Importing

How to import a car from South Africa to the UK

A car from South Africa pays 20% VAT, and customs duty of 0% if it was built in South Africa and you can prove it, or 10% if not. South African cars are right-hand drive, so nothing needs converting, but the dial may read in km/h only. A car over 30 years old, original and no longer in production pays 0% duty and 5% VAT wherever it was built.

Published 20 October 2026 · 6 min read

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1. What do you pay to import a car from South Africa?

You pay customs duty and import VAT. VAT is 20% on the value of the car plus shipping and insurance and any duty. Duty is 10% on a car that does not qualify for a lower rate, 0% on one that does, and nothing on the classic route, which also drops VAT to 5% (GOV.UK, paying VAT and customs duty; the 10% and 0% rates are on the UK Trade Tariff, commodity 8703 23 90 00).

Here is a worked example for a car bought for £20,000, with £1,000 for shipping and insurance, so £21,000 at the border. The shipping figure is an example, not a price.

The VAT in the first row is worked out on £21,000 plus the £2,100 of duty, which is why it is £4,620 and not £4,200. Our free VAT and duties calculator does the same sum for your own figures.

2. Does the UK-SACUM trade deal make a car duty free?

Only if the car qualifies. The UK Trade Tariff lists a preferential rate of 0% for goods from South Africa on cars in this code, in force since 1 January 2021 under the UK's trade arrangement with the Southern African Customs Union members and Mozambique, known as SACUM (GOV.UK, trade with SACUM countries). A preferential rate is not automatic: you claim it on the import declaration and keep proof of origin, because HMRC may ask to see it (GOV.UK, pay less customs duty using a trade agreement). The Trade Tariff shows which proof is accepted for your claim.

This is where a South African import goes wrong. Origin means the country where the car was built, not where it was sold or registered. A car registered in South Africa may have been built in Japan, India or Europe, and then the rate depends on that country, not on South Africa. Ask the seller where the car was built before you agree a price, because the gap between the first two rows of the table is £2,520 on a £21,000 car. Our guide to when you pay import duty on a car explains the origin rule.

3. Are South African cars right-hand drive?

Yes. South Africa drives on the left, as the UK does, so a South African-market car has its steering on the right and nothing about the driving position needs converting. That puts it in a better position than a car from the USA or most of Europe.

The one thing to look at is the dashboard. South Africa uses kilometres, so a car sold there may have a speedometer that reads in km/h only. A UK car first used on or after 1 April 1984 must have a speedometer that can show both miles per hour and kilometres per hour (The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, regulation 35). A km/h-only dial does not meet that on its face, so it is a point to settle before you buy rather than after the car lands. A car first used before 1 April 1984 is not caught by the dual-unit rule.

4. Does a car from South Africa need an approval test?

It depends on its age. Cars with 8 passenger seats or fewer that are over 10 years old do not need vehicle approval. A younger car needs approval before DVLA will register it, and without proof of approval DVLA will not register the car (GOV.UK, exemptions from vehicle approval). The approval test is run by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), which charges its own fee.

Approval is separate from the MOT. Whether the car then needs an MOT, and when, is covered in our guide to the MOT for an imported car. Registration itself costs £55 at DVLA, plus the vehicle tax, as set out in our DVLA registration guide.

5. What you need from the seller

Deregistration in South Africa, any export plates and the export paperwork are handled by the seller. If you need it, we arrange the transport to the UK, and we handle the customs declaration and NOVA, and we prepare every DVLA form, you just sign and post. HMRC must be told through NOVA within 14 days of the car arriving (GOV.UK, telling HMRC), and the duty and VAT must be paid before DVLA registers it.

DVLA also asks for evidence of the date the car was collected, such as the supplier's invoice (GOV.UK, registering an imported vehicle). If the original registration certificate is missing, tell us before you buy. For a car over 30 years old, the classic test in our guide on working out if a car qualifies as a classic decides whether the 0% and 5% rates apply.