How to Successfully Export Supercars From the UK to Australia? | GVE London – Blog

Despite remaining a constitutional monarchy with King Charles III as its head of state, the process of exporting luxury cars to Australia is, alas, not as simple as shipping out a package to another state in the UK. It is a process riddled with regulations, paperwork, and the logistical jungle. However, if you know what to do and expect, it isn’t that difficult. Whether you’re a collector, a dealer, or someone looking to ship a dream car Down Under, here’s everything you need to know about exporting cars from the UK.

Get Import Approval

Before your car even leaves the UK, it needs import approval from the Australian government, handled through the ROVER portal by the Department of Infrastructure. Without this approval, your car will not clear customs, and you’ll be slapped with expensive storage fees. So, step one is to get this sorted out.

Meet Australian Vehicle Standards

Australia has very strict safety, emissions, and biosecurity rules. They are very serious about protecting their environment and ecosystem because of how unique and diverse it is. There is no tolerance for contaminants, so your car must be spotless—no dirt, insects, or plant material—or entry will be denied. You might also need to perform some modifications to meet local safety regulations in compliance with the Australian Design Rules (ADR).

Understand Taxes, Duties & Paperwork

Ah, yes. Everybody’s favorite pastime activity—calculating taxes. Luxury cars aren’t cheap to begin with, and the prices are further increased thanks to, you guessed it, taxes. Here’s a rough idea of what you need to pay:

• Goods and Services Tax (GST): 10% of the car’s total value, including import costs.
• Luxury Car Tax (LCT): This applies to vehicles over AUD 80,567 or AUD 91,387 for fuel-efficient cars. The LCT rate is 33% on the value above these thresholds.

Paperwork is also extremely important, as missing a document or filling it incorrectly will delay your shipment or have your car stuck at the port—a nightmare situation. So, make sure you have:

• Import Approval (ROVER) certificate
• Proof of ownership (purchase invoice/title deed)
• Compliance certificates
• Bill of Lading from the shipping company

Taxes, paperwork, and regulations are often subject to change. So, whenever you decide to export luxury cars to Australia, read up on the latest facts.

Choose the Right Shipping Method

The gold standard for shipping a car or high-end vehicle is container shipping. It is safe, fairly fast, reliable, and doesn’t particularly break the bank. Air freight is arguably the king of shipping methods, but it is extremely expensive and doesn’t make much sense unless you’re exporting an ultra-rare car or time is a major factor. We recommend ignoring the RoRo shipping method, as it leaves your car exposed to the mercy of the elements, which is hardly ever a good plan when the subject matter is an expensive vehicle.

Conclusion

It is quite a rewarding experience to ship a luxury car from the UK to Australia, but if you’re a first-timer, it is hardly a DIY project. If you need assistance, our supercar showroom, GVE London, is also a specialist luxury car exporter that deals with exporting cars across the world daily. We can assist you throughout the ordeal and help you save a significant amount of time, money, stress, and hassle. Get in touch with us today to know more.