Importing to the UK?

[Joshgreen484]

OK so I have always wanted a kei car and cannot find any true jap ones in the UK. Does anyone have or know a reputable company or website like ebay for Japan that also includes shipping costs to the UK. As you can probably tell I am absolutely clueless about all this.

[MHR1294]

I used BHP Imports in Newcastle. Great guys to deal with.

[Joshgreen484]

Newcastle, UK or Newcastle, AUS?

[MHR1294]

Newcastle UK

https://www.facebook.com/BHPimports/

[Joshgreen484]

Thanks mate Newcastle is only 115 miles away aswell

[hoodedreeper]

I can't recommend Torque GT enough. The guys and girls there are extremely helpful, they go the extra mile and make sure you get exactly what your looking for.

Tell them your budget, they search for the car and bid. If the bid is successful you then pay 70% of your budget and it gets shipped. It'll take approx 12 weeks for it to arrive on UK soil, thats when you pay for shipping. They'll then collect and take it to their HQ in Devon where it'll be registered, MOT'd,full inspection inc underseal and service. You then pay the remaining balance on collection.

They can also source and fit any additional parts i.e wheels,aero,engine mods etc

[MHR1294]

Thanks mate Newcastle is only 115 miles away aswell

That's similar to me then, except I'm North of Newcastle! haha

So the cars come into Tyne port - which is one of the major shipping stops for cars luckily!

Kei cars are an absolute bastard to drive on the motorway, I'd probably have shot myself if I had to drive any further.

I can't recommend Torque GT enough. The guys and girls there are extremely helpful, they go the extra mile and make sure you get exactly what your looking for.

Tell them your budget, they search for the car and bid. If the bid is successful you then pay 70% of your budget and it gets shipped. It'll take approx 12 weeks for it to arrive on UK soil, thats when you pay for shipping. They'll then collect and take it to their HQ in Devon where it'll be registered, MOT'd,full inspection inc underseal and service. You then pay the remaining balance on collection.

They can also source and fit any additional parts i.e wheels,aero,engine mods etc

That's pretty much exactly the same, BHP do it slightly differently in that you pay for a deposit based on the OTR price in the UK (minimum £750, my car was £1500 deposit). This is used to find the car you want, inspect it and bid/buy if it meets what you're looking for - which can take any length of time.

Then it's the pretty much the same as what you describe for TorqueGT. Your next payment is the full value of the car, plus shipping fees/deregistration etc.

Last payment covers Shipping Agent fees/VAT/Customs/IVA/MOT/Underseal basically everything to get it on the road in the UK.

shipping agent fees are due in the UK - they're the people that handle the ships and their goods in the port, the actual shipping fees are ALWAYS paid before the car leaves Japan


Worth mentioning that whoever you use to import, you cannot register a modified vehicle that is less than 10 years old, as it will need to go for an IVA test - this is why nobody could bring in a Mugen RR to the UK until a year or so ago because it can't meet IVA requirements, for example a rule which is bonkers when you consider the types of kit cars they allow on the road here!

And whatever you do, don't use an importer that isn't a UK registered company, you might find it difficult to deal with if anything goes wrong because they'll be operating under different laws.

Link for the BHP Imports website: https://www.bhpimports.co.uk/

Link for Torque GT (even although they dingyed me) https://www.torque-gt.co.uk/

[Joshgreen484]

Thanks guys I'm going to look into it

[lametcalyf]

I don't know the delivery of cars from Japan. I can only say that when I was planning my trip from Tokyo to Kyoto, I worked with the delivery of Ford cars through this company guardianautotransport.com. Of course, this company's cars are distributed worldwide, so I did not have any particular problems. Maybe you should contact Kei-car delivery directly and ask them about all the details? I am sure they should understand how to work with ports in the UK and how such an order as yours can be carried out.

[xird]

If you're willing to deal with all the import paperwork yourself, there are a lot of options. I bought my Super Turbo from https://www.beforward.jp/ , and had it shipped to Finland. Dealing with them was quite easy and straightforward. Of course, I don't know how bad the bureaucracy in the UK is regarding imported cars, but I'm sure someone here can shed light on that?

[MHR1294]

If you're willing to deal with all the import paperwork yourself, there are a lot of options. I bought my Super Turbo from https://www.beforward.jp/ , and had it shipped to Finland. Dealing with them was quite easy and straightforward. Of course, I don't know how bad the bureaucracy in the UK is regarding imported cars, but I'm sure someone here can shed light on that?

If a car is over 10 years old, getting it registered in the UK is a piece of cake. You basically just import the car, pay VAT and Customs, fill out a registration form and pay the one off rego fee of about £55 then get the car for a safety inspection aka MOT. Then you're good to go.

If it's under 10 years old, it needs to go through a basic IVA - just a check to make sure it's compliant or built to an equivalent standard. Crash test and emissions equivalent etc - Unrelated but this is where some Aus import laws really let you down by forcing you to have physical modifications such as welding in door bars etc when they're really not required although some of those rules have probably been lifted by now.

Cars over 30 years old pay a reduced duty and VAT rate of 5% and cars over 40 years old no longer require an MOT.

[ranjith]

I stumbled upon this thread and figured I'd give my two cents, even though it's pretty old. As for finding a reputable company or website to purchase from, I'd recommend checking out sites like Japan Partner or Car From Japan. They both have a wide selection of cars (including kei cars) and offer shipping to the UK.
If you're still in the market for a kei car and want to import one from Japan to the UK, https://www.crosscountrycarshipping.com/ is a great option for shipping.
Just make sure you do your research and read reviews before making any purchases. Importing a car can be a bit of a process, but it's totally worth it if you find the car you've been dreaming of.