How Much Does It Really Cost to Import a Car from Japan?
The car's price is only the start. Here is every cost between Japan and your driveway — FOB price, freight, insurance, inspection, duties, port charges and registration — so you can budget properly.
When you see a Japanese used car advertised for a good price, it is easy to think that is what the car will cost you. In reality the price you see is usually the FOB price: the car loaded onto the ship in Japan. Several more costs come before you drive it.
This checklist covers all of them, so you can budget properly and avoid surprises.
Costs on the Japan side
1. The FOB price
This is the price of the car itself, delivered to the port in Japan and loaded on the ship. It normally includes transport from our yard to the port and export paperwork in Japan. All prices on our website are FOB.
2. Ocean freight
The cost of shipping the car to your port. It depends on:
- The size of the car: freight is often priced by volume (length × width × height), so a large van costs more to ship than a small hatchback
- The destination port and the shipping route
- RoRo or container: see our guide on RoRo vs container shipping
- The time of year and current shipping rates
FOB plus freight is the C&F price, which is what we quote you.
3. Marine insurance (optional)
Insurance covers the car against loss or damage at sea. FOB plus freight plus insurance is the CIF price. Read more in FOB, C&F and CIF explained.
4. Pre-shipment inspection (if your country requires it)
Some countries require a roadworthiness or radiation inspection in Japan before shipping, carried out by an approved inspection company. If your country requires one, we arrange it and include it in your quotation.
Costs in your country
These are paid in your country, usually through your clearing agent. They vary a lot from country to country and change from time to time, so always check the current figures with your clearing agent or customs authority before you buy.
5. Import duty and taxes
Usually the biggest cost after the car itself. Depending on your country it can include import duty, excise duty, VAT or sales tax and other levies. It is often calculated from the car's value, age and engine size, which is why two cars with the same price can have very different duty.
6. Port charges
The port charges for handling and storing the car. Storage charges grow every day the car stays at the port, so clearing quickly saves money.
7. Clearing agent's fee
A licensed clearing agent handles the customs paperwork for you. Their fee is usually fixed, but agree it in advance.
8. Registration and number plates
Registering the car in your name, number plates and any local inspection.
9. Getting the car home
Transport from the port to your home, unless you collect it yourself.
How to avoid surprises
- Ask for a C&F or CIF quotation, not just the FOB price, so the shipping cost is clear from the start
- Ask your clearing agent for an estimate of duty and port charges for the exact car (year, engine size and value) before you pay for it
- Check your country's import rules, such as age limits on used cars, before choosing a car
- Choose the engine size carefully: in many countries a smaller engine means noticeably lower duty
- Keep a small reserve in your budget for exchange-rate changes and unexpected port charges
Get a full quotation
Send us the stock ID of the car you like and your destination port, and we will reply with a full C&F price, so you only need to add the costs in your own country.