pay over $650 to send your car overseas to the UK from the USA.

We recommend that you contact A-1 Auto Transport to request a quote regarding how much it'll cost you to send your vehicle to the UK. A-1 Auto Transport's staff can take a detailed look at your specific needs and provide you with a quote that reflects how much it'll cost to meet those needs.

One advantage that you can gain while working with a professional vehicle shipping service is the insight into what additional fees will be associated with sending your car to the UK from the USA.

What Additional Fees Will I Be Subject to When Shipping My Car From the USA to the UK?

UK taxes and duties, storage fees, cleaning costs, and vendor fees primarily makeup the add-on fees you'll be subject to when shipping a car into the UK from the USA. The UK has people importing cars paying a 10% import duty, 20% value-added tax, or a 5% import duty on collector edition vehicles with no value-added tax. It's essential to know that not all cars coming into the UK will be subject to value-added tax and vehicle tax.

You'll have to pay vehicle and value-added tax if:

• Your car is relatively new, and you've been operating it for less than six months
• You're moving from outside of the UK and plan to stay in the UK for over one year
• You paid no duties or taxes on the car
• You received a refund on value-added tax or sales tax with the vehicle

Below are instances where value-added tax and vehicle tax aren't required:

• You already live in the UK and only need the vehicle temporarily
• You're relocating to the UK and are legally allowed to transfer your residency
• You're currently living outside of the UK and need the vehicle temporarily

If you have to pay import duties and taxes when shipping your car to the UK, the amount will depend on your shipment details.

How Much Is Vehicle Insurance When Shipping My Car From the USA to the UK?

Typical costs for marine transport insurance will be 1.1-2.5% of your total shipping costs. You'll be able to get Marine transport insurance that'll cover any instances of damage to your vehicle while it's traveling overseas. When setting up your insurance plan, you can generally select All-Risk insurance or Total-Loss-Only insurance. All-risk insurance is more expensive and involves you insuring for your vehicle's total value. In contrast, Total-Loss-Only insurance is less expensive but only covers your car if it disappears during its journey.

Maritime insurance is worth the extra cost as you'll have peace of mind while your vehicle is in transit. You'll be able to purchase an additional insurance policy from your provider to ensure your vehicle's safety.

The shipping method you select when planning to ship your car or motorcycle from the USA to the UK will significantly impact the final price tag you receive from a vehicle transport company.

What Methods Are Available for Shipping a Car From the USA to the UK?

When it comes to selecting a method to ship your vehicle from the USA to the UK, it's all about selecting the service that's right for you. Airfreight and sea freight shipping are the two main services people utilize to ship a car from the USA to the UK. Most people select sea freight shipping for an overseas move due to the lower cost. If you can afford to pay the steep price tag to ship a vehicle from the USA to the UK, your vehicle will arrive at a much faster rate than sea freight shipping.

People who select air freight shipping typically transport high-value vehicles like modern exotic sports cars or rare vintage collectible vehicles. The amount of security is generally a bit higher at airports than seaports, so the extra sense of safety is helpful to owners of high-value cars.

That's not to say that sea freight shipping will result in your car being lost or totaled. The people that transport cars overseas via cargo ships are trained professionals with the experience needed to take care of your vehicle. If you select sea freight shipping, roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) and lift-on/lift-off (LoLo) will be your options for loading a vehicle onto a sea freight ship. Vehicle platforms allow cars to drive up onto sea freight ships through their power during RoRo. LoLo involves a ship using onboard cranes to lift a vehicle onboard during loading and lower a vehicle off the ship during unloading.

LoLo will be more expensive than RoRo loading and unloading due to the eco-friendliness and protection that the service provides for your vehicle.

A major element that will influence how much it costs to transport your vehicle overseas is which delivery service you select. Your car needs a way to get to its origin port and its destination from the port it arrives in.

What Delivery Services Are Available for Shipping a Car From the USA to the UK?

Like choosing a delivery method for shipping your vehicle from the USA to the UK, vehicle transport companies offer two primary options for delivering a vehicle to its destination. Those two options are door-to-door delivery or port-to-port delivery. Door-to-door delivery consists of a vehicle shipping company arriving at your home in the USA, loading your vehicle, transporting your car to the origin port, and delivering the vehicle outside the door of your new home in the UK when it arrives. Port-to-port delivery involves delivering your vehicle to the port of origin and picking up the car at its arrival port in the UK to drive the car to your new home.

While door-to-door delivery is more expensive than port-to-port delivery, the convenience is well worth the cost if your budget can accommodate the service. You'll find that port-to-port delivery can get especially stressful if your UK destination is further inland than the port in which it's arriving in.

How Much Money to Get My Car Shipped Fast From the USA to the UK?

Earlier, we mentioned that air freight shipping is the service for you if you're looking for your vehicle to be delivered from the USA to the UK as fast as possible. We also didn't fail to mention that air freight shipping is linked with a hefty price tag. So, how hefty is this price tag? As a general estimate, Bloomberg reports that shipping a car from the East Coast of the United States to Europe by air can cost between $15,000-$20,000 compared to the $4,000-$5,000 average costs for sea freight container shipping.

It's easy to see why people usually reserve air freight shipping for rare, exotic vehicles. Sea freight shipping will take longer to complete, but you can work around the lengthier delivery time by booking your reservation far in advance to ensure your vehicle arrives in the UK at the same time you do.

Let's wrap up by discussing how the time of year that you ship your car will affect the final price you pay.

What Is the Least Expensive Time of Year to Send My Car From the USA to the UK?

Summer and the holidays are two of the busiest time of the year for auto transport companies. If an auto transport company is busy, you'll have fewer times available to book a shipping appointment for your vehicle and end up paying more. We recommend booking your appointment in the fall after the back-to-school rush in September as the weather is fairer than Winter, and there won't be as much market demand for transport services.