How to Export a Car from the UK: The Complete Guide 

The UK VAT Saving: Why a UK Car Imports is Different

• A UK buyer normally pays a car’s price plus 20% VAT. MHH sources the car as an export sale, so no VAT applies — the price quoted to the client is the net, VAT-free price.
• The saving scales with what you pay: £6,000 on a £30,000 car (a UK buyer would pay £36,000 with VAT for the same car), £10,000 on a £50,000 car (£60,000 with VAT), £16,000 on an £80,000 car (£96,000 with VAT).
• It matters most on prestige models (Range Rover, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche), where the saving comfortably covers shipping and import costs. On lower-value cars, those costs can eat into it.
• Most buyers can’t access this themselves. UK dealers generally decline export sales because the VAT reclaim process with HMRC is specialist and time-consuming. MHH handles it as a core part of the service: the car is purchased as an export sale, VAT is reclaimed, and the saving is already reflected in the price quoted.
• This is specifically the UK VAT saving, not to be confused with Cyprus import VAT (19%, due once the car lands — covered next). One is money saved leaving the UK, the other is money owed entering Cyprus, and they don’t offset each other.

The Two Ways to Export a Car from the UK 

You may be considering whether to handle each step yourself or use an export specialist who manages the process for you. Doing it yourself is very involved as you’ll be arranging each part separately — DVLA notification, shipping, insurance, and customs clearance at the destination, either yourself or through a clearing agent you find there directly. It’s entirely achievable but it’s the more common choice for a car you already own and are relocating with. 

Using an export specialist means one company coordinates sourcing, documentation, inspections, shipping and customs on your behalf, instead of you dealing with several separate suppliers.  

If you’re buying a UK car specifically for the VAT-free saving, that part can only be done by a UK VAT-registered business acting as the exporter; a non UK VAT registered individual can’t reclaim that VAT on your car. MHH International is perfectly placed to manage your export seamlessly from sourcing, VAT reclaim, documentation and shipping on a client’s behalf — this guide explains what’s actually happening at each stage, to help you understand the process step by step.

Notifying DVLA: Permanent Export vs Temporary Export 

The first step for any UK car export is notifying DVLA. Which process applies depends on whether the car is leaving the UK for good or coming back. 

Permanent export. If the car isn’t coming back, complete the permanent export section of the V5C and send it to DVLA. Keep the rest of the V5C to register the car in your destination country. If you’re buying from a private seller, insist on the full document, not just the new keeper slip. If you’re due a vehicle tax refund, include a covering letter with your new address; DVLA won’t chase this automatically. 

Read the UK government guidance on permanent export of a vehicle.

Temporary export. If you’re taking the car abroad for under 12 months and bringing it back, you don’t notify DVLA of a permanent export — but UK law still applies for as long as the car stays registered here. That means valid UK tax, MOT and insurance stay in place throughout, even while the car is overseas. You’ll need your registration document (V5/V5C) with you; if you don’t have one, apply using form V62 at a DVLA local office, which can take time to process, so start well before you travel. A temporary certificate is available if the trip is genuinely short notice. 

For destinations where you’d otherwise pay a customs deposit on a temporary import, a Carnet de Passage avoids that — an internationally recognised customs document that takes over a month to arrange, so it needs planning ahead rather than last-minute. 

Before any of this: check whether there’s outstanding finance on the car. Clear it, or get written approval from the finance company to export, before you go further — this is one of the most common causes of delay. 

Read the UK government guidance on temporary export of a vehicle.

The VAT Saving on an Exported Car 

This is the single financial detail that makes exporting is the single biggest saving in UK car export. It’s particularly advantageous on higher-value cars, so it’s important to understand precisely how it works. 

• A UK dealer normally charges a car’s price plus 20% VAT. Sold as an export sale, that VAT can be removed so the buyer pays the VAT-free price. 

• The saving scales with the car’s value — see the worked example below. 

Advertised price	£40,000	£60,000	£80,000	£100,000
VAT saving	£7,000	£10,000	£13,333	£16,667
Buy price for export	£33,000	£50,000	£66,667	£83,333

• As a percentage saving, the higher value cars show the largest cash saving:  Range Rover, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche etc where the saving is large enough to change what’s realistically affordable. 

• This VAT saving can only be reclaimed by a UK VAT-registered business (or a UK VAT-registered individual) acting as the exporter. A private individual (whether based in the UK or overseas) cannot reclaim it themselves. Most general UK dealers decline export sales because the process sits outside what their core business, which is why this typically goes through a specialist export business rather than a standard dealership. 

Read more information on VAT free car export.

The Personal Export Scheme: Drive for 12 Months and Still Get the VAT Saving

There’s one way to extend that timeline without losing the saving. Standard VAT-free export requires the car to leave the UK permanently within 12 weeks of purchase. The Personal Export Scheme extends that to 12 months. So you can drive the car in the UK and Europe for up to a year before it needs to leave, at the same VAT-free price. 

It’s available to non-UK residents who’ve been outside the UK for at least 365 days in the last two years (or 1,095 days in the last six), and to UK residents relocating abroad. Either way, you need to commit to staying outside the UK with the car for at least six months once it’s exported. 

It suits buyers who want to use the car before it ships, rather than exporting it the moment it’s bought.  

