Car Shipping to Thailand
from the United Kingdom
Thailand restricts vehicle imports heavily to support its domestic auto industry. The Ship Cars handles qualifying imports to Laem Chabang port. View our shipping services or request a quote.
Methods
RORO & Container
Transit Time
28–35 days to Laem Chabang
Ports
Laem Chabang
Starting From
£2,500
Overview
Thailand restricts vehicle imports heavily to support its domestic auto industry. The Ship Cars handles qualifying imports to Laem Chabang port.
Shipping Methods
Container shipping to Laem Chabang. RORO not generally available for private imports.
Shared Container Shipping to Thailand
For enclosed protection at a fraction of the cost of a dedicated container, our shared container shipping service consolidates two to four UK vehicles bound for Thailand into a single sealed 40ft high-cube container. Typically 25–35% cheaper than a dedicated container, with marine all-risks insurance, professional racking and personal-effects allowance included. See the full shared container shipping page for routes, prices and sailing schedules to Thailand.
Explore shared container shippingTransit Time
28–35 days to Laem Chabang from Southampton.
Import Regulations
Thailand heavily restricts private vehicle imports. Import duty up to 80%. Excise tax 10–50%. VAT 7%. Only new vehicles can typically be imported. Used vehicle imports are generally prohibited unless for diplomatic use.
Documents Required
- V5C registration
- Passport
- Commercial invoice
- Bill of Lading
- Thai customs declaration
Costs & Fees
Container from £2,500–£4,000. Total taxes can exceed 200–300% of vehicle value.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import a used car to Thailand?
How long does it take to ship a car from the UK to Thailand?
Which UK ports do you ship from to Thailand?
What documents do I need to ship a car to Thailand?
What shipping methods are available from the UK to Thailand?
How much does it cost to ship a car from the UK to Thailand?
Shared Container Shipping to Thailand — FAQs
Common questions about shared container shipping to Thailand from the United Kingdom.
Do you offer shared container shipping to Thailand?
How much cheaper is shared container shipping to Thailand than a dedicated container?
Can I put personal effects in the car when shipping to Thailand by shared container?
Available Ports
Why ship a car to Thailand from the UK
The Ship Cars is a specialist UK vehicle export company moving cars, SUVs, classics, motorbikes and light commercials to Thailand every month. Asia is a highly regulated but premium-priced corridor for UK car exports, with strong demand from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan for right-hand-drive vehicles, and tightly controlled markets in India, China and Vietnam. Typical clients on this lane include Singapore and Hong Kong dealers, alongside private owners relocating to Thailand and returning residents importing a personal vehicle. Our UK-to-Thailand corridor is engineered around predictable transit, transparent pricing and full compliance with Thailand customs.
Vehicles depart from Immingham, Liverpool, Tilbury and arrive at Laem Chabang via Suez transit transhipping at Singapore or Port Klang. Typical door-to-port turnaround is 28–35 days to laem chabang from southampton, supported by marine all-risks insurance, GPS-tracked UK collection and bonded warehousing where required. For an instant indication of cost, use our car shipping cost calculator or request a tailored quote on our quote page.
How UK to Thailand car shipping works
Every shipment to Thailand follows the same six-step pipeline: free quotation, UK collection or self-drop at Immingham, bonded UK warehousing and pre-shipment photos, HMRC NOVA / C88 export clearance handled by our UK customs clearance team, ocean transit to Laem Chabang (and onward feeder to Laem Chabang where required), and destination customs handover. You choose the shipping mode that best matches the vehicle profile and budget — see the full breakdown on our car shipping costs page or compare live RORO sailing dates to Thailand.
RORO to Thailand
Roll-on/Roll-off is the lowest-cost method for running, road-legal vehicles bound for Thailand. Drive-on at the UK port, drive-off at Laem Chabang. RORO shipping to Thailand — check the weekly RORO schedule.
Container to Thailand
20ft sole-use or 40ft dedicated containers give classic, high-value, modified or non-running vehicles fully enclosed protection on the route to Laem Chabang. Dedicated container shipping to Thailand.
Shared container to Thailand
Two to four UK vehicles consolidated into a sealed 40ft container — typically 25–35% cheaper than a sole-use container. Shared container shipping to Thailand — get a shared container cost estimate.
Thailand ports, routing and transit
Vehicles bound for Thailand are typically routed through Laem Chabang as the lead discharge port, with Laem Chabang available as alternatives depending on sailing schedule and onward inland transport. We schedule loads to match weekly RORO sailing schedules to Thailand and consolidated shared container departures from the UK. For sole-use loads we book 20ft and 40ft container slots on the same rotation.
- Port of Laem Chabang
- UK departure: Southampton
- UK departure: Tilbury
- UK departure: Bristol (Portbury)
Thailand import duty, VAT and customs in 2026
Importing a vehicle into Thailand is regulated and document-driven. The headline framework is summarised below; our team verifies every figure against the latest Thailand customs schedule before quoting.
- Strict homologation and emission standards (Euro 4–6)
- Carnet de Passage in selected markets
- Right-hand-drive advantage for South and East Asia
- Container shipping via Singapore, Port Klang and Hong Kong
Document checklist for Thailand
- V5C registration
- Passport
- Commercial invoice
- Bill of Lading
- Thai customs declaration
For full country-specific customs rules, see our Thailand import guides and articles, our UK and Thailand customs clearance service, or use the duty-inclusive cost calculator for a landed estimate to Laem Chabang.
Who ships to Thailand
- • Returning Thailand residents and dual nationals
- • UK expats relocating to Thailand
- • Asia car dealers and Thailand re-exporters
- • Private collectors and classic-car enthusiasts
- • Diplomatic missions and corporate fleets
- • Online auction buyers (Copart, BCA, Manheim)
Vehicles we ship to Thailand
- • Saloons, hatchbacks and family cars
- • SUVs, 4x4s and pickups (Land Rover, Range Rover, Toyota, Nissan)
- • Luxury and executive vehicles (Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi)
- • Performance and supercars (McLaren, Aston Martin, Porsche, Ferrari)
- • Classic and historic vehicles (pre-1990 with HMRC NOVA exemption)
- • Motorbikes, scooters and quad bikes
- • Vans, light commercials and motorhomes
- • Electric and hybrid vehicles (EV battery documentation supported)
Why exporters choose The Ship Cars for Thailand
• Specialist UK-to-Thailand corridor with weekly capacity
• Marine all-risks insurance and bonded UK warehousing
• HMRC NOVA, C88, EORI and DVLA V5C export handled in-house
• Transparent UK to Thailand pricing with no hidden destination fees
• Direct relationships with Laem Chabang agents
• Dedicated account manager from booking to delivery
Related services and tools for shipping to Thailand
Shipping methods
Pricing & schedules
Guides & comparisons
Other Asia destinations from the UK
We ship to 8+ other Asia countries from the UK on the same trade lanes as Thailand. Many customers shipping to Thailand also enquire about Malaysia, Singapore because routing, customs documentation and transit windows overlap.
Get an instant quote for car shipping to Thailand
Request a free no-obligation quote online for your UK-to-Thailand shipment. Most quotes are returned within one working hour.