There is no single number. What does not change is how the bill is built, so here is every line, and a calculator for the part that is pure arithmetic: the tax.
£3,000 to £5,000
the typical outlay across our most common Australian enquiries
That range is what most of the Australian jobs we quote end up costing. It moves with the car, where it is collected from, how it is shipped and, above all, whether you owe import tax.
Someone moving here with their own car under Transfer of Residence pays no duty or VAT at all. Someone buying a £60,000 LandCruiser pays thousands in tax before a single spanner turns. Same route, very different bills, which is why every quote we send is built around the actual car.
Duty comes first, on the car plus its transport. VAT is then charged on all of that plus the duty. So you pay VAT on the duty, which surprises a lot of people.
A guide to the arithmetic, not a quote. HMRC confirms the final figure at clearance.
Many of the people bringing a car over from Australia are moving here at the same time. If that is you, the car can come in with no duty and no VAT, as long as:
A car over 30 years old in original condition pays 5% VAT and no duty, because of its historic interest. Heavily modified cars can fall outside it, so we check first.
Classic importsTook a UK car to Australia and now bringing it back? It may qualify for relief if it meets HMRC's conditions for returned goods. The original UK invoice and your old V5C logbook help, and we check the rest with you.
Under the UK and Australia trade agreement, a car that was actually made in Australia may qualify for zero duty if its origin can be evidenced. VAT still applies. Worth asking about for a Holden or a Falcon.
Usually 10%, worked out on the price of the car plus the cost of getting it to the UK. There is no duty on a classic over 30 years old in original condition, or on a car coming in under Transfer of Residence relief.
Yes. VAT at 20% is charged on the value of the car, the transport and the duty added together. That compounding is why the tax on a bought car comes to more than a flat 30%.
Possibly, if the car meets the rules of origin in the agreement and that can be evidenced. Most cars sold in Australia were built elsewhere, so a Japanese or Thai-built car bought there is usually charged the standard rate. We look at it case by case.
Customs works from your purchase invoice. If the invoice is old, customs may ask for a current valuation instead.
Send us the car, the price and where it is. You get every line above filled in. We aim to reply the same working day.
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