Full details and a short explainer video, are on the Personal Export Scheme page. 

Pre-Export Vehicle Inspections and Roadworthiness Checks 

Some destinations have mandatory pre-export roadworthiness inspections and won’t clear a car through customs without proof it’s roadworthy. This means the car must be inspected by the required organisation before it leaves the UK. What’s required and who carries it out depends entirely on where the car is going. Please check the specific requirement for your destination in our country pages.

Kenya and Tanzania are the clearest example. Both require a QISJ inspection (Quality Inspection Services Japan, contracted to check compliance with each country’s national standard) before the car ships. It covers around 20 checkpoints — engine condition, brakes, lighting, chassis, emissions, interior function and bodywork — takes about half an hour, and needs a valid MOT in place first. It doesn’t check mileage history; that’s a separate HPI check. If a car fails, it can usually be repaired and re-tested. 

In the UK, a QISJ inspection currently costs in the region of £210 plus VAT*, and results in a digital certificate needed for customs clearance at the other end. 

Other markets have their own inspection bodies — Uganda’s UNBS, for example — with their own requirements. The rule that holds everywhere: confirm what’s needed for your specific destination before you commit to a shipping date, not after. 

*Confirm current QISJ pricing before this goes live. Links to /blog/what-is-a-qisj-motor-vehicle-inspection/ and /blog/vital-facts-you-need-know-import-your-car-safely-uk-mhh-international/. 

Choosing How to Ship It: RoRo vs Container vs Air Freight 

Three ways to get a car across water, in order of how much handling it gets. 

RoRo (Roll-on Roll-off) is the most common and usually the cheapest. The car is driven onto the vessel and secured for the crossing, driven off at the other end. It’s fast to load and unload, which keeps costs down, but the car isn’t enclosed. 

Container shipping gives the car its own sealed space, alone or shared with another vehicle. It costs more than RoRo but adds physical security and protection from the elements — the usual choice for higher-value or particularly rare cars. 

Air freight is the fastest option by a wide margin, and the most expensive. It’s rarely the default choice for a standard export; it tends to come up when a car needs to arrive on a specific date, or the value justifies the extra cost. 

Shipping EVs: The shipping rules around EVs are much become much stricter recently. Some shippers require EVs to be shipped in a container whereas others may allow a Roro shipment once a battery inspection has been completed. To avoid unexpected costs, we advise you check with your shipper before buying your EV. 

Most routes from the UK use RoRo or container shipping — short crossings like Ireland and the Channel Islands go by road and ferry, while longer sea routes typically use RoRo for standard cars and container for higher-value ones. Whichever method you choose, it’s worth prioritising an established, reputable shipping partner over the cheapest quote — the car arriving in the condition it left in matters more than saving a small amount on the crossing. 

Marine Insurance  

Marine insurance covers the car for the shipping leg itself.  It’s a small cost against a car worth tens of thousands of pounds, and it isn’t automatically included with every shipping quote, so confirm it’s in place rather than assuming it. Arrange this directly with the shipping company or a specialist marine insurer, your existing car insurance typically doesn’t cover the crossing. 

What It Costs and How Long It Takes, by Destination 

Costs and timelines vary by destination, but the components are the same everywhere: the car itself (do VAT-savings apply), a service or sourcing fee if you’re using a specialist, shipping, insurance, destination import duty, and local registration, port charges and taxes. 

Destination	Typical shipping time	Notes
Ireland	~1 week	Often by road and ferry
Cyprus / Malta	~2–3 weeks	Sea freight
Singapore	~4–5 weeks	Sea freight
Trinidad & Tobago	~4–5 weeks	Sea freight
Kenya	~5–6 weeks	Sea freight, plus QISJ inspection and Kenyan customs clearance

See our country pages for the specific shipping timings for your country.  

Destination duty and tax are the buyer’s responsibility and vary significantly by country — Kenya’s KRA duty calculator and Ireland’s export calculator give an instant estimate before you commit to a specific car.  

Set Up Your Customs Clearing Agent Before the Car Leaves the UK 

A customs clearing agent assists you with the import paperwork and duty payments at the receiving country’s customs department.  

The we strongly you appoint a recognized customs clearing agent before your car leaves the UK. This will allow you to confirm the exact duty, taxes and registration costs you’re facing prior to export and resolve anything unusual about your car (age, engine size, emissions category) before it’s sitting at a the destination port accruing storage fees while the paperwork catches up. 

A specialist exporter will usually already have an established agent in your destination country as part of their service. If you’re doing this yourself, this is the one relationship worth setting up directly and early particularly for countries where customs can be difficult to navigate without local expertise on the ground. 

Doing It Yourself vs Using an export specialist 

You will now have a good understanding of the amount of coordination involved in a car export from the UK. We understand that it can feel daunting, so we’re on hand to help. For many, the peace of mind you have with one company handling your car’s export end to end is invaluable. 

MHH International is dedicated to providing a seamless car export service: sourcing and exporting cars from the UK since 2009, over 7,000 cars to clients in 37 countries and over 240 5* verified Trustpilot reviews from people who’ve been through the process. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Check that whoever you’re paying is a UK-registered company verifiable on Companies House, with payment terms that don’t require the full amount upfront — MHH International, for example, is structured this way.