GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado import guide

The Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra are the same big General Motors pickup wearing two different badges. The Silverado is the workhorse, the Sierra tends to be the smarter one, and a Denali is about as plush as a pickup gets. Neither was sold new here, so every one on UK plates has been imported. The good news is that the route is well worn, and most of the answers come down to the truck's weight and build date.

Shipping from the USA

From £1,450 for a car, more for a truck

Time at sea

Around 2 to 4 weeks

Key number

3,500kg gross weight

Test

IVA under 10 years, MOT over

Sierra or Silverado, it is one truck

Under the skin the two share a frame, engines and most of their parts, so everything in this guide applies to both. The 1500 is the light-duty truck most people import. The 2500HD and 3500HD are the heavy duty versions, and that difference matters a great deal for weight, as you will see below. Older trucks were sold as the C/K series before the Silverado and Sierra names took over.

As with any import, the age of the truck decides the test and the tax. The table is worked out from today, 12 October 2026, so the lines move on a little each year.

Two lines cut through the table. A C/K truck built before October 1996 is over 30, so if it is still in original condition it can qualify for 5% VAT and no duty. A K2XX built from October 2016 is still under 10, so it takes an IVA test like every current truck, including the electric Silverado EV and Sierra EV. Go by the build date on the door label rather than the model year on the advert.

Weight, your licence and the MOT class

Pickup imports turn on one number: the gross vehicle weight on the truck's label, the most it may weigh fully loaded. A 1500 normally sits under 3,500kg, which keeps it within the light vehicle IVA test and lets you drive it on an ordinary category B car licence.

The heavy duty 2500HD and 3500HD are the ones to watch. Many of them go over 3,500kg, and above that line a truck is treated as a heavy goods vehicle, with its own approval route, annual test and a C1 licence. Drivers who passed their test after 1 January 1997 do not have C1 automatically.

Once a truck under 3,500kg is over 10 years old it takes an MOT. That is class 4 up to 3,000kg and class 7 above, and most full-size trucks are in class 7. Our guide to importing a pickup truck goes through the weight rules in full.

The size of it

A crew cab Silverado or Sierra is long and wide by British standards, and it stays left-hand drive. Motorways are easy. Multi-storey car parks, narrow lanes and tight supermarket bays take more thought. Measure your drive and any garage before the truck is on a ship, and think about where it will park at work. Our guide to left-hand drive cars in the UK covers the everyday side.

What to check before you buy

Modified trucks deserve a careful look, because changes are looked at during the IVA test. Something normal in Texas can be a problem here, so tell us about it early. Our guides to buying a car abroad safely and buying from a US auction cover the rest.

IVA for newer trucks

A Sierra or Silverado under 10 years old needs UK approval before it can be registered. These trucks were never built for the European market, so in practice that means an IVA test. We run one of only seven privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain, so the truck is prepared and tested on our own lane in Castle Donington. There is more in the IVA test explained.

Lighting and other changes

The DVLA registers left-hand drive vehicles without the steering being moved, so the work is mostly lighting. A US truck often has red rear indicators that double as brake lights, which need to become amber. It usually has no rear fog light, and its headlights are set for driving on the right, so they are adjusted or replaced. The speedometer already reads in mph.

We do this on site before the test. Our guide to converting an American car for UK roads goes through each change.

Shipping from the USA

We collect from anywhere in the USA and truck it to the port, mainly New York, Savannah, Houston or Oakland. US Customs wants the title, or a certified copy, at the port at least 72 hours before it sails, plus a lender's letter if there is a loan on it.

Trucks go by shared container or RoRo. RoRo needs the truck to run and drive and to be empty. A container keeps it sealed and comes straight to our site, but whether a full-size pickup fits depends on its exact size, so give us the cab, bed length and real height, including any lift. Our guide to container, RoRo or air compares the options.

As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping a car from the USA starts from £1,450, shipping only. A full-size pickup takes far more room than a typical car, so expect a quote above that. East Coast sailings take around 2 weeks and West Coast around 4, with about 2 weeks before that for paperwork and loading. See the cost of shipping from the USA for why size matters.

Import tax

A Sierra or Silverado under 30 years old pays 10% import duty and 20% import VAT, worked out on the price plus the shipping, with the VAT charged on top of the duty. A truck over 30 that qualifies as historic pays 5% VAT and no duty, which today means one built before October 1996.

If you are moving to the UK, have lived abroad for at least 12 months and have owned the truck for at least 6, Transfer of Residence can bring it in with no VAT or duty. The import tax calculator will run your own figures.

Car or van once it is registered?

Vehicle tax follows how the DVLA classes the truck. GOV.UK lists a flat yearly rate for light goods vehicles registered since March 2001 and up to 3,500kg, which is £360 for 12 months at the time of writing. Company car tax is a separate matter: from 6 April 2025 HMRC treats most double cab pickups as cars for benefit in kind, whatever their payload. If a business will own the truck, speak to your accountant first. Our road tax for imported cars guide covers the vehicle tax side.

ULEZ, petrol and diesel

Most of these trucks have a petrol V8, and the ULEZ asks for Euro 4 on petrol. A Duramax diesel needs Euro 6, which is a much harder bar. American trucks were never given a Euro rating, so you need evidence, such as a manufacturer letter or an emissions certificate from an independent test centre. Our guide to ULEZ and imported cars explains how to get it. If you are weighing up GM's big SUVs too, see our Tahoe and Suburban guide.

Questions people ask

Found your truck? Send us the listing and a photo of the door label on the quote form and we will price the whole job, from the US address to UK plates.