Can I import a car from South Africa to the UK?
I have just returned from a holiday in South Africa. While there we had the use of a new hire car which we drove over 1200 miles. It was a new, South African built Toyota Corolla Cross, a model not available in the UK. It was refreshing to drive as it had no EU mandated nanny-state warnings for lane departure, speed limits, etc. A brand new, fully loaded model is less than £25,000 in SA. Would it be possible to import one of these from SA to the UK?
Asked on 9 March 2026 by David Taylor
Answered by
David Ross
While it is possible to import vehicles from South Africa to the UK, because domestic vehicles are also right-hand drive for cars under 10 years old you must have owned the car for at least six months in South Africa, have lived in South Africa for at least 12 months and be returning to the UK to live permanently. You are also required to VAT and customs duty on the vehicle.
Tags:
grey imports
importing a car
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