How to Import a Car from the UK to the USA

The United Kingdom has a large classic-car market and many of the cars that were never sold new in America: Escort RS Cosworths, Sierra RS Cosworths, TVR Griffiths and Chimaeras, the Lotus Carlton, the Elise S1 and diesel Defenders. Most are right-hand drive, which does not affect federal eligibility. This guide explains, step by step, how a car leaves Great Britain and arrives at a US port with everything needed for a US title.

Step 1: Check that the car is legal to import

A car that does not meet US safety and emissions standards can be imported once it is at least 25 years old, counted month for month from its date of manufacture (49 CFR 591.5(i), declared on form HS-7). The EPA exemption is separate and applies to vehicles at least 21 years old in original configuration (form 3520-1). Check the build month on the manufacturer’s plate before you pay anything. See the 25-year rule explained and how the build plate proves eligibility.

Step 2: Buy the car and collect the UK documents

• The full V5C (the UK registration document, or log book). When you buy, the seller must hand over the whole V5C, not just the new keeper slip.
• Bill of sale or invoice. This sets the value declared to US Customs.
• The MOT history, free to check on the UK government website with the registration number: it shows the result of every test since 2005 and the mileage recorded at each one. It is the simplest way to check a British car’s mileage.

Also run a private history check for outstanding finance and insurance write-off records before you pay. And look underneath: British roads are salted in winter, so the floor, sills and chassis matter more than the paint.

Step 3: Export the car from the UK

• Tell DVLA it is a permanent export. The “permanent export” section of the V5C is filled in, detached and sent to DVLA. The rest of the V5C stays with the car: it is the registration document the US side relies on.
• Customs export declaration. Goods leaving Great Britain are declared to HMRC through the Customs Declaration Service, normally by the shipping agent at the departure port.
• Cars over 50 years old. A car more than 50 years old worth more than £65,000 may need an individual export licence from Arts Council England. Check this before you book the ship.

Step 4: Ship it to a US port

Most cars leave from Southampton, either roll-on/roll-off (driven onto the ship) or in a container from one of the main UK container ports. A container costs more but protects a valuable or non-running car better. UK shippers publish roll-on/roll-off transit times of roughly 11 to 22 days to East Coast and Gulf ports and about 24 days to California, port to port. Add a few days for loading and for customs clearance on arrival.

Step 5: Clear US Customs

A licensed customs broker files the entry on your behalf. The documents are:

• Bill of lading, bill of sale or invoice, and the V5C.
• DOT form HS-7, box 1 (vehicle at least 25 years old).
• EPA form 3520-1, code E (vehicle at least 21 years old, original configuration).
• CBP form 7501 (entry summary), filed by the broker.

Duty on a car built in the United Kingdom is 12.5 % of the purchase price (the 2.5 % base rate plus 10 %). What counts is where the car was built, not where it was bought: a German-built car bought in the UK pays 10 %, the EU rate. Pick-ups and vans classified as trucks pay 35 % if built in the UK (25 % if built in the EU). For a car built anywhere else, we confirm the rate before quoting. The 25 % Section 232 tariff on automobiles does not apply to cars built 25 years or more before the year of entry. On top of the duty: the Merchandise Processing Fee (0.3464 %, between $34.58 and $670.86) and the Harbor Maintenance Fee (0.125 %).

What it costs: a worked example

A car bought for £20,000 in the UK, built in the UK, shipped roll-on/roll-off to Baltimore (ECB exchange rates of October 21, 2026):

The same car built in Germany would pay 10 % duty, about $670 less. Not included: transport from the port to your home, state sales tax, title and registration fees. Freight rates move; ask for a quote on the day.

Step 6: Title and register it in your state

With the stamped CBP 7501, the HS-7, the 3520-1 and the V5C, you apply for a title in your state. Rules differ from state to state; California, Georgia and Maine are high-risk. Check yours in our state-by-state registration guide.

Or let us do all of it

We find the car in the UK or anywhere in Europe, inspect it in the country, handle the export paperwork, ship it, clear US Customs and hand you a car landed at a US port with the papers to title it in your state, at one all-in price. Tell us what you are looking for, browse the models we import, or read how buying from us works. Buying in Portugal instead? See how to import a car from Portugal.