Route rate sheet · Sea freight · UK to Japan
Ship a car from the UK to Japan
Southampton to Port of Yokohama in a sealed container. One price covers ocean freight, export handling in the UK and marine insurance; destination port charges, duty and VAT are shown separately below.
Rates verified 9 Nov 2026 · page refreshed 10 Nov 2026
9,690 km great circle · 21-59 days
Rates verified 9 Nov 2026 · page refreshed 10 Nov 2026
At a glance
UK to Japan car shipping: cost, time and rules
Shipping a car from the UK to Japan with IPAS Express costs from $2,630 port to port for one car in its own 20ft container, with live rates from our shipping desk. Duty and VAT in Japan are quoted separately in the landed-cost examples below.
- Ocean freight · 20ft
- $1,350–1,500
- Southampton → Port of Yokohama
- Ocean freight · 40ft
- $1,900–2,300
- Two cars, or one large SUV plus parts
- Port to port, 1 car
- from $2,630
- Ocean freight + export handling + insurance
- Sea transit
- 21-59 days
- Port to port
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Rate sheet · Port of Southampton → Port of Yokohama
What it costs, line by line
Insurance is figured on a declared value of $87,300 (reference vehicle: 2026 Land Rover Defender). Every line comes from the same tables the calculator reads, so the quote you get matches this sheet.
1 car · own 20ft container
Any car up to 5.6 m, sealed; door-to-door available
$2,630per car $2,630- Ocean freight
- $1,450
- Export handling
- $1,000
- Insurance
- $180
- Destination est. (at port)
- $1,940
2 cars · 40ft high-cube
Two cars you ship together, or a group booking
$4,057per car $2,029- Ocean freight
- $2,200
- Export handling
- $1,500
- Insurance
- $357
- Destination est. (at port)
- $1,940
3–4 cars · racked 40ft HC
Compact cars on a rack system; racking quoted per booking
Quoteper car from ~$1,100- Ocean freight
- $2,200
- Export handling
- on request
- Insurance
- per value
- Destination est. (at port)
- —
RoRo · per car
Oversize vehicles only; not offered for passenger cars
On requestper car —- Ocean freight
- on request
- Export handling
- on request
- Insurance
- —
- Destination est. (at port)
- —
Air freight
Fastest option, 3–7 days; quoted per aircraft load
Quoteper car —- Ocean freight
- on request
- Export handling
- on request
- Insurance
- per value
- Destination est. (at port)
- —
Scroll for line-by-line costs →
| Shipping option | Total · IPAS price | Per car | Ocean freight | Export handling (UK) | Insurance 0.2% | Destination charges · est., payable at port |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 car · own 20ft containerAny car up to 5.6 m, sealed; door-to-door available | $2,630 | $2,630 | $1,450 | $1,000packaging $500 · THC $250 · clearance $250 | $180 | $1,940THC $440 · customs handling $1,500 |
| 2 cars · 40ft high-cubeTwo cars you ship together, or a group booking | $4,057 | $2,029 | $2,200 | $1,500packaging 2×$500 · THC $250 · clearance $250 | $357 | $1,940THC $440 · customs handling $1,500 |
| 3–4 cars · racked 40ft HCCompact cars on a rack system; racking quoted per booking | Quote | from ~$1,100 | $2,200 | on request | per value | — |
| RoRo · per carOversize vehicles only; not offered for passenger cars | On request | — | on request | on request | — | — |
| Air freightFastest option, 3–7 days; quoted per aircraft load | Quote | — | on request | on request | per value | — |
Door pick-up within the port's standard radius adds about $660 per car. Insurance is 0.2% of the declared vehicle value, with a per-car minimum. Destination charges are paid at Port of Yokohama on arrival and are not part of the total. Duty and VAT are not in this table either: see the landed-cost examples below or run CarImport.AI. Ocean figures are our current route rates and update when the rate table changes.
Included in the IPAS price
- Included: Export packaging, chocking and lashing inside the container
- Included: Export customs clearance in UK
- Included: Terminal handling at Port of Southampton
- Included: Ocean freight Port of Southampton → Port of Yokohama
- Included: Marine insurance at 0.2% of the declared value
- Included: Bill of Lading, packing list and tracking
Not included
- Not included: Destination port charges (shown per row; paid at Port of Yokohama on arrival)
- Not included: Japan customs duty and VAT
- Not included: Conformity certification and registration inspection
- Not included: Inland collection unless door pick-up is selected
- Not included: Storage or demurrage after the port's free days
- Not included: Personal effects: the car ships empty
Ports & inland reach
Where your car leaves and arrives
Load ports · UK
UK
Port of Southampton
Discharge ports · Japan
Japan
Port of Yokohama
Port of Nagoya
Landed-cost examples · Japan
Cars worth importing to Japan
Landed-cost examples for Japan, from other origins.
Available now in UK
Export-ready units from UK
FAQ
UK to Japan shipping questions
With IPAS Express, shipping one car from the UK to Japan costs from $2,630 port to port in its own 20ft container, with sea transit of 21-59 days. Import duty and VAT in Japan are quoted separately in the landed-cost examples on this page.
No. Both the UK and Japan drive on the left and use right-hand drive vehicles. UK-specification cars are directly compatible with Japanese roads after JIS compliance checks.
Japan has strong demand for premium British marques including Bentley, Aston Martin, McLaren, Range Rover, Jaguar, and Lotus. The RHD match and 0% duty make UK imports particularly attractive.
Keep exploring
Related routes and guides
Other origins → Japan
UK → other destinations
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