Container Shipping for Cars Explained: 20ft, 40ft, Shared and Dedicated

Container shipping locks your vehicle inside a sealed steel box for the entire voyage, eliminating exposure to salt spray, weather and handling by multiple dockworkers that RoRo vehicles experience. It's the preferred method for classic and high-value cars, vehicles with aftermarket modifications, and anyone who also wants to ship personal effects alongside the vehicle, since a sealed container can carry boxes, spares or household goods packed around the car (subject to destination customs rules on personal effects).

A standard 20ft container comfortably fits one saloon car or small SUV with limited space around it, while a 40ft container can fit two standard cars or one vehicle plus a substantial volume of personal effects. Larger vehicles like pickups or vans with roof racks sometimes need a 40ft or high-cube container to accommodate their height and length. Always give your shipper exact vehicle dimensions, since a car that doesn't fit as planned will need re-booking into a larger box at extra cost.

A dedicated container is booked, loaded and sealed for your vehicle only, giving maximum security and flexibility on loading date, but at full container price. A shared container groups two or three vehicles heading to the same destination port, splitting the base freight cost between shippers — this is a major factor in reducing shipping costs, but it does mean waiting until the container is fully allocated before it can sail, which can add 1-2 weeks to your schedule.

Unlike RoRo, container loading requires the vehicle to be driven or winched up a ramp into the container and then secured using wheel chocks and lashing straps or timber blocking bolted to the container floor. Loading typically takes place at a dedicated vehicle logistics depot rather than the main port terminal, and you'll usually need to drop the car off 3-5 days before the container's scheduled gate cut-off to allow time for loading, documentation and customs export clearance.

A shared container slot from the UK typically costs £1,300-£1,900 depending on route, while a dedicated 20ft container runs £2,200-£2,900. Transit times mirror RoRo on most routes — 2-3 weeks to West Africa, 3-4 weeks to East and Southern Africa, and 5-7 weeks to Australia — though container vessels sometimes take marginally longer if your booking is consolidated with others heading via a different port on the way. See full route pricing in our 2026 cost guide.

Container shipments require a packing list detailing the vehicle and any personal effects loaded alongside it, in addition to the standard export paperwork covered in our export licence guide. Undeclared items found during a destination customs inspection can result in the entire container being held, so always provide an accurate, itemised list to your freight forwarder before the container is sealed.

Choose container shipping if your car is a classic, has a high market value, has custom paintwork or delicate trim, or if you want to ship personal effects alongside it. For an everyday used car heading to a market with strong RoRo infrastructure, the extra protection rarely justifies the price premium, and RoRo remains the more sensible choice.