Shipping a car halfway down the planet sounds like a big undertaking, and most people expect the work at this end to be the hard part. From South Africa it is usually the opposite. The car is already right-hand drive, the crossing is a well-worn one, and the list of changes once it lands is short.
- Shipping time
- 4 to 6 weeks
- Usual port
- Cape Town
- Method
- Shared container
- Guide shipping price
- From £1,975
Ports and getting the car there
Most of our South African cars leave from Cape Town. We can also ship from the other main ports if they suit you better:
- Cape Town
- Durban
- Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha)
- East London
- Richards Bay
You do not need to drive the car to the docks yourself. We can arrange the inland trucking from your address to the port, so the car can be collected from wherever it is in the country.
How it travels
We ship from South Africa in shared containers. Your car goes in with other customers' cars, which means you share the cost of the container and pay a lower rate than you would for one on its own. The car is sealed in for the voyage, so it does not need to run.
The sea crossing itself is around 15 to 25 days. Allow 4 to 6 weeks in total for the shipping stage, once you add loading, sailing schedules and the trip to our site. The container is unloaded at our yard in Castle Donington by our own team. If you want to compare methods, our guide to container, RoRo or air covers the lot.
Your South Africa paperwork
0 of 5 done
Our full list of documents to ship a car to the UK explains what each one is for.
From Cape Town to your drive
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Before it sails
Collection and loading
We arrange trucking to the port and the car is loaded into a shared container, usually at Cape Town.
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4 to 6 weeks
Shipping
The crossing itself takes around 15 to 25 days, then the container comes to our site.
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On arrival
Customs
Our own in-house CDS agents make the customs entry, so there is no third party in the middle.
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At our site
Changes and testing
Our team makes the changes the car needs and tests it on our own IVA or MOT lane.
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Within 10 working days
Registration
We register the car with the DVLA and fit your UK plates.
Making it UK road legal
South Africa drives on the left, like us, so its cars are right-hand drive and the headlights already dip the right way. That means fewer changes than a car from Europe or North America. The usual list is:
- A rear fog light, the most common change
- A speedometer reading in mph, on cars under 10 years old
What happens next depends on the car's age. A car under 10 years old takes an IVA test. A car between 10 and 40 years old takes an MOT. A car over 40 years old does not need an MOT at all, so it can be delivered directly to your UK address.
Shipping a Car is part of My Car Import, and we run one of only seven privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain on our own site, with the DVSA visiting weekly. We test on the same site where the car is changed, so it does not get passed around between garages. Once it has passed, our dealer-level DVLA account lets us register imported cars within 10 working days.
What it costs
As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping a car from South Africa starts from around £1,975. That is shipping only. It excludes registration, other services, import tax and any remedial work the car needs.
South Africa is outside the EU, so a car bought there pays 20% import VAT and 10% import duty, worked out on the price of the car plus the transport costs, with VAT on top of the duty. A car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty.
Two situations can bring that down to nothing. If you are moving to the UK, have lived abroad for at least 12 months and owned the car for at least 6, Transfer of Residence lets you import it tax free. And if the car was originally a UK car that went out to South Africa, it may come back tax free with its original UK purchase invoice and the old V5C logbook. Our guide to bringing a UK car back home explains how that works.
Keep the old UK paperwork. If your car started life in the UK, the original purchase invoice and V5C are what make a tax-free return possible. Dig them out before the car is shipped.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to ship a car from South Africa to the UK?
Shipping typically takes around 4 to 6 weeks. The sea crossing itself is about 15 to 25 days, then the car clears customs and comes to our site to be changed, tested and registered.
Which port do you ship from in South Africa?
Usually Cape Town. We can also ship from Durban, Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), East London and Richards Bay, and we can arrange the trucking to the port.
Does a South African car need many changes for the UK?
Usually very few, because it is already right-hand drive. The most common change is a rear fog light, plus an mph speedometer on cars under 10 years old.
Can I bring my UK car back from South Africa without paying tax?
Possibly. A car that was originally from the UK may return tax free if you have its original UK purchase invoice and the old V5C logbook.
How much does it cost to ship a car from South Africa to the UK?
As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping starts from around £1,975. That excludes registration, other services, import tax and any remedial work.
Tell us about the car and where it is on the quote form, and we will price the whole job, from South Africa to your drive.
