An import from Japan could take anything from three to six months, for example, and although it’s generally a bit quicker to import from the USA, at the very least it’s going to be a couple of months. 

Although road transport from a lot of European countries takes only a matter of days, you’ll still be waiting a few weeks overall once processing times on either side are taken into account.

Best countries to import a car from

Perhaps the most obvious choice of countries to import a car from for an enthusiast is Japan. Performance legends like the various versions of the Nissan Skyline GT-R are available in much greater numbers over there, and there’s a dizzying array of models that never officially came to the UK which you might fancy owning. 

Whether you want something quirky like a little kei car or a particular kind of Honda Type R model that was never sold here, you’re well covered by the Japanese Domestic Market or ‘JDM’. Making the prospect even more tempting, cars produced for local use are right-hand drive, so you won’t need to worry about the steering wheel being on the ‘wrong’ side.

Speaking of which, importing a car from the USA involve a steering wheel on the ‘wrong’ side. But you might be willing to put up with a left-hand drive car given the vast pool of V8 muscle cars to choose from. Shipping costs to the UK from the US can be slightly lower than those from Japan, although you’ll need to bear in mind that as a large country, there will be a bigger variation - expect shipping from the West Coast to cost a lot more than the East. 

The idea of importing a car from South Africa is quite tempting. It’s another country that drives on the left, so most cars will be right-hand drive, and there are all sorts of special models you can’t get elsewhere in the world. South Africa has a particularly rich history of interesting, market-specific BMWs. Older cars will have stood the test of time much better in the UK, too, thanks to the country’s warmer, drier climate. 

Again, Australian cars are typically right-hand drive, and there’s a wealth of locally produced muscle cars from Ford and Holden to be tempted by. 

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