Classic cars

How do you import a Citroën 2CV to the UK?

Every 2CV is over 30 years old and the model is no longer in production, so an original car can come in at 0% duty and 5% import VAT as a collector’s vehicle, and cars built before 1986 can also go into the historic tax class, with no vehicle tax to pay once you apply. The one question that is special to the 2CV is the chassis: many cars have a galvanised replacement, which the DVLA treats as a repair to notify, and which HMRC may look at when deciding if the car is still original.

Published 26 September 2026 · 7 min read

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1. Every 2CV is over 30, and most are over 40

The 2CV was built from the late 1940s until 1990, when the last car left the Mangualde factory in Portugal (Stellantis). In 2026 that means:

The historic tax class, with nothing to pay, is for vehicles built before 1 January 1986, and you have to apply for it (GOV.UK). The MOT exemption is a separate rule: vehicles built or first registered more than 40 years ago with no substantial changes are exempt, with a V112 declaration instead. Over 10 years old, a 2CV also needs no vehicle approval.

2. The replacement chassis question

This is the issue that makes a 2CV different from almost any other import. Rust eats 2CV chassis, and galvanised replacement chassis were made. Hagerty UK notes they are easy to spot (Hagerty UK). Two different authorities look at that chassis, and they ask different questions.

The DVLA treats a like-for-like replacement as a repair. According to DVLA guidance INF318, a replacement chassis of the same specification "is classed as a repair, but it does need to be notified to DVLA" on form V627/1, and a non-galvanised chassis can be replaced with a galvanised one. For a second-hand chassis you need evidence of where it came from. A replacement that is not like-for-like is a structural modification, and if the age or identity of a car cannot be established, the DVLA issues a Q number.

HMRC decides the tax. The collector's rate under heading 9705 needs the car in its original state without substantial changes to the chassis, but it also allows worn parts to be replaced when the car is kept historically correct. Whether a new galvanised chassis on your particular car is a repair or a substantial change is not spelled out anywhere official. On a valuable car, the safe route is to ask HMRC for an Advance Tariff Ruling before it ships. Either way, keep the receipts for the chassis and the work.

3. Where to find a good one

Because rust is the enemy, Hagerty UK advises buyers to look in the south and west of France, Spain and Portugal rather than northern Europe. Right-hand drive 2CVs were assembled at Slough from 1953 to 1960, and right-hand drive cars were sold new in the UK again from 1975 until production ended in 1990. Most cars you find abroad will be left-hand drive, which is no obstacle to registering a car of this age.

4. Buying in France

Buying in France, you will deal with three documents: the carte grise (certificat d'immatriculation), the certificat de cession, the official sale form Cerfa 15776 signed by both of you, and the certificat de situation administrative, which confirms there is no finance or block on the car and which the seller must give you, recently dated (service-public.fr). The original carte grise is what the DVLA uses to date the car, and it keeps it.

If the car has a French collection registration, the DVLA still dates it from the carte grise. If that is missing or unclear, the useful document is a dating certificate, and we obtain it for you. Our France guide covers the rest of the process.

5. The import in order

1. Import declaration, claiming the collector's rate if the car qualifies.
2. NOVA within 14 days of arrival.
3. A UK MOT if the car needs one: cars built or first registered more than 40 years ago with no substantial changes are exempt.
4. First registration on a V55/5 with the carte grise, plus the V627/1 if the chassis has been replaced.