Is It Cheaper to Ship Your Car or Buy One Abroad?

Shipping usually wins when your car is worth more than the total cost of moving and registering it, when it is rare or hard to replace locally, or when the destination has expensive used cars. Buying abroad usually wins when your car is low value, when import duty at the destination is high, or when the local market is cheap and well supplied.

The simple test: add shipping, insurance, destination charges and local registration taxes to your car's value. If that total is higher than the price of the same car at your destination, buy locally. If it is lower, ship.

Start with what your car would actually sell for in the UK this month, not what you paid or what you hope for. Get two or three online valuations and one real trade offer. That figure is the money you free up if you sell rather than ship.

Then add what the car is worth to you beyond money. A well-kept car you know the history of, with the right spec and no surprises, has real value that a replacement bought in a hurry abroad does not.

Use published port-to-port rates as the starting point, then add the parts people forget: UK collection from your address, marine insurance if you want it, destination handling and customs clearance, and local delivery at the other end. Our published rates run from £535 for the cheapest European routes up to around £1,795 for a saloon to Australia and £2,525 for an SUV, with container rates quoted separately.

Get the whole thing in writing. A port-to-port price on its own is not a budget.

This is where the maths is usually decided. Import duty, VAT or a local equivalent, and registration or luxury taxes vary enormously. Some countries charge modest fees; others apply duty that can rival the value of the car itself, especially on larger engines or newer vehicles.

Most countries calculate tax on the car's value plus the shipping and insurance cost, so a higher freight bill can increase the tax bill too. Check the destination's current rates before you decide, and remember that relief for people transferring their residence often has strict ownership and use conditions.

Search local classified sites for the same make, model, age and mileage at your destination. Pay attention to specification differences: air conditioning, drivetrain, fuel type and emissions standards can all change what a car is worth locally.

Also check availability. In some markets a common British car is rare and expensive; in others it is everywhere and cheap. A market where the model you want barely exists is a strong argument for shipping.

Ship when the car is a classic, a modified or enthusiast vehicle, a high-value car in excellent condition, or something you simply cannot buy at the destination. Ship when you are going to a market with expensive or poorly supplied used cars. Ship when you need the car immediately on arrival and do not want to spend weeks shopping in an unfamiliar market.

Right-hand-drive cars are worth extra thought: in a left-hand-drive country they are harder to resell, so shipping a mainstream RHD car to mainland Europe often makes less sense than shipping one to Australia, South Africa or Kenya.

Buy locally when your car is older and low value, when the destination charges heavy duty, when your posting is short, or when the local market is cheap. Buy locally when your car would need expensive modifications to pass local approval, such as lighting changes, emissions equipment or a speedometer conversion.

Also consider servicing. A model with no dealer network at your destination can be cheap to ship and expensive to keep running.

Write down four numbers: your car's UK value, the full shipping cost, the destination taxes and fees, and the local price of an equivalent car. The decision usually becomes obvious once all four are on the page.

We can give you the shipping number in writing, including collection from your address and published port-to-port rates for your destination. The tax and local-market figures in this article are general guidance and should be checked for your specific country and vehicle.

Say your car is worth £9,000 in the UK. Shipping and insurance to your destination come to £1,600, destination handling and clearance add £500, and local registration tax is 20% of the assessed value, roughly £1,900. Your landed, registered cost is about £13,000 for a car you already own and know. If the same car sells locally for £11,000, buying there is the better financial decision. If it sells for £16,000, shipping saves you £3,000 and you keep a car with a known history. The numbers here are illustrative only — swap in real quotes and real local listings to get your own answer.

One factor rarely priced in is the period you have no car at all. Shipping can leave you without a vehicle for weeks at each end, which may mean hire costs, taxis or delayed job starts. Buying at the destination usually means a faster handover but time spent finding the right car in an unfamiliar market with unfamiliar consumer protections. Whichever route you choose, plan transport for the gap and add it to your comparison. A fortnight of car hire can quietly cancel out a modest saving.