Classic cars
How do you import a Jaguar E-Type from the USA to the UK?
Most E-Types were exported, many to America, so bringing one home is common. It is still an import: returned goods relief needs the car back within 3 years of its export, so it almost never applies. But an original E-Type is over 30 years old and no longer in production, so it qualifies as a collector’s vehicle at 0% duty and 5% import VAT, and it can go into the historic tax class once you apply. A Jaguar Heritage Certificate is the key evidence if you want its original UK number back.
In this article
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1. E-Type series and the American market
The E-Type was launched in March 1961, with the 4.2 litre Series 1 from October 1964, the 2+2 from 1966 and the Series 2 from October 1968 (Classic & Sports Car). The V12 Series 3 was built from 1971 to 1974 (Classic & Sports Car). Octane puts exports at around 85 per cent of production, and notes that original right-hand drive cars are rarer than people think, because many right-hand drive cars have been converted from left-hand drive (Octane).
US cars differ from home market ones. Bonhams describes the 1968 "Series 1½" US car: headlamp covers removed, bigger side and rear lights, rocker switches, and twin Stromberg carburettors in place of triple SUs to meet US rules (Bonhams). Series 3 US cars gained big overriders in 1972 and rubber bumpers in 1974.
2. Coming home is still an import
It is a British car, but once it has been sold abroad it is an import like any other. Returned Goods Relief, which removes duty and VAT on things coming back, needs the goods to be re-imported within 3 years of their export, and for the VAT relief the person bringing them back must be the one who exported them (GOV.UK). An E-Type that went to America decades ago, or one you buy from an American owner, does not qualify.
What it can get is the collector's rate: every E-Type is over 30 and the model is no longer in production, so an original car pays 0% duty and 5% import VAT under heading 9705. The question with E-Types is conversions. A left to right-hand drive conversion changes the steering, and swapping US carburettors for SUs changes the engine, both on the list of substantial changes. HMRC has not published anything specific on conversions, so on a car at E-Type prices an Advance Tariff Ruling before import is sensible, as HMRC itself recommends (HMRC guidance). As the car is assessed on arrival, converting it after import does not change the rate paid.
Free VAT and duties calculator. Enter where your E-Type was built, its age, the price and the shipping, and see the duty and VAT in pounds.
Work out my import tax3. The Jaguar Heritage Certificate and the DVLA
A Jaguar Heritage Certificate shows the car as recorded at production: colour and trim, build and dispatch dates, original destination and, where recorded, the original registration mark. To register a car that was never registered in the UK, the DVLA starts from the original US title, and a dating certificate helps where the title is unclear. The Heritage Certificate matters most if you want the car's original UK number back (section 4), because it can link that number to the chassis. We obtain it for you. A dating letter usually costs from about £60 to £90 through an owners' club, or from about £120 to around £300 directly from the manufacturer.
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4. Getting its original number back
If the car was first registered in the UK before it went to America, you can apply for its original number on form V765, endorsed by an approved owners' club, with evidence linking that number to the chassis (GOV.UK). The number cannot be transferred afterwards. If the link cannot be proven, the car gets an age-related number instead.
5. The US side and the finish line
The title plus two copies must reach US Customs and Border Protection at least 72 hours before export. Once here: import declaration, NOVA within 14 days, then registration. Every E-Type was built before 1986, so it can go into the historic tax class with nothing to pay, but you have to apply for it (GOV.UK). Separately, a car built or first registered more than 40 years ago with no substantial changes is exempt from the MOT, with a V112 declaration instead.
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Get a free quote for my Jaguar E-TypeCommon questions
Do I pay tax to bring an E-Type back from the USA?
Yes, unless you exported it yourself less than 3 years ago. An original E-Type is over 30 years old and no longer in production, so it qualifies as a collector's vehicle and pays 0% duty and 5% import VAT.
Does Returned Goods Relief apply to a British car bought in America?
No. The relief needs the goods back within 3 years of their export, and for the VAT relief the same person who exported them must re-import them, so a car bought from an American owner does not qualify.
Does the DVLA need a Jaguar Heritage Certificate?
Not to register a car that was never registered in the UK: the DVLA starts from the original US title. The certificate is the key evidence if you want the car's original UK number back on form V765. We obtain it for you.
Can I get my E-Type's original UK number back?
If it was first registered in the UK, you can apply on form V765 through an approved owners' club, with evidence linking the number to the chassis.
Does a right-hand drive conversion affect the 5% VAT rate?
It can, as it changes the steering. HMRC has published nothing specific, so an Advance Tariff Ruling before import gives certainty.