How to Ship a Car from USA to Europe: International Car Shipping Guide

When moving to Europe, you may decide to take your own car with you – an important decision that will change the way you approach the entire move.

Without a doubt, shipping a car to Europe from the USA will incur extra costs and will require additional time from you – time to find one of the best international car shipping companies from the USA to Europe, as well as time to prepare your vehicle for overseas transport.

Hopefully, you’ll have taken all of those factors into account before you make up your mind to ship your car to Europe. Here you can read more about the pros and cons of shipping your car overseas or buying a new car in the destination country.

But right now, let’s focus on how to ship a car from the United States to Europe – the specifics of the overseas car shipping process and what your role should be while your vehicle is being transported to the Old Continent.

How much does it cost to ship a car from USA to Europe?

The cost of shipping a car from the USA to Europe starts at around $900 per car in a shared container (consolidated container) to roughly $2,900 inside an exclusive 20ft container or around $4,200 inside an individual 40ft container.

Of course, different international car shippers have different car shipping rates, and the international car shipping price will be calculated based on several important factors such as

Factor 1. Distance from your home to a major seaport

Do you live far away from a major U.S. sea terminal? If so, then you should expect to pay a higher car shipping price in the end because your vehicle will still need to be transported to a shipping dock.

Unless you yourself plan to drive your car all the way to a marine terminal, it’s best to let your international car shipper handle the transportation of your vehicle to a port of origin.

You should pay anywhere from a few hundred dollars to roughly a thousand dollars or more for the extra service. If you happen to live in a Midwest state, then the car shipping cost through truck transport will be higher.

Also, for obvious reasons, it’ll be cheaper to ship your car to a European country from the East Coast than from the West Coast.

Factor 2. Distance to the European country

The overseas car shipping cost will be also influenced by the distance to the destination European country.

For example, the vehicle shipping costs from the USA to the UK start from as little as $900 in a consolidated container (shared container shipping), excluding the import clearance, VAT, or customs duty in the United Kingdom.

The cost to ship a car to Germany from the USA is somewhere between $900 and $1,300, excluding the destination charges which amount to approximately $550.

The cost to ship a car to France from the United States ranges from $900 to $1,300, with an import tax of 10% customs plus 20% Value Added Tax (VAT).

The cost to ship a car to Spain from the USA starts from around $2,200 and it takes approximately 22 days for the shipping container to reach the ports of Barcelona, Tarragona, or Valencia from New York, and about 38 days from California.

Factor 3. Type of the vehicle you’re shipping to Europe

It’s easy to guess that the larger and heavier a vehicle is, the more it will cost to ship that vehicle to Europe.

Thus, a compact car will be cheaper to transport to any European country than a large SUV or a pickup truck.

Additionally, a non-operational car will be more expensive to ship to the Old Continent simply because it can’t be transported via the RoRo shipping method, but rather inside a shipping container.

So, you will get charged extra for the loading and unloading troubles of a vehicle that cannot run on its own.

Factor 4. International car shipping insurance

The cost of shipping a car from the USA to Europe will also depend on the amount of car shipping insurance you pay. You just have to purchase international car shipping insurance, there’s no way around it.

The good news is that the overseas auto transporter you pick should offer you adequate vehicle insurance through their insurance program, or if they don’t have it, through a third-party car insurance company they partner with.

On average, international car shipping insurance will cost roughly 1.5%-2.5% of the estimated car value.

What that means is that when you’re shipping your car to Europe, you should expect to pay approximately $300-$500 for a vehicle valued at $20,000, or somewhere between $450 and $750 for a vehicle valued at $30,000.

Factor 5. Taxes and charges at the European destination

Import duties, taxes, and charges will also affect the final car shipping cost from the USA to Europe. And while it’s true that each European country will have its own pre-set charges, you should expect to pay around $550 per car.

Bear in mind that destination charges are not usually included in the international shipping cost that you will be quoted.

As a rule of thumb, destination taxes and charges are higher for container shipping than for RoRo shipping where cars are simply driven off the ship without the need to use a crane for unloading the containers.

