Shared Container Shipping to Europe from the UK: Routes, Ports and Costs

Since Brexit, every UK to EU vehicle movement is treated as a third-country export, which means full customs clearance, import VAT and either duty or a Statement on Origin claim under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Shared container shipping is the simplest way to bundle that paperwork with safe enclosed transport, especially to islands and inland markets where direct RORO calls are limited.

Ship Cars RoRo consolidates 40ft shared containers from Tilbury, Felixstowe and Southampton on a weekly basis to the busiest European routes.

- Spain — Tilbury / Felixstowe to Valencia, Barcelona, Algeciras and Vigo. 5 to 9 days. From £950.
• France — Tilbury to Le Havre and Marseille. 4 to 8 days. From £950.
• Germany — Tilbury / Hull to Hamburg and Bremerhaven. 4 to 7 days. From £1,000.
• Italy — Felixstowe to Genoa, Livorno and Salerno. 8 to 14 days. From £1,150.
• Portugal — Tilbury to Leixões and Lisbon. 6 to 10 days. From £1,100.
• Netherlands — Felixstowe to Rotterdam. 3 to 5 days. From £950.
• Belgium — Tilbury to Antwerp. 3 to 5 days. From £950.
• Ireland — Liverpool to Dublin. 2 to 4 days. From £950.
• Cyprus — Felixstowe to Limassol. 12 to 18 days. From £1,300.
• Malta — Felixstowe to Valletta. 10 to 16 days. From £1,250.
• Greece — Felixstowe to Piraeus. 12 to 18 days. From £1,300.
• Turkey — Felixstowe to Mersin and Izmir. 12 to 18 days. From £1,400.
• Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Poland — Felixstowe and Tilbury to Gothenburg, Oslo, Aarhus and Gdynia. 5 to 10 days. From £1,000.

Every EU import attracts:

- Customs duty — 10% on passenger cars, but 0% if the car is UK-built and accompanied by a valid UK Statement on Origin under the UK-EU TCA.
• Import VAT — Levied at the local rate (Spain 21%, France 20%, Germany 19%, Italy 22%, Ireland 23%, Cyprus 19%, Malta 18%) on customs value plus duty plus shipping.
• Returning resident relief — Available in most member states for personal vehicles owned and used for at least 6 months prior to relocation.

For more detail see our UK customs clearance guide. Use our cost calculator for a country-specific landed-cost estimate.

RORO is generally cheaper on Europe routes, but shared container wins when:

- The destination is an island with no direct RORO call (Cyprus, Malta).
• You want to carry personal effects inside the car — RORO does not allow this.
• The car is a classic, low-clearance or EV that you want enclosed.
• The car is a non-runner.
• You value a sealed audit trail for an insurance claim.

For a wider comparison see car shipping methods and shared vs dedicated container.

Pricing for European shared container is normally fixed within 24 hours and includes UK collection, racking, sealing, export clearance, terminal handling, marine insurance and the bill of lading. Optional add-ons cover destination clearance and last-mile delivery to your address in Madrid, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Lisbon, Dublin, Limassol or anywhere else in the EU.

Request a free quote or talk to our team. Cross-check European routes against the rest of the world on our car shipping costs guide.

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.