Dubai has some of the most interesting cars in the world on its roads, and a good number of them end up on our containers. The usual worry is whether a car built for the Gulf will be accepted here. It will, with a few predictable changes, and My Car Import brings in hundreds of cars from the UAE every year. These are the ones that come up most.
- Steering
- Left-hand drive
- Built to
- GCC specification
- Port
- Jebel Ali
- Time at sea
- About 4 to 6 weeks
- Guide shipping price
- From £2,150, shipping only
SUVs and 4x4s
SUVs are among the most popular imports from Dubai. Big four-wheel drives suit the desert and the heat, so the Gulf has a lot of them, often well specified and with large petrol engines.
Two names people often ask us about are the Toyota Land Cruiser and the Nissan Patrol. A Gulf car is usually dry and free of rust, though desert driving brings its own wear, so look underneath and ask about the history. Our guides to the Toyota Land Cruiser and the Nissan Patrol cover each model in detail.
Supercars and high-value cars
Supercars are the other big group. Cars from Dubai are often worth a good deal more than those from other regions, and that changes how we handle them.
Most cars from Dubai travel in a shared container, which is sealed at Jebel Ali and opened by our own team in Castle Donington. For a high-value car we usually recommend enclosed transport for the UK leg as well. Our guide to shipping a high-value car covers insurance and the other extras worth thinking about.
A supercar under 10 years old from the Gulf will need an IVA test. Talk to us before you buy and we can tell you what the car is likely to need.
American cars and trucks
The Gulf has plenty of American muscle cars and big pickups on the road, and people ask us about shipping those too. They are left-hand drive like any other Gulf car, so the changes are similar.
If you are looking at one, our model guides will help: the Dodge Challenger and Charger, Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro guides, and importing a pickup truck, which explains the weight limit that matters for the biggest trucks.
Everyday cars
It is not all supercars. A modest hatchback finds its way to the UK from Dubai too, usually because its owner is moving here and would rather keep it.
If that is you, check Transfer of Residence first. If you have lived outside the UK for 12 months and owned the car for 6, it can come in with no VAT or duty, which makes shipping a smaller car much easier to justify.
Motorbikes
Bikes come from Dubai too, notably superbikes and classic motorcycles. They are cheaper to ship than cars because they share container space. Our guide to importing a motorbike covers the testing side.
What GCC specification means
Cars sold new in the UAE and the rest of the Gulf are left-hand drive and built to GCC specification, for driving on the right in a hot climate. None of that stops them being registered here. The DVLA registers left-hand drive cars without asking for the steering to be moved.
What it does mean is a short list of changes before the car is tested:
- Speedometer conversion to mph, on cars under 10 years old
- Headlight changes for driving on the left
- A rear fog light on older cars
A car under 10 years old then takes an IVA test, one between 10 and 40 years old takes an MOT, and one over 40 does not need an MOT at all. Our guides to speedometer and headlight conversions and left-hand drive cars in the UK explain each part.
Salvage cars cannot come. We are not able to ship or register salvage vehicles from Dubai, because a UK registration really needs a clean title to go smoothly. If you are not sure about a car's history, call us before you pay for it.
Before you ship any of them
Worth checking first
0 of 6 done
Shipping from Dubai
A car must have an export certificate from the RTA before it can leave the UAE, and it is deregistered there before it goes. Our agents in Dubai handle the deregistration and export plates, and we can arrange the trucking to Jebel Ali. The sea journey takes about 4 to 6 weeks.
As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping a car from the UAE starts from £2,150. That is shipping only, and excludes registration, other services, import tax and any remedial work. Our full guide to shipping a car from Dubai covers each step.
The UAE is outside the EU, so a car bought there pays 20% import VAT and 10% import duty, worked out on the price plus the transport costs, with VAT on top of the duty. A car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty. On a high-value car, the tax is often the biggest part of the bill, so run the numbers first.
Once it lands, we clear it through customs as HMRC CDS authorised agents, make the changes and test it on our own site. Shipping a Car is part of My Car Import, and we run one of only seven privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain. Our dealer-level DVLA account then lets us register the car within 10 working days.
Questions people ask
What cars are popular to import from Dubai?
SUVs and supercars are among the most popular. People also commonly ask about Land Cruisers, Patrols and American muscle cars, and some bring an everyday car with them when they move to the UK.
Can a GCC specification car be registered in the UK?
Yes. It is left-hand drive and built for the Gulf, so it usually needs an mph speedometer, headlight changes and, on older cars, a rear fog light. It then takes an IVA test or MOT depending on its age.
Can I import a salvage car from Dubai?
No. We are not able to ship or register salvage vehicles from Dubai, because a UK registration really needs a clean title.
How much does it cost to ship a car from Dubai?
As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping from the UAE starts from £2,150. That excludes registration, other services, import tax and any remedial work.
Do I pay tax on a car from Dubai?
Usually 20% VAT and 10% duty on the price plus shipping. A car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty, and Transfer of Residence can make it nil if you are moving to the UK and qualify.
Found a car in Dubai? Send us the details on the quote form and we will price the whole job, from the UAE to your drive.
