Shipping Vehicles to Port of Southampton, UK

About Port of Southampton, UK

The Port of Southampton, operated by Associated British Ports (ABP), is the UK's number one port for vehicle exports and handles hundreds of thousands of cars every year. Its deep-water berths in the Eastern and Western Docks are served by the world's major roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) carriers, which makes Southampton the default departure point for most private and trade vehicle shipments from the UK to North America, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Africa and the Far East.

For customers of The Ship Cars, Southampton is the port we use most often for RoRo bookings. Vehicles are delivered into a secure, fenced and CCTV-monitored vehicle compound, checked in against the booking, inspected for condition and then held until the vessel is ready to load. Because the port sees multiple weekly deep-sea car carrier calls, waiting times between delivery and sailing are usually short.

Southampton sits on the M27/M3 corridor, roughly 80 miles from central London and within a three-hour drive of most of southern England and the Midlands. That location, combined with the frequency of sailings, is why Southampton appears on almost every one of our route pages as the primary UK departure port.

Vehicle Handling at Port of Southampton, UK

Vehicles are driven into the terminal compound by the owner, our driver or a transporter, booked in against the shipping reference and photographed. On sailing day, stevedores drive the car up the vessel's stern ramp and lash it on a car deck. High and heavy cargo such as motorhomes, vans, trucks and plant is loaded on dedicated high-clearance decks. Containers for cars that need enclosed shipping are packed at partner depots and moved to container terminals, usually Southampton Container Terminals.

Terminal Facilities

• Deep-water RoRo berths in the Eastern and Western Docks
• Secure, fenced and CCTV-monitored vehicle compounds
• High and heavy handling for motorhomes, vans, trucks and plant
• Container terminal for enclosed and shared-container shipments
• Short-term vehicle storage before sailing
• Road access via the M27 and M3, and rail connections
• Drop-off Monday to Friday during terminal opening hours (booking required)
• Distances: London ~80 miles, Birmingham ~130 miles, Bristol ~75 miles, Manchester ~220 miles

Transit Times from the UK

Typical sailing times from Southampton are 7–12 days to the US East Coast, 3–4 weeks to the UAE, 4–5 weeks to South Africa and 6–8 weeks to Australia and New Zealand. Check the live RoRo schedule for closing dates, because each vessel has a strict receiving window that ends a few days before sailing.

Customs & Clearance

Every vehicle leaving Southampton needs an export declaration through HMRC's Customs Declaration Service (CDS) before the port will release it to the vessel. We handle this for you. Bring or send the V5C (or the export section), photo ID and proof of ownership or purchase invoice. Vehicles must be clean, free of personal effects for RoRo, and have no more than a quarter tank of fuel.

Shipping Costs to Port of Southampton, UK

Port handling at Southampton is normally built into our RoRo prices, which start from our published country rates (for example Spain £535, Canada £850, South Africa £890). Extra charges only apply for long storage beyond the free period, oversized vehicles or UK collection. Use the cost calculator or request a quote for a fixed, all-in price.

Port of Southampton, UK Shipping FAQs