Shipping a Land Rover Discovery from the UK to Kenya

The Land Rover Discovery, particularly the Discovery 3 and 4, is prized across Kenya for its combination of comfort and genuine off-road ability, making it popular with NGOs, safari operators and private buyers in Nairobi and Mombasa alike. UK-sourced examples with full service history are considered more reliable than higher-mileage grey imports from other markets, supporting strong demand at Mombasa's used vehicle yards.

Kenya enforces an eight-year maximum age rule for used vehicle imports, calculated from the year of first registration to the year of import. Any Discovery older than this cannot be legally registered in Kenya, so confirming your vehicle's exact registration date against the current calendar year is the first step before booking shipment — this is the most common reason shipments are rejected at this stage.

Kenya requires a roadworthiness and quality pre-shipment inspection carried out in the country of export by an approved agency such as QISJ (Quality Inspection Services Japan) or similar recognised inspection bodies operating in the UK, generating a Certificate of Roadworthiness required for KEBS (Kenya Bureau of Standards) clearance on arrival at Mombasa. We coordinate this inspection before the container is booked to avoid delays.

We ship Discoverys to Mombasa via shared or dedicated container from Southampton, taking approximately 21–28 days transit. Shared container costs typically run £950–£1,500, with dedicated containers from £1,900–£2,400. Duty in Kenya includes import duty of 25%, excise duty (varying by engine size and CO2 emissions, often 20–35% for larger-engined SUVs), VAT of 16%, and a 2.25% Import Declaration Fee, calculated cumulatively on the Kenya Revenue Authority's Current Retail Selling Price schedule rather than your actual purchase price.

You'll need the V5C, bill of sale, and the pre-shipment inspection certificate, along with a valid import declaration form (IDF) lodged with KRA before arrival. Once cleared through Mombasa, the vehicle undergoes final registration inspection before number plates are issued. We work with Mombasa-based clearing agents to manage this process end-to-end. Get a quote via our cost calculator.