The cars Australia does better
Some of what comes off the boat was never sold new in Britain. Here is what to know about the ones we see most.
Toyota
LandCruiser 70 Series
The 76 wagon, the 78 Troop Carrier and the 79 ute. Toyota has kept building them for farms, mines and the outback long after this kind of vehicle disappeared from UK showrooms.
That is the appeal, and it is also the thing to plan around. A recent 70 Series will need an IVA test, which looks at safety and emissions as well as lights and speedos. Some versions need more work than others to get through, and the pickups and Troopy can be classed differently from a passenger car depending on weight and layout.
None of that is a reason not to do it. It is a reason to get the car quoted before you buy it, so we can tell you which route it takes and what it will need.
- Right-hand drive, so the headlights are already right
- Speedo and rear fog light as standard work
- Get it quoted before you commit to a newer one
Holden and HSV
Commodore, Ute and Monaro
Rear-wheel drive V8s built in Adelaide until 2017, and a car people often ask us about.
Some of these cars made it to the UK wearing Vauxhall badges. The Monaro was sold here under that name, and the VXR8 was an HSV underneath. Most of the Holden range never came here officially, though, which is why good ones are worth the journey.
A car built in Australia may also qualify for zero import duty under the UK and Australia trade agreement, if its origin can be evidenced. It is worth asking about on a Holden, because on a £40,000 car that is a meaningful sum.
- Older ones are MOT rather than IVA
- Australian-built: ask about trade-deal duty relief
- Early Holdens over 30 years old are classics, with their own tax rate
Ford Australia
Falcon, XR and FPV
The Falcon was built in Australia until 2016 and never sold new in Britain. The XR6 Turbo, the XR8 and the FPV GT and F6 are the ones people want.
The same notes apply as for a Holden: right-hand drive, the usual speedo and fog light work, and a case for zero duty if the car's Australian origin can be shown. Older Falcons, including the XW and XY GTs, sit on our classics page.
Toyota, Isuzu, Ford
Hilux, D-Max and Ranger
You can buy all three new in the UK. The Australian ones tend to arrive with a few thousand pounds of kit already bolted on.
Canopies, roof racks, snorkels, drawers, long-range tanks and big steel bull bars. Most of it is welcome here. Bull bars are the exception to think about: a large rigid bar does not always sit comfortably with UK testing rules on a newer vehicle, so we look at accessories like these case by case and tell you what needs to come off, if anything.
Bear in mind where these were built. Many Australian utes come from Thailand, so the standard duty rate applies rather than any trade-deal relief.
And plenty of everyday cars
Not everything we bring from Australia is rare. A lot of it is simply someone’s car, coming home with them.
A MINI from Sydney, a Mazda from Perth, a RAV4 that has done the school run in Brisbane. If you are moving here and Transfer of Residence applies, bringing the car you already know can make more sense than selling it and starting again.
Found the one?
Send us the listing details before you buy. We will tell you what it needs to be UK legal and what it will cost to get here.