Hi,

Can anyone give me any ideas as to how much to import a car from Canada to the UK?

I have been trying to sell my 2008 Pontiac Torrent and not getting any luck. I love the car and wondered about taking it back?

Any information would be very much appreciated.

I am curious as to the cost also. We are planning to bring our car (maybe even both cars) back. Ireland is still very expensive to buy cars so we figure it will be worth bringing them back. We have driven LHD cars for 13 years now as we used to live in Germany so no problem there.
Hoping someone has costings?.
Thanks,
Susie.

It's not just the shipping cost you need to consider. Also you need to look at:

- are there import duties
- what modifications will be needed
- availability of servicing and spare parts
- do you really want to drive a LHD car in an RHD country?
- what kind of resale value will you be able to get

Hi JAJ,
Well, we have done this before (imported a car from Germany back to Ireland) so no issues re. import duties (once you have owned, taxed and insured the vehicle outside Ireland for 6 months) No mods needed. Previous import was a mercedes, as is my current car, so servicing and spare parts no problem. But I agree with you I would not import an American car back into Ireland for this reason.
Yes, I have driven LHD in Ireland for 5 years, no problem. Won't resell this car, just drive it until it stops running!
Though our previous import we sold prior to coming to the US and got a good price from a Russian living in Ireland who wanted to drive the care back to Russia!

You should check if this is the case bringing a car from North America as opposed to elsewhere in Europe.

OP I am more curious about you manage to overtake in a LHD car, is it not pretty dangerous?

My friend (Expats username: Piff Poff) sent an '02 Ford Expedition from Alberta to the UK in 2007...can't remember the costs involved or how much of a headache it was but perhaps you could PM her...she'd have no problem giving the advice.

Good luck

One more:

- how expensive will insurance be for a LHD drive car that is a model not typically available in the UK?

Personally, I wouldn't do it. You could end up with an expensive lump of metal that you can't sell.

Actually the insurance is only marginally more expensive , but I found with my German import that i was restricted to a smaller no. of companies that would quote me for the insurance.

And as for resale, as I posted earlier we sold our German merc no problem (we listed it privately and had about 20 enquiries, first guy bought it)

In fact due to the influx of other nationalities from EU countries into Ireland in the past few years, I noticed there are quite a few LHD vehicles on the roads on my last trip back to Dublin 6 months ago....Though that may have changed a bit now as people are leaving Ireland due to the recession....


I really don't know why more people don't bring back cars, especially to Ireland where car prices are higher than the UK. I drove our German merc in Dublin from 1997 to 2004, before coming to the U.S, with no problems or incidents at all.

I think the key though is what type of car you bring back. I would not import a Chevrolet or Dodge or US make, nor would I bother importing a cheaper toyota corolla or equivalent. The Mercedes I am bringing back would cost twice as much back in Ireland, a no-brainer in my book!

And I am not really a car person, but I LOVE my car!

I've never heard of a Pontiac Torrent - does it have a UK equivalent? [I know some US models do, just not familiar with this one]

Bear in mind how you are going to mechanically maintain the car as we dont have Pontiacs in the UK

Thanks everyone... I have sold the car instead... Got a poor price for it but i guessed it would be more hassle to return it and I can't face any more stress right now...

Thanks for all your replies...

Well I suppose that is better news for you...now you can forget the headache of having it transported back.......on with the show once more!

Just in case anyone does a search in the future and sees this thread.

Import duties are dependant on how long you have been out of the country and how long you have had the car.

Unless the same model has been sold in the UK, your vehicle maybe subject to either an MOT or an SVA test. Modifications can be required and can be difficult to do, things like adding indicators, modifying headlamp beams, etc.

Surprisingly some vehicles spare parts are readily available. Others are more difficult. The real issue is getting a mechanic, that knows what he is doing and getting parts quickly.

Driving a LHD in a RHD country. This is up to the person, but it can be really annoying. Drive throughs, car park ticket machines, etc assume you are on the 'right side'. Overtaking on anything but a multi carriageway road is a nightmare. Turning left with someone in the passenger seat is awkward. The list goes on..

Resale value really depends on the vehicle, for a 'normal' vehicle it's terrible. For certain vehicles, like Mustangs and Corvettes, it can be good.

I'd have to ask Mr Piff, but it was a lot less than we thought it would be and only took 6 days from Edmonton to the UK. The American car scene in the UK is huge with a large market for imported vehicles. I have driven several different LHD vehicles in the UK and it was only mildly awkward on some occasions.