Car Shipping to Japan
from the United Kingdom
Japan, while primarily an exporter of vehicles, does accept imports. Ship Cars RoRo provides services to Yokohama, Kobe, and Osaka for specialty and classic vehicle imports. View our shipping services or request a quote.
Methods
RORO & Container
Transit Time
35–40 days to Yokohama/Kobe
Ports
Yokohama, Kobe +2
Starting From
£720
Overview
Japan, while primarily an exporter of vehicles, does accept imports. Ship Cars RoRo provides services to Yokohama, Kobe, and Osaka for specialty and classic vehicle imports.
Shipping Methods
RORO and container shipping to major Japanese ports. Monthly RORO sailings available.
Shared Container Shipping to Japan
For enclosed protection at a fraction of the cost of a dedicated container, our shared container shipping service consolidates two to four UK vehicles bound for Japan into a single sealed 40ft high-cube container. Typically 25–35% cheaper than a dedicated container, with marine all-risks insurance, professional racking and personal-effects allowance included. See the full shared container shipping page for routes, prices and sailing schedules to Japan.
Explore shared container shippingTransit Time
35–40 days to Yokohama/Kobe from Southampton.
Import Regulations
Japan has relatively straightforward import rules but vehicles must pass the strict Shaken (車検) safety inspection. Import duty is 0% for passenger cars. Consumption tax is 10%. Vehicles drive on the left (right-hand drive), so UK cars are compatible.
Documents Required
- V5C registration
- Passport
- Commercial invoice
- Bill of Lading
- Shaken inspection certificate
Japan Shipping Rates 2026
Indicative 2026 customer prices in GBP, ex-works UK port. Destination duty, VAT and inland delivery are excluded.
| Shipping Method | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| RoRo (Roll-on / Roll-off) | £1,182 | £1,904 |
| 20ft / 40ft Container | £720 | £950 |
| Shared Container / R-Rak | from £504 | |
| Transit Time | 45–52 days | |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there import duty on cars in Japan?
Does Japan drive on the left?
How long does it take to ship a car from the UK to Japan?
Which UK ports do you ship from to Japan?
What documents do I need to ship a car to Japan?
What shipping methods are available from the UK to Japan?
How much does it cost to ship a car from the UK to Japan?
Shared Container Shipping to Japan — FAQs
Common questions about shared container shipping to Japan from the United Kingdom.
Do you offer shared container shipping to Japan?
How much cheaper is shared container shipping to Japan than a dedicated container?
Can I put personal effects in the car when shipping to Japan by shared container?
Available Ports
Why ship a car to Japan from the UK
Ship Cars RoRo is a specialist UK vehicle export company moving cars, SUVs, classics, motorbikes and light commercials to Japan every month. Asia is a highly regulated but premium-priced corridor for UK car exports, with strong demand from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan for right-hand-drive vehicles, and tightly controlled markets in India, China and Vietnam. Typical clients on this lane include Singapore and Hong Kong dealers, alongside private owners relocating to Japan and returning residents importing a personal vehicle. Our UK-to-Japan corridor is engineered around predictable transit, transparent pricing and full compliance with Japan customs.
Vehicles depart from Southampton, Bristol (Portbury), Felixstowe and arrive at Yokohama, Kobe, Osaka and 1 more port via direct Far East rotation via Colombo and Singapore. Typical door-to-port turnaround is 35–40 days to yokohama/kobe from southampton, supported by marine all-risks insurance, GPS-tracked UK collection and bonded warehousing where required. For an instant indication of cost, use our car shipping cost calculator or request a tailored quote on our quote page.
How UK to Japan car shipping works
Every shipment to Japan follows the same six-step pipeline: free quotation, UK collection or self-drop at Southampton, bonded UK warehousing and pre-shipment photos, HMRC NOVA / C88 export clearance handled by our UK customs clearance team, ocean transit to Yokohama (and onward feeder to Kobe where required), and destination customs handover. You choose the shipping mode that best matches the vehicle profile and budget — see the full breakdown on our car shipping costs page or compare live RORO sailing dates to Japan.
RORO to Japan
Roll-on/Roll-off is the lowest-cost method for running, road-legal vehicles bound for Japan. Drive-on at the UK port, drive-off at Yokohama. RORO shipping to Japan — check the weekly RORO schedule.
Container to Japan
20ft sole-use or 40ft dedicated containers give classic, high-value, modified or non-running vehicles fully enclosed protection on the route to Kobe. Dedicated container shipping to Japan.
Shared container to Japan
Two to four UK vehicles consolidated into a sealed 40ft container — typically 25–35% cheaper than a sole-use container. Shared container shipping to Japan — get a shared container cost estimate.
Japan ports, routing and transit
Vehicles bound for Japan are typically routed through Yokohama as the lead discharge port, with Kobe, Osaka, Nagoya available as alternatives depending on sailing schedule and onward inland transport. We schedule loads to match weekly RORO sailing schedules to Japan and consolidated shared container departures from the UK. For sole-use loads we book 20ft and 40ft container slots on the same rotation.
- Port of Yokohama
- Port of Kobe
- Port of Osaka
- Port of Nagoya
- UK departure: Southampton
- UK departure: Tilbury
- UK departure: Bristol (Portbury)
Japan import duty, VAT and customs in 2026
Importing a vehicle into Japan is regulated and document-driven. The headline framework is summarised below; our team verifies every figure against the latest Japan customs schedule before quoting.
- Strict homologation and emission standards (Euro 4–6)
- Carnet de Passage in selected markets
- Right-hand-drive advantage for South and East Asia
- Container shipping via Singapore, Port Klang and Hong Kong
Document checklist for Japan
- V5C registration
- Passport
- Commercial invoice
- Bill of Lading
- Shaken inspection certificate
For full country-specific customs rules, see our Japan import guides and articles, our UK and Japan customs clearance service, or use the duty-inclusive cost calculator for a landed estimate to Yokohama.
Who ships to Japan
- • Returning Japan residents and dual nationals
- • UK expats relocating to Japan
- • Asia car dealers and Japan re-exporters
- • Private collectors and classic-car enthusiasts
- • Diplomatic missions and corporate fleets
- • Online auction buyers (Copart, BCA, Manheim)
Vehicles we ship to Japan
- • Saloons, hatchbacks and family cars
- • SUVs, 4x4s and pickups (Land Rover, Range Rover, Toyota, Nissan)
- • Luxury and executive vehicles (Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi)
- • Performance and supercars (McLaren, Aston Martin, Porsche, Ferrari)
- • Classic and historic vehicles (pre-1990 with HMRC NOVA exemption)
- • Motorbikes, scooters and quad bikes
- • Vans, light commercials and motorhomes
- • Electric and hybrid vehicles (EV battery documentation supported)
Why exporters choose Ship Cars RoRo for Japan
• Specialist UK-to-Japan corridor with weekly capacity
• Marine all-risks insurance and bonded UK warehousing
• HMRC NOVA, C88, EORI and DVLA V5C export handled in-house
• Transparent UK to Japan pricing with no hidden destination fees
• Direct relationships with Yokohama agents
• Dedicated account manager from booking to delivery
Related services and tools for shipping to Japan
Shipping methods
Pricing & schedules
Guides & comparisons
Other Asia destinations from the UK
We ship to 8+ other Asia countries from the UK on the same trade lanes as Japan. Many customers shipping to Japan also enquire about South Korea, Singapore because routing, customs documentation and transit windows overlap.
Get an instant quote for car shipping to Japan
Speak to a UK-to-Japan specialist on +44 (0)1495 320540, or request a free no-obligation quote online. Most quotes are returned within one working hour.