Cars in Dubai often look like good value next to UK prices, and plenty of people moving home want to bring theirs too. The worry is what gets added between Jebel Ali and a UK number plate. The shipping is the easy part to pin down. As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping a car from Dubai to the UK starts from around £2,150.
That figure is shipping only. It does not include import tax, registration, testing, other services or any work the car needs to be road legal here. Below is what moves the price, the tax on top, and the rest of the budget.
- Guide shipping price
- From £2,150
- Time at sea
- 4 to 6 weeks
- Import tax
- 10% duty + 20% VAT
- Over 30 years old
- 5% VAT, no duty
What changes the shipping price
Every quote is written by a person, because the price depends on your car and the month it sails. These are the things that move it most from the UAE.
Shared container or RoRo
Most cars leave Jebel Ali in a shared container alongside other customers' cars, which keeps the cost down. RoRo is available too, but from the UAE it tends to cost more. That is the reverse of Japan, where RoRo is the cheaper route. The container comes to our site in Castle Donington to be unloaded by our own team. See container, RoRo or air for the full comparison.
Getting it to Jebel Ali
We can arrange the trucking from you to the port, so you do not need to deliver the car yourself. Where the car is in the UAE makes a difference to that leg, so give us the address on the quote form.
Export plates
A car has to be deregistered with the RTA and have an export certificate before it can leave the UAE. Our agents in Dubai handle the deregistration and the export plates for you. RTA export plates carry an additional fee, so expect to see it on the quote.
Enclosed transport in the UK
For a high-value car, we usually recommend enclosed transport for the UK leg as well as the sea crossing. Ask for it on the quote form and we will price it in.
The size of the car and the time of year
A large SUV takes more room in a container than a coupe, and it is priced that way. Shipping lines also put prices up when they are busy. That is why we quote this month's price for your exact model rather than a fixed rate card. The same guide figure covers the rest of the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
The tax on top
The UAE is outside the EU, so a car bought there pays 10% import duty and 20% import VAT. Both are worked out on the price of the car plus the cost of getting it here, and the VAT is charged on top of the duty.
Here is a worked example for a hypothetical £25,000 car shipped at our guide price of £2,150:
| Line | How it is worked out | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Car | Purchase price | £25,000.00 |
| Shipping | UAE guide price | £2,150.00 |
| Import duty | 10% of £27,150 | £2,715.00 |
| Import VAT | 20% of £29,865 (price, shipping and duty) | £5,973.00 |
| Shipping plus tax | Before UK changes, testing and registration | £10,838.00 |
So on a £25,000 car, the tax comes to £8,688. If you are comparing a Dubai price with a UK one, that is the figure to add before you decide it is a bargain.
Check the history before you pay. We are not able to ship or register salvage vehicles from Dubai, because in the UK a car really needs a clean title for its registration to go smoothly. If you are not sure whether a car counts as salvage, call us before you buy.
Ways it can cost less
Moving to the UK
If you are moving home, have lived outside the UK for at least 12 months and have owned the car for at least 6, Transfer of Residence can bring it in with no VAT and no duty. On the example above, that is £8,688 you keep. You apply to HMRC before the car ships. See Transfer of Residence and our guide to moving to the UK with your car.
Cars over 30 years old
A car over 30 years old pays 5% import VAT and no duty. Run the same £25,000 car and £2,150 shipping through that, and the tax drops from £8,688 to £1,357.50.
A car that was UK registered
If you took the car out to the UAE from the UK, it may come back tax free with the original UK purchase invoice and the old V5C. See bringing a UK car back home.
Invoice timing
Tax is based on what you paid. If the purchase invoice is more than 3 months old, a valuation is used instead, so have the invoice ready when you book.
Try your own numbers here:
What the guide price does not include
These come after the car lands. They vary with the car, so we price them in your quote:
Costs to budget for
0 of 7 done
UAE cars are left-hand drive and built for a different market, so they usually need more work than a car from Japan or Australia. The speedometer needs to read in mph, the headlights need to suit driving on the left, and older cars often need a rear fog light. Our guide to left-hand drive cars in the UK explains each change.
Shipping a Car is part of My Car Import, so the changes, testing and registration happen on our own site. We are one of only seven privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain, and our dealer-level DVLA account lets us register imported cars within 10 working days.
Insurance in transit
Your UAE car insurance will not cover the car at sea. Our marine insurance covers it up to its full value and usually costs a few percent of that value. An excess applies to minor damage, and your quote will say what it is.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to ship a car from Dubai to the UK?
As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping from the UAE starts from around £2,150. That excludes registration, other services, import tax and any remedial work.
Is RoRo cheaper than a container from Dubai?
Not usually. From the UAE, RoRo tends to cost more than a shared container, which is how most cars travel from Jebel Ali.
How much tax will I pay on a car from Dubai?
Usually 10% duty and 20% VAT, worked out on the car price plus shipping, with VAT on top of the duty. On a £25,000 car with £2,150 shipping, the tax is £8,688. A car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty.
Are there extra costs at the UAE end?
RTA export plates carry an additional fee, and trucking to Jebel Ali depends on where the car is. Our agents handle the RTA deregistration and export plates for you.
Can I avoid the tax if I am moving back from Dubai?
If you have lived outside the UK for at least 12 months and owned the car for at least 6, Transfer of Residence can mean no VAT or duty. Apply to HMRC before the car ships.
Found the car, or packing up to come home? Send us the details on the quote form and we will price the whole job, from Dubai to your plates.
