Import calculator
Import a car from the USA: total cost
Work out what a car from Copart or IAA really costs once it reaches you: auction fees, towing to the port, ocean shipping and your country's import taxes.
Total landed cost in UK
$10,375.20
Bid $5,000 + $5,375.20 in fees, shipping and taxes
- Buyer fee
- $775
- Virtual bid fee
- $110
- Gate fee
- $95
- Environmental fee
- $15
- Title mailing
- $15
- Towing to port
- $350
- Ocean shipping to Southampton
- $1,500
- Import duty (10%)
- $786
- VAT (20%)
- $1,729.20
10% import duty on the CIF value, then 20% VAT on the value plus duty. Estimates only; customs brokers, registration and local fees are extra. Exchange rates are approximate.
Fees from the auctions' published standard-vehicle schedules, checked 5 November 2026. Storage and late-payment fees are not included.
Check the lot's VIN before you bid
Auction photos don't show earlier accidents, flood titles or odometer rollbacks.
Import costs by country
The five parts of the cost
- The bid. What you win the car for.
- Auction fees. Buyer, bidding, gate or service fees; often $800 to $1,000 on a $5,000 car. See the Copart and IAA calculators.
- Towing to the port. From a few hundred dollars near the coast to about $1,000 from the middle of the country.
- Ocean shipping. Usually in a shared container with three or four other cars.
- Import taxes. Duty, excise and VAT, usually charged on the car's value plus shipping.
Before you bid, run the VIN through a VinCode report. Many auction cars have been sold, repaired and crashed before, and that history changes what the car is worth at home.