Route rate sheet · Sea freight · USA to Japan
Ship a car from the USA to Japan
Los Angeles, Newark/Elizabeth to Port of Yokohama in a sealed container. One price covers ocean freight, export handling in the USA and marine insurance; destination port charges, duty and VAT are shown separately below.
Rates verified 9 Nov 2026 · page refreshed 10 Nov 2026
8,850 km great circle · 14-52 days
Rates verified 9 Nov 2026 · page refreshed 10 Nov 2026
At a glance
USA to Japan car shipping: cost, time and rules
Shipping a car from the USA to Japan with IPAS Express costs from $3,328 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.
Cars from the USA are usually LHD; Japan registers RHD vehicles as standard — check eligibility before shipping.
- Ocean freight · 20ft
- $1,250–1,550
- Los Angeles / Newark/Elizabeth → Port of Yokohama
- Ocean freight · 40ft
- $1,800–2,400
- Two cars, or one large SUV plus parts
- Port to port, 1 car
- from $3,328
- Ocean freight + export handling + insurance
- Sea transit
- 14-52 days
- Port to port
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Rate sheet · Port of Los Angeles → Port of Yokohama
What it costs, line by line
Insurance is figured on a declared value of $43,200 (reference vehicle: 2026 Jeep Wrangler). 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
$3,328per car $3,328- Ocean freight
- $1,500
- Export handling
- $1,728
- Insurance
- $100
- Destination est. (at port)
- $1,940
2 cars · 40ft high-cube
Two cars you ship together, or a group booking
$5,478per car $2,739- Ocean freight
- $2,300
- Export handling
- $2,978
- Insurance
- $200
- 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 ~$1,900- Ocean freight
- $2,300
- 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 (USA) | 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 | $3,328 | $3,328 | $1,500 | $1,728packaging $1,250 · THC $33 · clearance $30 | $100 | $1,940THC $440 · customs handling $1,500 |
| 2 cars · 40ft high-cubeTwo cars you ship together, or a group booking | $5,478 | $2,739 | $2,300 | $2,978packaging 2×$1,250 · THC $33 · clearance $30 | $200 | $1,940THC $440 · customs handling $1,500 |
| 3–4 cars · racked 40ft HCCompact cars on a rack system; racking quoted per booking | Quote | from ~$1,900 | $2,300 | 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 $970 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 USA
- Included: Terminal handling at Port of Los Angeles
- Included: Ocean freight Port of Los Angeles → 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 · USA
USA
Port of Los Angeles
Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal
Discharge ports · Japan
Japan
Port of Yokohama
Port of Nagoya
Landed-cost examples · Japan
Cars worth importing to Japan
Each card is a full landed-cost worksheet computed against the destination's live duty rules. Expand one for the breakdown or open its calculator with the destination pre-selected.
Here is the full landed cost of one car, a 2026 Jeep Wrangler shipped from the USA to Japan, worked out on 9 November 2026 with the customs rules in force that day. It lands at 8,864,596 JPY (about US$55,984), and duties and taxes come to 10% of its CIF value.
| Item | Share of CIF | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle priceIPAS price for a car sourced in the USA | 6,840,357 JPYUS$43,200 | |
| Shipping and insuranceUSA to Japan | 716,179 JPYUS$4,523 | |
| CIF valueCost, insurance and freight: the customs value | 7,556,536 JPYUS$47,723 | |
| Customs duties and taxes | ||
| Basic customs duty (0%)0% of CIF | 0 JPYUS$0 | |
| GST/VAT (10%)10% of CIF | 755,606 JPYUS$4,772 | |
| Total duties and taxes10% of CIF | 755,606 JPYUS$4,772 | |
| Service and handling | ||
| Premium Import ServiceOptional end-to-end import management by IPAS | 245,271 JPYUS$1,549 | |
| Destination handlingPort terminal and customs clearance handling | 307,183 JPYUS$1,940 | |
| Total landed cost | 8,864,596 JPYUS$55,984 | |
Available now in USA
Export-ready units from USA
Steering differs from Japan's standard: confirm registration eligibility or conversion before shipping
FAQ
USA to Japan shipping questions
With IPAS Express, shipping one car from the USA to Japan costs from $3,328 port to port in its own 20ft container, with sea transit of 14-52 days. Import duty and VAT in Japan are quoted separately in the landed-cost examples on this page.
West Coast sailings from Los Angeles or Oakland reach Yokohama in 14-20 days. East Coast departures from Newark take 25-30 days via the Panama Canal. Air freight is 5-8 days.
No. Japan is one of the few RHD-majority countries that accepts left-hand drive vehicles without conversion. Your US-spec car can be registered and driven as-is after JIS compliance checks.
Keep exploring
Related routes and guides
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