JDM imports

How do you import a Mazda MX-5 (Eunos Roadster) from Japan to the UK?

A Japanese-market Mazda MX-5, sold in Japan as the Eunos Roadster, comes into the UK as an ordinary used car: 20% import VAT, plus 10% duty, or 0% duty if you prove the car was made in Japan. A Roadster more than 30 years old, in its original state and of a model no longer in production can instead pay 0% duty and 5% VAT as a collector’s vehicle.

Published 16 October 2026 · 5 min read

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1. Which Mazda MX-5 can you import from Japan?

In Japan the first-generation MX-5 was badged Eunos Roadster, not Mazda, because Mazda was launching separate marques at the time. Production ran from 1989 to 1997 and the Japanese launch was on 1 September 1989 (Wikipedia, Mazda MX-5 NA). The early cars use a 1.6-litre engine; the 1.8-litre arrived with the second series from November 1993 (sources differ by a few months, so the build date on the Japanese export certificate is what counts for each car).

Japan also had cars the UK never did. The J Limited of 1991 in sunburst yellow and the J Limited II of December 1993 were Japan-only editions, 800 cars across both, and the Tokyo firm M2 Corporation built tuned Roadsters such as the Cafe Roadster in 300 units (same Wikipedia page). Japan drives on the left, so these cars are built for the same side of the road as the UK (Wikipedia, left- and right-hand traffic).

2. How much import tax does a Mazda Roadster pay?

A 1.6 or 1.8-litre petrol Roadster is a used car under the 8703 23 heading, which the UK Trade Tariff shows at 10% duty for most countries, 0% for Japan and 20% VAT. The Japan rate is not automatic: you need proof of origin, and the rule is where the car was made, not where you buy it (GOV.UK, proof of origin).

The collector’s rate under heading 9705 needs all three conditions: at least thirty years old, in its original state without substantial changes to the engine, suspension or body, and a model or type no longer in production. The MX-5 name is still on sale today, but the first-generation car is a type that is no longer built. A modified Roadster, with an engine swap or a rebuilt suspension, can lose the 5% rate, so tell us what the car has been through before you pay for it.

3. What does a Japanese Roadster need to be used in the UK?

Vehicle approval depends on age. GOV.UK says a vehicle first registered or manufactured more than 10 years ago might not need approval, and every first-generation Roadster is far older than that (GOV.UK, vehicle approval). Tell us the first registration date and we will say where a car stands.

Japanese-market cars read in kilometres per hour. A car first used from 1 April 1984 must have a speedometer that can show both miles per hour and kilometres per hour, together or by a switch (regulation 35 of the Construction and Use Regulations). That is a job for a garage before the MOT. The customs declaration, NOVA and the DVLA forms are ours. If the car will be driven in London, our guide to ULEZ and imported cars covers the charge.

4. Buying in Japan: which papers do you need?

A car leaving Japan has an export certificate (the certificate of registration deletion), which dates the car for the DVLA. Japan Customs says it is valid for six months from the date of issue (Japan Customs), so the car should ship well within that time. Keep the invoice: it is the proof of what you paid.

Once the car lands, HMRC must be told through NOVA within 14 days of bringing it in, and a customs agent can do it for you (GOV.UK). The car then needs an MOT where it is due, and the DVLA registration: we prepare every DVLA form, you just sign and post.