Jeep Cherokee XJ and Grand Cherokee import guide

The Cherokee XJ is the boxy Jeep that people keep for decades, and the Grand Cherokee is the one that grew into a fast, comfortable family 4x4, all the way up to the supercharged Trackhawk. The USA has far more of both than the UK ever did, in more specs and colours. The route here is the same for all of them, but the age of the car changes the test and the tax a great deal, so it is worth knowing where yours falls before you buy.

Shipping from the USA

From £1,450, shipping only

Time at sea

Around 2 to 4 weeks

Import tax

10% duty + 20% VAT

Test

IVA under 10 years, MOT over

Which Cherokee, and what it means

Jeep owners use the factory codes, and each one lands in a different age band here. The dates below are model years, and the build date on the door label is the one that counts. All of this is worked out from today, 12 October 2026.

Two lines matter most. October 1996 is the 30-year line, so a late XJ or a late ZJ may just miss the 5% rate. October 2016 is the 10-year line, and the WK2 sits right across it. Every Trackhawk was built after it, so every Trackhawk takes an IVA test.

Rust: the first thing to check

Plenty of these Jeeps spent their lives in northern states where the roads are salted every winter. The XJ in particular has a unibody rather than a separate chassis, so rust in the floor and sills is a structural problem, not just a cosmetic one. A car from a dry southern or western state is often worth paying more for.

Ask the seller for photos underneath, taken in daylight. They tell us far more than a low mileage does. Our guide to history checks for imported cars covers title brands and what they mean, and if the Jeep is at auction, read buying a car from a US auction first.

Left-hand drive and lights

A US Cherokee or Grand Cherokee is left-hand drive, and the DVLA registers left-hand drive vehicles without the steering being moved. The speedometer already reads in mph. Some of these models were also sold new in the UK in right-hand drive, so if you want the wheel on the right, it may be easier to buy one here.

The work is mostly lighting. American Jeeps often flash red at the rear, there is usually no rear fog light, and the headlights are set for driving on the right. A vehicle first used before 1 April 1980 does not need a rear fog light, but every XJ and Grand Cherokee is later than that. Our guide to converting an American car for UK roads goes through each change.

SRT8, SRT and Trackhawk

The fast Grand Cherokees are the ones most people ask about. An SRT8 from the WK years is now well over 10, so it takes an MOT like any other car of its age. A WK2 SRT built before October 2016 does the same. A later SRT, and every Trackhawk, needs an IVA test.

The IVA checks the vehicle against build standards, so aftermarket exhausts, wheels and tuning are all looked at. A standard car is the simpler import. If yours has been changed, send us a list of everything that has been done before you buy, and we will tell you what it involves.

Classic XJs

The early XJs are now old enough for the classic rules. A vehicle over 30 that qualifies as historic pays 5% import VAT and no duty. Over 40, it needs no MOT, as long as it has not been substantially changed, and anything built before 1 January 1986 can also stop paying vehicle tax once you apply for the exemption.

Older Jeeps have often had engines swapped or panels replaced, and that can count as a substantial change. Our guides to importing a classic American car and the Jeep Wrangler cover dating and paperwork for older Jeeps.

ULEZ and the 4xe

Most US Cherokees and Grand Cherokees are petrol, and the ULEZ asks for Euro 4 on a petrol car. American cars were never given a Euro rating, so a newer one may well meet the standard but needs evidence, such as a manufacturer letter or an independent emissions certificate. Our guide to ULEZ and imported cars explains how.

The latest Grand Cherokee is also sold as a 4xe plug-in hybrid. It carries a large battery, which changes how it is declared for shipping. Read shipping an electric car to the UK before you buy one.

Shipping and tax

We collect from anywhere in the USA and truck the vehicle to the port, mainly New York, Savannah, Houston or Oakland. US Customs wants the title, or a certified copy, at the port with the vehicle at least 72 hours before it sails. It goes by shared container or RoRo, and for RoRo it has to run and drive and should be empty.

As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping from the USA starts from £1,450, shipping only. East Coast sailings take around 2 weeks and West Coast around 4, with about 2 weeks before that for paperwork and loading. Tell us the real height of a lifted Jeep when you ask, and see shipping a car from the USA for the full journey.

A Cherokee under 30 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. Transfer of Residence can make it nil if you are moving here and qualify, and the import tax calculator will run your figures.

Testing and registration

We run one of only seven privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain, so a newer Grand Cherokee is prepared and tested on our own lane in Castle Donington. Once it passes, or once an older car has its MOT, our dealer-level DVLA account lets us register it within 10 working days. See the IVA test explained for what is checked.

Questions people ask

Found your Cherokee? Send us the listing and a photo of the door label on the quote form and we will price it all the way to UK plates.