Moving Abroad Checklist

How to find the best car shippers from USA to Europe

To transport your car from the USA to Europe, you’re going to need to hire the services of an experienced international car shipping company. You cannot possibly do it on your own, even if you really wish to do so.

Once you’ve weighed the pros and cons of shipping your car to the Old Continent and have made up your mind to do it, your number one priority is to find one of the very best car transportation companies in the country that ships cars to Europe from any location in the United States.

Here’s how to find a top-rated international car transporter:

• Use our International Car Shipping Cost Calculator to get in touch with experienced and reputable auto shipping companies that specialize in overseas car transport.
• Ask for international car shipping quotes from each company with the purpose of comparing their cost estimates.
• Ensure that the overseas car shippers you’re considering for the job are properly licensed by the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC).
• Compare the international vehicle transporters by reading customer reviews and checking their overall ratings left by former customers. Do it by accessing our moving reviews database of international car shipping companies.
• Compare the car shipping estimates you’ve received for the transport of your vehicle to Europe. The final price matters, of course, but take a closer look at the car shipping services and conditions you are offered by each company.
• Pick the auto transport company that has offered you competitive car shipping rates – the shipper that you think will do the best job of transporting your car to Europe in a quick and safe manner.

How to Find the Best International Movers

Which type of international car shipping method to choose

When shipping a car to Europe from the United States, you get to choose between two types of vehicle shipping methods – RoRo Shipping and Container Shipping.

When unsure which transportation option to use to move your car to Europe, your international car transport company will help you make the right decision in your case.

Nevertheless, here’s more information about each one:

RoRo Shipping (Roll On, Roll Off)

Regardless of whether you’re shipping your car to the UK, Germany, France, Spain, or another European country, the Roll On, Roll Off shipping method still remains the cheapest way to move a vehicle to Europe.

In its essence, the RoRo shipping option is when your wheeled vehicle is driven onto a transatlantic ship of its own power.

Imagine the deck of the ship as a huge covered parking lot that stays fairly protected against the whims of the elements.

Once loaded onto the water vessel (below deck), each vehicle gets tied down securely to its pre-determined spot with the help of clamps, ratchet straps, and other fixing mechanisms.

RoRo is the cheapest way to ship a car from the USA to Europe, but it does come with a few disadvantages:

• you must remove all personal items from your car,
• you must trust the international car shipper with the car keys and you may not be too thrilled about the idea;
• your vehicle needs to be operational – that is, to be in good condition so that it can be driven up and down the loading ramp.

Container Shipping

Of course, you can also select to ship to vehicle to Europe from the US in a shipping container – either in a shared one or in an exclusive one.

Choosing shared container shipping to get your car to your destination country in Europe is an excellent option with multiple advantages – your prized vehicle will be 100% safe from the elements inside that metal container while the international car shipping cost will still be relatively low because your car will be loaded along with three other vehicles – a shipping container usually fits around 4 wheeled vehicles.

Shared container shipping when transporting a car to Europe from the United States is a good option when you also wish to ship extra stuff on the backseat of the vehicle or inside its trunk – remember that you are not allowed to do that when using the RoRo shipping method.

Choosing exclusive container shipping to ship your car from the USA to Europe is a viable option when you’re moving an exotic vehicle or you can simply afford the extra cost.

Basically, your vehicle will be the only one inside the container, giving you peace of mind and the extra assurance that everything will be alright. Again, you will be able to ship some personal belongings together with your car, if that’s what you wish.

How to Plan a Move to Another Country

What documents to prepare when moving a car to Europe from USA

One thing to keep in mind is that the process of shipping a car from the United States to Europe involves plenty of paperwork.

The good news, however, is that the international auto shipper you choose as your partner will take care of that logistical nuisance for you.

As specialists in overseas vehicle transport, they will know exactly which documents to request from you as the car owner and will process the required documentation through the customs of the destination country: United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, and so on.

When shipping your car to Europe, speak with your overseas car shipping company about what types of documents you will need to prepare in advance. Some European countries request more paperwork than others, and it’s your shipper that will inform you of the exact documents to have depending on the destination country.

