International Car Shipping from the UK — RoRo & Container Worldwide

Roll-on/Roll-off is the original international car-shipping method and remains the cheapest way to move a single running vehicle. Specialist car-carrier vessels — operated by carriers like Wallenius Wilhelmsen, Höegh Autoliners, K-Line and Grimaldi — feature multiple weather-tight decks designed exclusively for wheeled cargo. At the loading port your vehicle is driven onto the ship by a trained stevedore, chocked and lashed to deck rings, then driven off at destination.

Because RoRo eliminates the cost of a container and uses purpose-built tonnage, freight rates are typically 30–50% lower than containerised shipping on the same route. Sailings are also more frequent on major lanes: weekly from Southampton to USA East Coast, fortnightly to UAE, monthly to Australia and West Africa.

The trade-offs are real but manageable. Your car must be in roadworthy, running condition with at least a quarter tank of fuel, working brakes and a functional handbrake. Loose personal items are strictly forbidden inside the cabin — port security removes them at owner's expense. Non-runners, project cars and low-clearance supercars usually need a container instead.

A sole-use container gives you a dedicated 20ft or 40ft steel box loaded exclusively with your vehicle and (optionally) personal effects. We collect your car, drive it to our bonded warehouse near Southampton or Felixstowe, load and brace it inside the container using approved wheel-nets and ratchet straps, then truck the sealed container to the port for loading.

A 20ft container fits one saloon, hatchback, 4×4 or small van, with around 2–4 m³ of remaining space for boxed personal effects. A 40ft container fits two cars end-to-end, or one large 4×4 plus a substantial household-goods consignment. Both formats are fully enclosed, so your vehicle is protected from salt spray, weather and dock handling.

Containerised shipping is the only practical method for non-runners, classics, race cars, supercars and vehicles being shipped together with personal belongings. Customs treats the combined consignment as a single import entry, which often simplifies clearance at destination.

Shared-container shipping fills the price gap between RoRo and sole-use containers. Your vehicle is loaded into a container alongside other customers' cargo travelling to the same destination port. You pay only for the floor space your car occupies, not the whole box.

This is the go-to option when RoRo doesn't serve your destination, when you're shipping a non-runner on a budget, or when a sole-use container would be wasteful for a single small car. Sailings depart whenever a container fills — usually every 1–3 weeks on popular routes such as UK to UAE, UK to Cyprus and UK to East Africa.

R-Rak is a certified racking system that allows up to four saloons or six small cars to ship inside one 40ft container. Steel frames stack vehicles safely on two levels, doubling per-container capacity and cutting per-vehicle freight by 40–50% versus standard loading. R-Rak is the preferred method for UK dealers, exporters and families relocating with multiple cars. See our dedicated R-Rak page for full specifications.

Transit time varies by route, method and vessel rotation. As a planning guide: UK to USA East Coast 12–18 days; UK to USA West Coast 28–35 days (via Panama); UK to Canada (Halifax) 12–16 days; UK to UAE 18–24 days; UK to Cyprus 10–14 days; UK to Australia 35–45 days; UK to New Zealand 40–50 days; UK to West Africa 14–21 days; UK to East Africa 28–35 days; UK to Hong Kong 30–38 days.

These are port-to-port figures. Add 3–7 days for UK collection and warehouse handling and 5–14 days for destination customs clearance and onward delivery to your door.

UK export documentation is straightforward and we handle the heavy lifting. You provide the original V5C log book, photo ID, proof of ownership (V5C, invoice or finance settlement letter) and confirmation of any outstanding finance being cleared. We prepare and lodge the HMRC C88/SAD electronic export declaration on your behalf.

Destination paperwork is country-specific. The USA requires EPA, DOT and CBP forms plus a 72-hour pre-clearance window at the port of export. Australia requires a Vehicle Import Approval (VIA) issued before shipment. The UAE accepts most vehicles under five years old. We provide a country-specific checklist with every booking.

Carrier liability under the Hague-Visby Rules is capped at roughly £600 per package — a fraction of any car's value. We strongly recommend a dedicated all-risks marine policy covering your vehicle door-to-door for its full declared value. Cover includes total loss, partial damage, theft, fire and general average. Premiums run 1.5%–2.5% of the declared value and the certificate is issued before sailing.

We're a UK-based, BIFA-member freight forwarder with over a decade of vehicle-export experience. We hold direct contracts with every major RoRo operator and container line, which means real prices rather than mark-ups from middlemen. Our compliance team handles HMRC, port security and destination documentation in-house, and a dedicated coordinator stays with your shipment from booking through to delivery confirmation.