How Long Does It Take to Ship a Car from the UK? Transit Times by Route (2026)

Shipping a car from the UK usually takes between one and seven weeks at sea, and two to ten weeks door to door. The voyage itself is only part of the timeline: you also need to allow for paperwork, waiting for the next sailing, port handling at both ends and customs clearance at destination.

The figures below are typical sea transit times for 2026, based on the direct and transhipment services used for UK vehicle exports. They are estimates rather than guarantees — shipping lines adjust schedules for weather, port congestion and routing. For live departures, check the RoRo sailing schedule.

| Destination | Typical sea transit | Method | |---|---|---| | Ireland | 1–2 days | Ro-Pax / RoRo | | Spain, Portugal | 3–7 days | RoRo / container | | Cyprus, Malta | 10–18 days | RoRo / container | | USA (East Coast) | 10–16 days | RoRo / container | | Canada | 10–16 days | RoRo / container | | UAE (Jebel Ali) | 18–26 days | RoRo / container | | Saudi Arabia | 18–28 days | RoRo / container | | Ghana (Tema) | 14–21 days | RoRo / container | | Nigeria (Lagos) | 16–24 days | RoRo / container | | Kenya (Mombasa) | 28–38 days | RoRo / container | | Pakistan (Karachi) | 24–32 days | Container | | Japan | 35–45 days | RoRo / container | | Australia | 35–50 days | RoRo / container | | New Zealand | 40–55 days | RoRo / container |

West Coast USA, inland destinations and smaller ports that need transhipment take longer. Full route details are on each destination page.

- Paperwork (1–5 days). Checking the V5C, ID, finance status and preparing the export declaration. Having everything ready — see our export preparation checklist — keeps this short.
• Waiting for a sailing (0–14 days). RoRo vessels on major routes sail weekly or fortnightly; less common routes may sail monthly.
• UK collection (1–4 days) if you do not deliver the car to the port yourself.
• Container consolidation (1–3 weeks) on shared containers, which leave once the box is full.
• Transhipment (3–10 days) where the car changes vessel at a hub.
• Destination clearance (2–10 days). Duty payment, inspections and registration checks. A correct Bill of Lading and matching documents are what keep this at the short end.

On direct routes, RoRo is usually slightly faster, because the car goes straight onto a scheduled vessel and off again with no container stuffing or unstuffing. Sole-use containers can be almost as quick and give more flexibility on sailing dates. Shared containers are normally the slowest, as they wait for enough cars to fill the box.

If speed is critical and the car is valuable or needed urgently, air freight is possible for some routes, though at a much higher cost. Compare methods on our RoRo shipping explained guide and container shipping page.

1. Book early. Popular RoRo sailings fill up, particularly to the Gulf and West Africa.
2. Have documents ready before collection so the car can go straight onto the next vessel.
3. Choose the right UK port for your route — our UK ports guide explains which ports serve which trades.
4. Appoint a clearing agent at destination before the vessel arrives, or use our customs clearance service.
5. Pay duties promptly — use a calculator such as the USA import duty calculator or Canada import duty calculator to budget in advance.

Once the car is loaded, you will receive the vessel name and Bill of Lading number, which lets you follow the ship's progress. Customers with an account can also follow each stage from their dashboard. Estimated arrival dates can move by a few days either way, so avoid booking non-refundable onward travel or registration appointments on the exact ETA.

The fastest way to get an accurate timeline is to give us the vehicle and destination. We will match it to the next suitable sailing and tell you the expected departure and arrival dates. Get a free quote, compare car shipping costs, or read the frequently asked questions.

Before any international shipment, vehicles need to reach the loading port — and many customers ask us to handle the UK leg too. Our recovery and transport network covers every postcode, 24 hours a day.

Start with the main hubs: Car Recovery UK, Vehicle Recovery UK, 24/7 Breakdown Recovery and Nationwide Vehicle Transportation.

City coverage includes London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield and Bristol.

Pre-book a port run on a flatbed transporter from Southampton, Portsmouth, Liverpool or Felixstowe via Ipswich, or call 24/7 for breakdown recovery in London, Birmingham or Manchester.