You’re Moving Abroad. Should You Ship Your Car or Sell It?
Most people planning an international move assume the sensible thing to do is sell their car before they leave. It feels practical. One less thing to organise. Put the money in your pocket and buy something local when you arrive.
It is also, in a significant number of cases, the wrong decision — and one that costs more than it saves.
That is something the team at Ship Cars Ltd, a UK-based international vehicle shipping specialist, hear regularly. Customers come to them after selling their car below market value, only to discover that shipping it would have been cheaper and simpler than the rushed sale they ended up with. Here is an honest look at both options — written for anyone currently weighing up what to do with their vehicle before a move to Spain, Australia, the UAE, Canada, or anywhere else with a road network.
What Your Car Is Actually Worth on the UK Market Right Now
Used car values in the UK have softened since the supply peaks of 2021 and 2022. If you bought your car two or three years ago expecting it to hold its value, you may be looking at a meaningful loss at the point of private sale — particularly if you are under time pressure to complete the sale before your departure date.
Selling under a deadline is one of the most reliable ways to sell below market value. Dealers know it. Trade buyers know it. The first question a part-exchange dealer asks is “when do you need the car gone by?” — because the answer tells them exactly how much room they have to negotiate.
Add the cost of running a second vehicle in the weeks before you leave, the admin of private listings, viewings, and last-minute cancellations, and the picture changes further.
What It Actually Costs to Ship Your Car Abroad
International car shipping costs vary by destination and method, but the headline figures are more accessible than most people expect.
Roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) shipping — where your vehicle is driven directly onto a specialist vessel — is the most cost-effective method for standard roadworthy vehicles. From the UK, Ship Cars Ltd currently offers the following starting rates:
- Spain or Mediterranean Europe: from approximately £595
- Dubai and the UAE: from approximately £800
- West Africa: from approximately £750
- Australia: from approximately £1,365
- USA (East Coast): from approximately £800
These prices cover UK port to destination port. They do not include destination customs duties, local port fees, or inland delivery — but they represent the core shipping cost, and for many vehicles they are substantially lower than the depreciation hit of a rushed sale.
Container shipping — where your vehicle travels inside a sealed steel container — costs more but offers full enclosure, suitability for non-running vehicles, and the ability to include personal effects in a dedicated container.
How Ship Cars Ltd Makes the Process Simple
One of the biggest reasons people default to selling rather than shipping is the assumption that international car shipping is complicated. With the right company managing the process, it is not.
Ship Cars Ltd handles every stage of the shipment from a single point of contact. Here is what that looks like in practice:
UK collection. Ship Cars collects your vehicle from your home or business address anywhere in the UK — using a trade plate driver for operational vehicles or a transporter for non-runners and classic cars. You do not need to travel to a port.
UK export documentation. Ship Cars prepares and submits your UK export customs declaration via HMRC’s Customs Declaration Service. They also advise on completing Section 11 of your V5C logbook, notifying the DVLA of the vehicle’s permanent export.
Vessel booking and port handling. Ship Cars books the appropriate vessel sailing — RoRo or container — and manages port check-in, the bill of lading, and all pre-departure procedures.
Marine. Comprehensive cargo is arranged alongside every shipment, covering the vehicle’s declared value for the duration of the ocean voyage. Total Loss cover is available at 1% of vehicle value; Comprehensive cover at 1.5%.
Destination customs coordination. Ship Cars works with licensed customs agents at every destination port to manage the import declaration, duty calculation, and vehicle release. For EU destinations, they ensure the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement duty preference is correctly claimed. For relocators qualifying for Transfer of Residence relief, they advise on the application process that can eliminate destination duty and VAT entirely.
Port-to-door delivery. Once your vehicle has cleared destination customs, Ship Cars coordinates final delivery to your new address — completing the door-to-door chain.
For most customers, the visible workload is: completing a booking form, having the vehicle ready for collection, and keeping their V5C and identification documents accessible. Ship Cars handles everything else.
The Destinations Where Shipping Makes Obvious Financial Sense
Australia and New Zealand are the clearest cases. Right-hand drive vehicles are fully compatible with both countries’ roads. UK cars — particularly Land Rovers, Range Rovers, and modern SUVs — hold their value well in the Australian market and are frequently worth significantly more than their UK sale price. Shipping one rather than buying on arrival can represent a saving of several thousand pounds on the total cost of ownership over the first year.
Spain and the EU have become more attractive since the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement eliminated customs duty on most UK-origin vehicles. For a customer permanently relocating to Spain, Italy, or Greece, the Transfer of Residence exemption can eliminate both customs duty and local VAT entirely — provided you have owned and used the vehicle for at least six months before your move. On a mid-value car, that saving can easily exceed £3,000.
The UAE has a flat 5% import duty and no annual vehicle tax — making the ongoing cost of running a UK-purchased vehicle often lower than buying locally at inflated import prices. The growing appetite for specific European models in Dubai and Abu Dhabi also means your car may be worth more at your destination than it would fetch in a hurry sale in the UK.
Canada and the USA suit customers with specific vehicles — a right-hand-drive classic, a limited-production model, or a truck variant unavailable in North American specifications. For vehicles over 25 years old, the US import process is straightforward; Canada permits UK right-hand-drive vehicles without restriction.
What People Get Wrong About the Documentation
The most common practical concern people raise is paperwork. Reality is simpler than perception.
Your V5C logbook is the primary document for a UK vehicle export. Section 11 is completed and posted to the DVLA before the vehicle departs — notifying them of the permanent export and removing it from your registered ownership. Ship Cars advises every customer on this step before collection.
At the destination, the requirements vary by country — but in every case, Ship Cars coordinates with local customs agents to manage the import declaration, duty calculation, and registration process. Customers with Transfer of Residence eligibility are guided through the pre-approval application that protects their exemption claim before the vehicle sails.
The One Calculation Worth Running Before You Decide
Before you list your car for sale, run one number.
Take the realistic sale price — not the asking price, but the figure you would actually accept with two weeks to departure. Then subtract it from the cost of buying an equivalent vehicle at your destination.
If the gap is larger than a Ship Cars shipping quote, you already have your answer.
For most people moving to Australia, Spain, the UAE, or Canada with a well-maintained UK car they actually like driving — shipping wins on the numbers, the familiarity, and the absence of the new-market risk that comes with buying locally in a country you have just arrived in.
A free, itemised quote from Ship Cars Ltd takes less than five minutes at shipcars.co.uk — and gives you the actual number to compare before you make the decision.
