Argentina is about as far south as our routes go, and people tend to assume the distance makes the whole thing complicated. Mostly it just makes it long. The car crosses the South Atlantic, clears customs at this end and comes to our site, where the work is the same left-hand drive conversion we do every week.
This guide covers how the car gets from Buenos Aires to Castle Donington, what it needs once it lands, and what you will pay in tax.
- Port
- Buenos Aires
- Guide shipping price
- From £3,575
- Transit time
- Usually 4 to 8 weeks
- Steering
- Left-hand drive
- Import tax
- 20% VAT + 10% duty
Getting the car to Buenos Aires
We collect from your address or dealer in Argentina and truck the car to the port. Depending on its value, we quote for open or enclosed transport to the docks. If you want enclosed, say so on the quote form and we will price it in.
Our route runs from the Port of Buenos Aires, known locally as Puerto Nuevo, on the Río de la Plata estuary. Its container terminals are run by private concessionaires, and since January 2025 the port has come under the new Agencia Nacional de Puertos y Navegación. There is more on our Buenos Aires port page.
Container or RoRo
Cars from Argentina travel in a shared container, a dedicated container or by RoRo. In a shared container your car goes in with other customers' cars, so you split the cost. A dedicated container is yours alone, which suits a valuable car or one travelling with belongings.
A container keeps the car sealed for the whole voyage, and the doors stay shut until it reaches our yard, where our own team unloads it. RoRo means the car is driven on and off the ship, so it needs to run. Our guide to container, RoRo or air sets out the trade-offs, and we recommend one when we quote.
Transit between continents is usually 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the sailing. Your normal car insurance will not cover the car at sea, so we recommend our marine insurance, which covers it up to its full value if it is damaged or lost in transit.
The paperwork in Argentina
The car has to be cleared to leave Argentina before it sails, and the registration side has to be dealt with properly. The exact steps depend on the car, who owns it and whether you are selling or moving with it, so we confirm them with you when we quote rather than guess here.
What helps most at our end is having the ownership paperwork in order before the car goes to the port. If the registered owner and the person shipping the car are not the same, tell us early.
Your Argentina paperwork
0 of 5 done
Our list of documents to ship a car to the UK explains what each one is for.
From Buenos Aires to your drive
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Before it sails
Collection and export
We collect the car, take it to Buenos Aires and get it loaded, by container or RoRo.
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4 to 8 weeks
At sea
The car crosses the South Atlantic to the UK.
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On arrival
Customs
As HMRC CDS authorised agents, we make the customs entry ourselves.
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At our site
Changes and testing
Our team makes the left-hand drive changes, then tests the car on our own IVA or MOT lane.
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Within 10 working days
Registration
Our dealer-level DVLA account lets us register the car and fit your UK plates.
Left-hand drive changes
Argentina drives on the right, so its cars are left-hand drive and set up for the other side of the road. That is perfectly legal to drive here once registered. It just needs a few changes first:
- Headlights adjusted or replaced so they dip for driving on the left
- A speedometer reading in mph, required on cars under 10 years old
- A rear fog light, where the car does not have a suitable one
Our guides to left-hand drive cars in the UK and speedometer and headlight conversions go into the detail.
Testing and registration
A car under 10 years old takes an IVA test. A car between 10 and 40 years old takes an MOT, with similar changes made first. A car over 40 years old does not need an MOT, so it can be delivered to your UK address before it is registered.
Shipping a Car is part of My Car Import, and we run one of only seven privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain, with the DVSA visiting weekly. The car is changed and tested on the same site, so it does not wait for a slot at a government test centre. The IVA test explained guide covers the test itself.
Import tax from Argentina
Argentina is outside the EU, so a car bought there pays 20% import VAT and 10% import duty. Both are worked out on the price of the car plus the transport, with VAT charged on top of the duty. If the invoice is more than 3 months old, a recent valuation is used instead.
A car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty, which is worth knowing if you have found an older car over there. Our guide to importing a classic car covers that side.
If you are moving to the UK after more than 12 months abroad, with a car you have owned for more than 6, Transfer of Residence can make it tax and duty free. You apply online with HMRC before the car arrives. A car that was registered in the UK before may also come back tax free with its UK purchase invoice and old V5C, as our guide to bringing a UK car back home explains.
Send us the details before you buy. If you are buying in Argentina rather than bringing your own car, the make, model, year and VIN let us tell you what it is likely to need here. Our guide to buying a car abroad safely covers the wider checks.
What it costs
Argentina falls under our rest-of-world guide. As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping starts from around £3,575. That is shipping only. It excludes registration, other services, import tax and any remedial work. Your quote prices your actual car and route.
See our shipping costs page for how the figures are built, or the Argentina country page.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to ship a car from Argentina to the UK?
Transit is usually 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the sailing. Customs, changes, testing and registration come after that, and registration itself is within 10 working days once the car has passed.
Which port do cars ship from in Argentina?
Our route runs from the Port of Buenos Aires, known locally as Puerto Nuevo, on the Río de la Plata.
Does a car from Argentina need changes for the UK?
Yes, because it is left-hand drive. Usually the headlights are adjusted or replaced for driving on the left, the speedometer reads in mph on cars under 10 years old, and a rear fog light is fitted if needed.
How much does it cost to ship a car from Argentina to the UK?
As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping from the rest of the world starts from around £3,575. That excludes registration, other services, import tax and any remedial work.
Do I pay import tax on a car from Argentina?
Usually 20% import VAT and 10% duty. A car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty, and Transfer of Residence can make it tax free if you are moving to the UK.
Send us the car's details on the quote form and we will price the whole job, from Argentina to your drive.