Still, in the majority of cases, you’ll need to have these documents ready:

• Certificate of Title (original document) and two copies of the notarized title;
• Bill of Sale or notarized Bill of Sale;
• Certificate of Origin (original document) in case you purchased your car new;
• Shipper Export Declaration;
• Declaration of Dangerous Goods;
• Copy of your U.S. passport.

Speak with your selected auto shipper to understand exactly what documents and forms you will need to present to them to speed up the entire process.

Important Documents to Take When Moving

How to prepare your car for international auto transport

Make sure your car is ready for transport before it gets picked up by your overseas car shipper.

When moving your car to Europe from the US, here’s how to prepare your car for safe transport:

• Get your car serviced at an authorized service garage to ensure it’s in good condition before the move to Europe;
• Remove all personal items from inside the car if you’re shipping your vehicle using the RoRo shipping method. If you’ve picked to transport your car inside a shared or exclusive shipping container, then you will be allowed to leave certain non-hazardous goods inside it;
• Leave the standard car equipment (spare tire, emergency kit, tools, etc.) and do NOT remove the license plates;
• Clean your car well from the outside;
• Take high-res photos of your car to document its current condition. Also, photograph and detail pre-existing damage, if any;
• Remove any external car accessories that can be removed safely – the antenna, roof rack, etc.;
• Check if the car battery is fully charged and well secured on its brackets;
• Leave only about 1/4 of fuel in the fuel tank;
• Ensure the emergency brake functions as it’s supposed to;
• Check if the pressure in the tires is the correct one;
• Disable the alarm system of your car;

When shipping your car to Europe from the US using the RoRo shipping method, you have to prepare an extra set of car keys for your overseas car shipper.

Unlike shipping your car to Europe in a container, RoRo basically means that your vehicle will be driven on and off the ship.

How to Prepare a Car for Shipping

What to know when shipping a car from USA to UK

If you wish to ship your car to the United Kingdom, then there are specific details that you have to discuss with your overseas vehicle shipping company.

Make sure you have that discussion way in advance so that there are no unpleasant surprises for you after your car reaches the Old Continent.

UK ports and local agents

When shipping cars to the UK, your own vehicle will be transported to either of these UK ports: Felixstowe, Liverpool, London Gateway, or Southampton.

A local UK agent will take care of your freshly delivered car as far as clearing the import customs, unloading the shipping container, and providing local delivery to a UK address that you have specified, if necessary.

Car shipping cost to UK

How much does it cost to ship a car from the United States to the United Kingdom?

On average, shipping a car from the USA (New Jersey) to the UK starts from around $900 in a shared shipping container. That average shipping cost does not include the import clearance, VAT, or customs duty in the UK.

UK import duties and destination charges

Keep in mind that import duties and VAT when shipping a car to the UK from the US vary depending on the type of vehicle and its age.

When shipping a modern car to the UK, expect to pay 10% import duty and 20% VAT.

If you happen to be shipping a car to the United Kingdom that is over 30 years old, then you’re likely to pay only 5% VAT and no import duties provided that the classic car you’re moving is original – that is, without any modifications.  

If the car you’re shipping to the UK was originally manufactured in the European Union, then you’re likely to pay an import duty of £50 and 20% of Value Added Tax (VAT).

When shipping a pickup truck or a commercial vehicle from the US to the UK, then you should expect to pay much higher destination charges: about 22% import duty and 20% VAT.

Bear in mind that destination charges are different from the car shipping cost. You’ll have to pay those destination charges so that you can have your vehicle unloaded safely and cleared with the UK customs.

The good news is that your overseas auto shipping company will be working together with a local UK agent, so you won’t have to do anything… except cover the extra charges.

Required documentation

Shipping a car from the United States to the United Kingdom has to be preceded by clearance by the US customs.

For that purpose, you will need to provide the following set of documents to the international car shipping company you’ve chosen to work with:

• Bill of Sale
• Original Vehicle Title
• Power of Attorney form
• Copy of EIN letter for US citizens
• Copy of passport for non-US citizens

Speak with your overseas auto shipper to see whether they will need any other documents or certificates from you to get the vehicle shipping process started.

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