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JDM History

FC3S · FC3C

Mazda RX‑7 FC import cost and road tax

What a Mazda RX-7 FC from Japan costs by the time it’s registered here. We’ve filled in a 1988 car with the 13B-T; change the price, year and engine to match the one you’re looking at.

The winning bid or the dealer’s price, before any fees.
Month and year, e.g. 1995-03.
Duty and VAT
Change the estimates
Auction fee, agent, transport, export papers. We assume ¥150,000.
Leave blank to use our estimate for the method.
Leave blank for the rate we fetched.
Only if DVLA will accept one, from a UK or EU certificate. Most Japanese imports have none.

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

£230

Age of the car

38 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% VAT£10,869

If the car qualifies, the historic rules would save about £2,579.

Road tax: £230 a year

Taxed on engine size: 1549cc or less.

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.

Road tax on each engine

EngineCodesSizeA year, no CO2 figure
13B-TFC3S FC3C1308cc petrol, 1549cc or less£230

Japanese imports rarely come with a CO2 figure DVLA accepts, so most are taxed on engine size whatever their age. If yours has a UK or European certificate with one, put it in the calculator under “Change the estimates”. Cars built before 1 January 1986 can be taxed as historic in 2026 to 2027, which costs nothing.

Duty, VAT and the FC3S’s age

Built 1985 to 1991. Every FC3S is now over 30 years old, so an unmodified one can be imported as a historic vehicle: no duty and an effective 5% VAT. Only a car in its original state qualifies (commodity code 9705 10 00 45); one with a swapped engine or modified chassis, steering or brakes normally doesn’t.

Otherwise duty is 10% of the price plus shipping and insurance, or 0% under the UK-Japan trade deal if the exporter gives you a statement on origin showing the car was made in Japan. VAT is 20% on top of both.

Every FC3S is over 10 years old, so it doesn’t need IVA, just an MOT before registration.

How duty, VAT and road tax are worked out

Before you buy a FC3S

Our Mazda RX-7 FC guide covers its chassis codes, known problems and what to look for on the auction sheet. Ask the seller for the sheet and read it with our auction sheet translator, then check the car’s Japanese recalls.

Questions

How much is road tax on an imported Mazda RX-7 FC?

Most imported FC3Ss have no CO2 figure DVLA accepts, so they’re taxed on engine size: £230 a year for the 13B-T in 2026 to 2027. Cars built before 1986 can be taxed as historic, for nothing.

How much is import duty on a Mazda RX-7 FC?

10% of the price plus shipping and insurance, or 0% with proof that the car was made in Japan under the UK-Japan trade deal. Every FC3S is now over 30 years old, so an unmodified one can be imported as a historic vehicle: no duty and an effective 5% VAT.

Does an imported FC3S need IVA?

Every FC3S is over 10 years old, so it doesn’t need IVA, just an MOT before registration.

Import costs for other models

The import cost calculator for any 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.