Cost to Ship a Car from the UK to Dubai in 2026

From the UK to Dubai (Jebel Ali), the most common 2026 prices for a standard saloon are:

- RoRo — from £695, 18–22 day transit, Southampton departure.
• Shared container — from £1,150 per vehicle, 25–32 days, Felixstowe departure.
• Sole-use 20ft container — from £1,950, 21–26 days.
• Sole-use 40ft container — from £2,650, suits two cars or one large SUV with personal effects.

These are port-to-port. On top you should budget for UK port handling (£90–£160), CDS declaration (£25–£60), marine insurance (1.5–2.5% of CIF), and UAE duty + VAT (5% + 5%).

Jebel Ali handles 6–8 RoRo sailings a month from Southampton on Hoegh, Wallenius and K Line. Sailing density keeps RoRo prices low and transit predictable. Unless your car is non-running, classic, modified or above £40,000 in value, RoRo will be the right answer in 2026.

If you want sealed protection without paying for sole-use container, shared container at around £1,150 per vehicle is the sweet spot.

- Duty: 5% of CIF value (Cost + Insurance + Freight)
• VAT: 5%
• Registration: AED 350–450 plus inspection
• RHD vehicles cannot be registered for UAE roads (transit only)

For a £20,000 CIF value, expect roughly £2,000 in UAE duty + VAT, plus broker and RTA fees of around AED 1,200. Full country breakdown in the UAE destination guide.

- Book outside the pre-Eid window — surcharges of £80–£150 apply.
• Drop the car at Southampton yourself if you live within driving distance.
• Pair two cars in a 40ft container for sole-use savings.
• Use the shipping cost calculator before you commit.
• Avoid lines that bundle low headline prices with high destination charges — always ask for a fully landed quote.

1. Request a Dubai quote.
2. We confirm sailing, price and cut-off.
3. UK collection or you drop at Southampton.
4. CDS export declaration filed with HMRC.
5. Bill of Lading issued within 3–5 days of sailing.
6. Vessel arrives Jebel Ali; UAE customs broker clears.
7. Vehicle released to consignee for registration.

Call or WhatsApp +44 (0)1495 320540, email info@shipcarsroro.co.uk or request a written quote. Same-day response Mon–Sat.

Here is what actually sits behind the headline number. The RoRo figure of £695, covers collection or drop-off at the UK load port, terminal handling in the UK, export customs entry, the ocean leg and standard marine transit cover. The container figure of £1,150 additionally covers the box, lashing and stuffing at the packing depot. It does not cover destination-side costs, and those are where budgets slip:

- Import duty and local taxes at Ship a Car, assessed on the customs value of the Car from the UK rather than on what you paid for it.
• Destination terminal handling and delivery order fees, typically the equivalent of £150–£400 depending on the port.
• Clearing agent fees — usually £150–£350, and effectively unavoidable where the customs system requires a registered broker.
• Storage if clearance stalls. Free time is normally 3–7 days after discharge, then daily demurrage.
• Inland delivery from the arrival port to the final address.

Ask for a landed-cost estimate rather than a freight quote when comparing suppliers — two quotes that look £200 apart on freight can be £900 apart once Ship a Car charges are added. Our quote form returns freight plus an itemised estimate of the destination charges we can see in advance.

Customs at both ends work from documents, not from phone calls. Assemble these before the vehicle is booked onto a sailing:

- V5C logbook (original, not the green slip). This is the proof of title UK export customs and Ship a Car customs both work from.
• Purchase invoice or bill of sale showing a realistic value — undervaluing is the single most common cause of a customs hold.
• Photo ID and proof of address for the exporter and the consignee.
• Bill of lading — issued after loading, and the document that releases the Car from the UK at Ship a Car.
• Export customs entry (CDS) filed by your forwarder, plus the NOVA/HMRC notification where the vehicle is leaving the UK permanently.
• Insurance certificate confirming cover and the agreed value for the voyage.

Where Ship a Car requires pre-shipment inspection, roadworthiness certification or an import permit, that document has to exist before loading — it cannot be obtained retrospectively once the vessel has sailed. Our customs clearance guide walks through each stage in order.

- Share a container. Two vehicles in a 40ft box typically cut the per-unit rate by 30–40% against sole use. See how shared loading works.
• Be flexible on the load port. Southampton, Immingham, Liverpool and Tilbury each serve different trades; moving one sailing or one port can change the rate materially. Compare the UK export ports.
• Avoid the peak. Rates firm up ahead of the summer relocation window and around the Chinese New Year equipment squeeze. Booking three to four weeks out is usually the sweet spot.
• Choose RoRo where the vehicle allows it. RoRo is cheaper than container for a standard, driveable car; container earns its premium for high-value, non-runner, modified or parts-laden shipments.
• Get the value right first time. A customs query at Ship a Car costs more in storage than any freight saving you might have made.

Sea transit on this route runs 25–32 days, Felixstowe departure. Around that, plan for:

1. Days 1–3 — booking and documents. Quote accepted, sailing reserved, V5C and invoice supplied, export entry prepared.
2. Days 3–10 — collection and delivery to port. The Car from the UK is collected or driven in, inspected and photographed, and receipted at the terminal.
3. Loading and departure. RoRo units are driven aboard; container loads are stuffed and lashed at the depot, then delivered to the quay. The bill of lading is issued after departure.
4. Ocean leg. 25–32 days, Felixstowe departure. Transhipment routings add roughly 5–10 days.
5. Arrival and clearance at Ship a Car. Duty and taxes assessed and paid, delivery order released, vehicle collected within the free-time window.

Build a two-week buffer into any plan that depends on the vehicle being available on a fixed date — vessel schedules move, and customs queues at Ship a Car are outside any forwarder's control.