Duty · VAT · shipping · IVA · road tax

Japanese car import cost and road tax calculator

Type the price in yen and when the car was first registered. We convert it, add shipping and the costs in Japan, work out duty and VAT the way HMRC does, add the IVA or MOT and registration, and tell you the road tax. Official rates are labelled; everything else is a typical figure you can change.

Price in Japan (yen)

The winning bid or the dealer’s price, before any fees.

First registered in Japan

Month and year, e.g. 1995-03.

Fuel

Engine size (cc)

Shipping

Duty and VAT

Standard rates10% duty and 20% VAT. What most private imports should budget for.Claim the UK-Japan trade deal rateNo duty, if the exporter gives you a statement on origin for a car made in Japan.Historic vehicleNo duty and 5% VAT for an unmodified car over 30 years old.

Change the estimates

Costs in Japan (yen)

Auction fee, agent, transport, export papers. We assume ¥150,000.

Shipping quote (£)

Leave blank to use our estimate for the method.

Marine insurance (%)

Yen to £1

Leave blank for the rate we fetched.

UK port and customs agent (£)

UK conversion work (£)

CO2 figure (g/km)

Only if DVLA will accept one, from a UK or EU certificate. Most Japanese imports have none.

List price new over £40,000 (£50,000 electric). Only matters for cars registered from April 2017.

Every sum is worked out on our server from what you type. Nothing is saved.

Estimated cost on the road

£13,448

Car, shipping, 10% duty, 20% VAT, MOT and registration. Before insurance and road tax.

Road tax a year

£375

Age of the car

21 years

Cost breakdown
Car (price paid in Japan)Converted	£7,191
Costs in Japan: auction fee, agent, transport to port, export papersOur estimate	£719
Shipping to the UK: Roll-on roll-off (RoRo)Our estimateDriven onto a car carrier. Usually the cheapest. The car must run, and nothing can be left inside.	£1,500
Marine insurance (1.5%)Our estimate	£141
Customs duty (10%)Official rateStandard UK rate for cars from outside the UK.	£955
Import VAT (20%)Official rateCharged on the customs value plus duty.	£2,101
UK port handling and customs entry by an agentOur estimate	£450
UK conversion work: mph speedo, rear fog lightOur estimate	£250
MOT test (maximum fee)Official rateCars over 10 years old don’t need IVA, but need an MOT before registering.	£55
DVLA first registration feeOfficial rate	£55
UK number platesOur estimate	£30
Total	£13,448

How the duty choice changes the total

Standard rates: 10% duty, 20% VAT£13,448
With proof of Japanese origin: 0% duty, 20% VAT£12,301
Unmodified car over 30 years old: 0% duty, 5% VATNot for this car: it’s under 30 years old.–

If the car qualifies, proof of Japanese origin would save about £1,146.

Road tax: £375 a year

Taxed on engine size: over 1549cc. With no CO2 figure DVLA accepts, which is usual for a Japanese import, a car registered after February 2001 pays the engine size rate.

2026 to 2027 rate for 12 months, paid in one go. Source: GOV.UK: vehicle tax rates, cars registered before 1 March 2001.

Customs value £9,551: the car, costs in Japan, shipping and insurance, converted at HMRC’s October 2026 rate for customs, ¥209 to £1. Duty rates checked against the UK Trade Tariff today. Lines marked “our estimate” are typical figures, not quotes: get real ones from your agent and shipper. This is a guide for Great Britain, not tax advice; Northern Ireland follows different rules. See sources.

Import duty: 10%, 0% or nothing at all

Duty is charged on the customs value: what you paid for the car, plus the costs of getting it to the UK border, which means the auction and agent fees, transport to the port in Japan, shipping and insurance. Costs after it lands, such as port handling and the IVA, aren’t part of it.

Standard rate, 10%. The UK Global Tariff rate for cars from outside the UK, under heading 8703.

UK-Japan trade deal, 0%. Under the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, the duty on cars fell step by step to zero on 1 February 2026. It only applies to a car that counts as made in Japan under the deal’s rules of origin, and you have to claim it on the import declaration with proof: a statement on origin written by the exporter, or your own knowledge backed by evidence from the maker. An exporter who bought the car at auction often can’t give one, so check before you buy. Without proof, it’s 10%.

Historic vehicles, no duty and 5% VAT. A car over 30 years old, in its original state, of a model no longer made, can be entered as a collectors’ piece of historical interest (commodity code 9705 10 00 45). Import VAT on collectors’ items is charged on a quarter of the value, an effective 5%. A car with a swapped engine or a modified chassis, steering or brakes is normally entered as an ordinary car instead.

