Oz2UK Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 Hello - We're returning to London in Feb 2021 after 4 good years in Melbourne. I would like to take our Australian car as it was bought brand new here in 2016 and has only 30,000 km on it. Has anyone had experience exporting a personal vehicle to the UK? I don't seem to be able to find UK insurers ready to give me an insurance quote (not even an estimate... Have tried BIBA and Adrian Flux to no avail) despite having a UK address. I would deeply appreciate details on what needs to be done to get our car roadworthy when it arrives in the UK. Also, how I can organise for the car to be registered and insured so that I may drive it from the Doree bonner's UK depot in Dartford to our house upon arrival. Many thanks in advance for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausvisitor Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 What type of car is it? Assuming it's not some special edition version, we do have cars in the UK and it will be less hassle to just sell in AUS and buy again in the UK. You will have problems with insurance every year as many companies won't insure imports and unless it's a standard model available in the UK (in which case why spend thousands shipping somehting that isn't unique) you will always have problems finding parts etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 49 minutes ago, Ausvisitor said: What type of car is it? Assuming it's not some special edition version, we do have cars in the UK and it will be less hassle to just sell in AUS and buy again in the UK. You will have problems with insurance every year as many companies won't insure imports and unless it's a standard model available in the UK (in which case why spend thousands shipping somehting that isn't unique) you will always have problems finding parts etc. Parts will only be a problem if that vehicle isn't sold in the UK . Its the same when people ship cars here, parts can be hard to get, insurance companys class it as a grey import and it costs a fortune to bring it and change to Aussie specs,,, but lots of people still do it. Id suggest the OP prices up similar models in the UK and see how much they could buy one for . Then look at car sales and see how much they would get here, add the cost of shipping and see which way of doing things is most viable. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oz2UK Posted December 4, 2020 Author Share Posted December 4, 2020 11 hours ago, Ausvisitor said: What type of car is it? Assuming it's not some special edition version, we do have cars in the UK and it will be less hassle to just sell in AUS and buy again in the UK. You will have problems with insurance every year as many companies won't insure imports and unless it's a standard model available in the UK (in which case why spend thousands shipping somehting that isn't unique) you will always have problems finding parts etc. Thank you, AusVisitor, for your reply. It's a BMW X1 xDrive25i. The UK sells xDrive25e ONLY (electric version, ours is petrol hence the 'i') which is perhaps why I'm having difficulty getting an Insurance quote. You're right: it might not be worth the hassle of taking the car back with us. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oz2UK Posted December 4, 2020 Author Share Posted December 4, 2020 11 hours ago, calNgary said: Parts will only be a problem if that vehicle isn't sold in the UK . Its the same when people ship cars here, parts can be hard to get, insurance companys class it as a grey import and it costs a fortune to bring it and change to Aussie specs,,, but lots of people still do it. Id suggest the OP prices up similar models in the UK and see how much they could buy one for . Then look at car sales and see how much they would get here, add the cost of shipping and see which way of doing things is most viable. Cal x Hello calNgary - the vehicle model is not sold in the UK, unfortunately, which is a shame! Thanks for your thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 4 hours ago, Oz2UK said: Hello calNgary - the vehicle model is not sold in the UK, unfortunately, which is a shame! Thanks for your thoughts. Bottom line, if there's something unique and special about the car, or you're emotionally attached to it, you may feel it's worth shipping it. If it's just that you feel you'll lose too much value selling it now, don't bother. The cost of shipping, compliance, expensive insurance and maintenance in the UK and then difficulty selling it in the UK because it's unusual, are all likely to add up to far more than any loss you'll make selling it before you go. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oz2UK Posted December 5, 2020 Author Share Posted December 5, 2020 8 minutes ago, Marisawright said: Bottom line, if there's something unique and special about the car, or you're emotionally attached to it, you may feel it's worth shipping it. If it's just that you feel you'll lose too much value selling it now, don't bother. The cost of shipping, compliance, expensive insurance and maintenance in the UK and then difficulty selling it in the UK because it's unusual, are all likely to add up to far more than any loss you'll make selling it before you go. We've decided to sell it here in Australia after all... .thanks for everyone's helpful input. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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