Classic cars

How do you import a Lancia Delta Integrale to the UK?

Every Delta HF Integrale, from the 1987 8v to the last Evoluzione II, is now over 30 years old and the model is long out of production, so an original car can come in at 0% duty and 5% import VAT as a collector’s vehicle. The catch is the word original: Integrales are often tuned, and a modified car pays the normal rates. Almost all are left-hand drive, and many come to the UK from Japan.

Published 26 September 2026 · 7 min read

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1. Integrale years and what they mean for tax

Hagerty UK's timeline for the road cars (Hagerty UK, Autocar):

So, as the model is no longer in production, every Integrale can now be imported as a collector's vehicle at 0% duty and 5% VAT, provided it is original. None of them is 40 yet, which means an Integrale still pays normal vehicle tax and needs a UK MOT before registration. Over 10 years old, it needs no vehicle approval.

2. The originality problem with Integrales

The collector's rate under heading 9705 needs the car in its original state, without substantial changes to the engine, suspension, steering, brakes or transmission. Integrales were built for tuning, and many have been. Hagerty UK lists what to look for: boost pressure raised for good, lowered or stiffened suspension, higher-lift camshafts, and right-hand drive conversions, which change the steering. It also notes that Swiss-market cars before the Evo II used an eight-valve catalysed engine, which can make a car look wrong on paper when it is actually correct.

If a car is not original, it pays the normal rates instead of the collector's rate. That is a big difference on a car at Integrale prices, so check the specification before you pay, not at the port.

3. Left-hand drive is the norm

The Lancia Motor Club says only 50 right-hand drive cars were built at the factory, and none were officially imported to the UK (Lancia Motor Club). Right-hand drive Integrales you see here were converted, and Hagerty UK notes that conversions used standard Delta parts with a slower steering rack. For an import, assume left-hand drive. A left-hand drive car over 10 years old registers without any conversion approval.

4. Buying from Japan

Japan is a well-trodden source for UK buyers: cars sold in the UK, including a 16v and an Edizione Finale, have arrived that way (Collecting Cars). A car bought in Japan is still Italian-built. As a qualifying collector's vehicle that does not change the tax, because the 0% duty applies whatever the origin. Our Japan import guide covers the export certificate and shipping side.

5. Documents that prove what the car is

The DVLA needs the original foreign registration document to show when the car was made (GOV.UK). For the Integrale's specification, a certificate recording how the car left the factory is useful evidence if its originality is questioned, and we obtain it for you. It is not the customs proof of origin used to claim 0% duty. Buying in Italy, the seller will have either the old certificato di proprietà and libretto, or the Documento Unico that replaced both from 2020 (ACI).

6. The import in order

1. Import declaration, claiming the collector's rate if the car is original.
2. NOVA within 14 days of arrival.
3. A UK MOT, which can be done on foreign plates.
4. First registration on a V55/5, then an age-related number plate.