Import VAT

VAT is 20% of the customs value plus the duty, paid to HMRC before the car leaves the port, usually through your shipper’s customs agent. A private buyer can’t reclaim it. Customs convert the yen price with HMRC’s exchange rate for the month, which is the rate the calculator uses when it can fetch it.

Shipping from Japan

Roll-on roll-off (RoRo), about £1,500. Driven onto a car carrier. Usually the cheapest. The car must run, and nothing can be left inside.
Shared container, about £2,100. Your car shares a 40ft container with others. Safer for non-runners and cars with parts inside.
Own 20ft container, about £3,300. The container is yours alone. The most protection, and the dearest.

Our estimates for a normal-sized car to a southern English port. Prices move with fuel and demand, so get a quote.

IVA, MOT and registering the car

Under 10 years old: the car needs individual vehicle approval (IVA) before DVLA will register it. The DVSA test is £199. Most Japanese cars need work first: a speedometer that reads in mph, a rear fog light, and sometimes lighting or tyre changes.

Over 10 years old: no IVA, but the car needs an MOT, and the same mph and lighting changes are usually made.

Then you register it with DVLA on a V55/5 form, with the £55 first registration fee, proof of identity, the import papers and the Japanese export certificate. Make sure the chassis number on every document matches the car; it’s the number our free check uses to join its Japanese and UK history.

Road tax on a Japanese import

Road tax (vehicle excise duty) depends on when the car was first registered, which for an import is normally its first registration in Japan, and whether DVLA has a CO2 figure for it. Most Japanese imports have no certificate of conformity with a CO2 figure, so DVLA taxes them on engine size whatever their age.

No CO2 figure, or registered before 1 March 2001

Engine size	12 months
1549cc or less	£230
Over 1549cc	£375

With a CO2 figure, registered 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017

Band	CO2 (g/km)	12 months
A	Up to 100	£20
B	101 to 110	£20
C	111 to 120	£35
D	121 to 130	£170
E	131 to 140	£200
F	141 to 150	£225
G	151 to 165	£275
H	166 to 175	£325
I	176 to 185	£360
J	186 to 200	£410
K	201 to 225	£445
L	226 to 255	£760
M	Over 255	£790

Band K also covers cars over 225g/km registered before 23 March 2006.

With a CO2 figure, registered from 1 April 2017

£200 a year. Cars whose list price when new was over £40,000 (£50,000 for electric) pay £440 more in years 2 to 6. The higher first-year rate is charged on new cars; a used import normally pays the standard rate, but ask DVLA if the car is less than a year old.

Historic vehicles

Cars built before 1 January 1986 can go in the historic tax class in 2026 to 2027: you still tax the car, but pay nothing, as long as it isn’t used for business. The cut-off moves on a year every 1 April. Electric cars pay road tax too: band A if registered before April 2017, the standard rate after.

Rates for 2026 to 2027, for 12 months paid in one go. Paying monthly by Direct Debit costs 5% more.

Questions

How much is import duty on a car from Japan?

The standard UK rate is 10% of the car’s value plus shipping and insurance. Under the UK-Japan trade deal it has been 0% since 1 February 2026, but only if you can prove the car was made in Japan, normally with a statement on origin from the exporter. Many used cars bought at auction come without one, so budget for 10% unless your exporter confirms otherwise.

How much VAT do you pay on an imported car?

Import VAT is 20% of the customs value plus the duty. You pay it to HMRC before the car is released, and a private buyer can’t claim it back.

Is a 30-year-old Japanese car cheaper to import?

It can be. A car over 30 years old that is in its original state, with no big changes to the chassis, steering, brakes or engine, can be entered as a collectors’ vehicle (commodity code 9705 10 00 45): no duty and an effective 5% VAT. A modified car normally doesn’t qualify.

How is road tax worked out on a Japanese import?

Most Japanese imports don’t have a CO2 figure that DVLA accepts, so they’re taxed on engine size: £230 a year up to 1549cc and £375 above it in 2026 to 2027. With an accepted CO2 figure, a car registered from March 2001 to March 2017 pays its CO2 band, and one registered from April 2017 pays the £200 standard rate.

Do imported cars over 40 years old pay road tax?

No, if they qualify as historic. From 1 April each year the cut-off moves on a year: in 2026 to 2027 it’s cars built before 1 January 1986. You still have to tax the car, but it costs nothing, as long as it isn’t used for business.

Does an imported car need an IVA test?

Cars under 10 years old normally need individual vehicle approval (IVA) before DVLA will register them. The DVSA test fee is £199, plus whatever work the car needs to pass. Older cars don’t need IVA, but need an MOT, and DVLA charges £55 to register any imported car.

Sources

We checked every official figure against these on 23 October 2026. Shipping, agent, port and conversion costs are our own estimates of typical prices, not quotes.