Ship a car from the USA to the United Kingdom

In a container, booked with the licensed carrier rather than a broker. Container means the car is loaded once and not touched again until your port, which matters on the most brokered lane in the world. Cassandra Logistics is FMC-licensed under OTI No. 025125NF and issues the bill of lading in its own name. Get a price in 24 to 48 hours.

We do, and classics and muscle cars are most of what we move on this lane. We collect from anywhere in the United States, load and brace the car at our own warehouse, and ship it containerised to Southampton, Felixstowe, London Gateway or Liverpool.

Yes, and most of our customers do exactly that. You never need to be in the United States. We deal with the seller or auction, collect the vehicle, load it, file the US export declaration and ship it. Your UK agent clears it at the other end.

Yes. Britain drives on the left but left-hand-drive vehicles are legal to import, register and use, which is why American cars are a familiar sight there. No steering conversion is required, and that removes the largest cost barrier that affects other right-hand-drive markets.

Yes. Nationwide pickup and towing from any state, whether the car is at an auction yard, a dealer, a private seller or sitting in a barn. Non-runners are routine and get winched rather than driven. Distance affects the cost, not whether we can do it.

Yes, and we ship plenty of them. A car that will not start is winched into the container rather than driven in, which needs different equipment at collection and loading but is entirely normal. Tell us up front, because a car described as running that turns out to be seized changes the plan.

Yes, and it is usually the cheapest way to move a restoration project. Engines, panels, trim and boxed parts travel in the same box as the car, which costs far less than shipping them separately later. Everything must be listed on the export filing, so send us the inventory.

Yes. Construction and industrial machinery, general containerised commercial cargo, and household relocations all move on this lane. Tell us the commodity, weight and volume and we will quote it the same way we would a vehicle. We handle the US export filing on commercial cargo exactly as we do on vehicles, so the paperwork side is one process rather than two.

It depends on where the car is in the States, the UK port, and whether it shares a container or travels alone. Because we are the NVOCC rather than a reseller, the figure is the carrier rate. Send us the car and the two locations for a firm number. Request a quote

Sharing a 40ft container with another vehicle going the same way, since ocean freight is charged on the box rather than per car. On an ordinary driver that is the obvious choice. On a concours restoration it is usually worth paying for sole use so nothing is handled next to it.

Collection from the US seller, transport to our warehouse, loading and bracing, the US export filing, and the ocean freight to your UK port. What sits outside it is UK import duty, VAT, port charges, your customs agent, any approval work and local delivery.

Because this is the most brokered lane in the world. A lot of quotes are resold container space that moves once the booking is real, or they exclude collection, loading or the export filing, or they price open-deck shipping against our container rate. Ask who issues the bill of lading.

It scales with the distance from the car to whichever of our four warehouses suits the routing. A car bought near the East Coast positions cheaply for the transatlantic lane. We put the figure in the quote so you compare one complete number rather than a base rate plus surprises.

Almost always, if the timing works. Two cars in one 40ft container roughly halves the ocean cost each. If you are buying more than one, or know somebody else importing to the same area, tell us and we will look at loading them in the same box.

Import duty and VAT assessed by HMRC, port and handling charges, your customs agent's fee, any approval or testing work, and delivery to your address. Collector vehicles may be treated differently from ordinary imports, which is worth establishing with your agent before you buy.

Generally yes. Vehicles over thirty years old are usually treated as historic, which affects how they are assessed and tested. That is one reason the classic lane from America works so well. Confirm the position for your specific vehicle with your customs agent before committing.

Newer imports go through the standard approval and registration route, and a US-specification car sometimes needs work on lighting or other details first. Older vehicles registered as historic are assessed differently. This is a question for your inspector and the DVLA, worth researching before you bid.

No. Clearance is handled by a licensed customs agent in the UK, and registration is a separate process through the DVLA. We are the ocean carrier, we deliver to the port of discharge, and we provide the documentation your agent needs. Be cautious with anyone claiming to clear customs everywhere.

We handle the US side, including the filing in the Automated Export System, known as AES or EEI. You provide the title or equivalent ownership document and the bill of sale. UK duty, VAT and clearance are handled at destination by your customs agent.

Southampton is the principal vehicle handling port and the usual choice for cars. Felixstowe is the largest container port and suits general cargo. London Gateway serves the southeast, Liverpool the northwest and Midlands. Tell us the postcode rather than the port. Tell us the delivery town rather than the port and we will work backwards to whichever routing lands it cheapest.

Our warehouses in New Jersey, Savannah, Houston and Baltimore all serve North Europe sailings, with East Coast departures most common and most frequent. Which loading point suits depends on where the car is bought and which service is running. We pick the loading point around where your cargo actually sits rather than defaulting to whichever warehouse is most convenient for us.

This is one of the shorter and more predictable transatlantic legs, with high sailing frequency from the US East Coast. Actual transit depends on the loading port and the carrier's schedule. We give you a concrete schedule with the quote rather than a vague range.

Cargo for Scotland normally routes through the mainland ports with an inland leg, and Ireland is a separate customs jurisdiction with its own clearance. Tell us the final address and we will suggest the routing that gets it there for the least total cost.

Loaded on its own wheels, chocked, and strapped at the wheels or suspension rather than over the bodywork, then blocked so it cannot move at sea. Where the straps attach is the whole difference between a careful load and a damaged car. On original paint it matters more than anything else.

Yes. We photograph the vehicle when it reaches our warehouse and again once it is loaded and braced, before the doors are sealed. On a valuable car that record is also what makes a claim work if anything does go wrong in transit.

If it is worth real money, yes. Standard carrier liability is limited by convention and is not calculated on what your car is actually worth, which surprises people. Arrange marine cargo insurance for the true value and photograph the car thoroughly before it leaves.

For anything you care about, yes. Roll-on roll-off means the car is driven aboard and parked on an open deck with hundreds of others. Container means loaded once, sealed, untouched until your port. It also handles non-runners, which roll-on roll-off generally will not.

Inside 24 to 48 hours in normal cases, often faster. Send the year, make and model, where the car sits in the USA, and the UK postcode it is going to. Include the VIN if you have it, because it lets us confirm the dimensions rather than estimating them.

We arrange collection, bring the car to our warehouse, confirm the condition and photograph it, book the container, load and brace it, file the US export declaration and send you the bill of lading. You pass that to your UK customs agent.

We are the NVOCC. Cassandra Logistics is a federally licensed Ocean Transportation Intermediary under FMC licence OTI No. 025125NF, legally Royal Port Container Lines, Inc. The number is public and you can check it with the Federal Maritime Commission before you send anyone money.