Here's the bit most guides skip. Whether your car can go to Canada hinges on its age. A vehicle 15 or more years old is exempt from Canada's safety rules and is simple to import. A newer UK car usually isn't, because it doesn't meet Canadian standards. So before you think about RoRo, container or cost, check the car is admissible. We'll connect you with one FIDI-certified mover who arranges the shipping and the customs, and that part is free.
Written by Darren Benjamin, founder of International Removals Companies, who has arranged international moves for over 15 years. The service has handled 850,000+ enquiries since 2010. Reviewed August 2026.
This is the question to settle before anything else. Canada is strict about which vehicles it lets in for good. Ship a car you can't register, and you've paid to move a paperweight.
The rule turns on age. A vehicle built 15 or more years ago, by its manufacture date, is exempt from Transport Canada's safety standards. It still needs a border inspection and provincial registration, but it can come in. This is the clear route for a classic or an older car.
A UK car under 15 years old is the hard case. It has to meet Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Most UK-market cars were never certified to those standards, and makers rarely will. That often makes a newer UK car inadmissible for permanent import.
One myth to clear up. The RIV programme is for US-specification cars. A UK car doesn't travel that path, so don't assume RIV is your answer.
Once the car is cleared to go, there are two shipping methods. Each has its place.
The car is driven onto a dedicated vehicle ship and secured for the crossing. It's usually the cheapest option. The car travels empty, with nothing packed inside.
The car is loaded into a container, alone or sharing with your household goods. It costs more but shields the car from the elements. Best for a classic, a prestige model or a long-kept car.
Moving home too? The car can share your household container, which often works out tidier. See our Removals UK to Canada guide.
The shipping is only part of the bill. Plan for the taxes too, or the final figure will surprise you.
The crossing itself often runs from £1,200 to £2,500, by RoRo or container, depending on the car. Then come the import charges. A car not built in North America usually faces 6.1 percent duty. On top sits 5 percent GST on the value. Both are paid to the Canada Border Services Agency, the CBSA. Provincial sales tax and registration follow at the other end.
One point for people moving over. If you bring the car as part of your move, your household goods are handled separately. Used belongings, owned and used for at least six months, come in as settler effects, free of duty. A vehicle is treated on its own terms, though some tax relief can apply to settlers. Check your exact position with the CBSA.
Getting the car off the ship isn't the end. A few steps stand between landing and legally driving it.
You'll need the V5C or title, and proof of ownership. Add a bill of sale or valuation, and recall-clearance confirmation from the maker. The CBSA clears the car and takes the duty and tax. After that, the car needs a provincial safety and emissions inspection. Pass it, register the car, insure it, and you're road-legal.
A specialist mover and a customs broker handle most of this with you. It's worth the help, as a missed step can hold the car at the port.
Car shipping has more moving parts than a box of crockery. The firm you use should know vehicle admissibility, RoRo and container loading, and the customs. Every mover we connect you with holds FIDI FAIM, the global benchmark for international moving. It's backed by an independent Ernst and Young audit. BAR Overseas is the UK's own mark.
A note on who we are. International Removals Companies does not ship cars itself. We're a free service. We tie your enquiry to a single vetted partner, who arranges the shipping and the paperwork. We've been doing this since November 2010. You'll also need Canadian dollars for the taxes and fees. We've helped customers change money in any currency through trusted partners for years. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743, Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
If it's 15 or more years old, usually yes. If it's newer, often no, as most UK cars don't meet Canadian safety standards. Check before you ship.
Cars built 15+ years ago are exempt from Canada's safety standards and the RIV programme. They still need CBSA clearance and provincial registration.
Not really. RIV is for US-spec vehicles. A UK car follows a different path, decided by its age and Canadian standards.
Yes, Canada allows right-hand-drive cars on the road. The safety-standards rule is the real hurdle, which the 15-year exemption clears.
RoRo drives the car onto a ship and is cheapest. A container protects better and can share space with your household goods.
Shipping alone is roughly £1,200 to £2,500. Add 6.1% duty and 5% GST on the value, then provincial tax and registration.
You'll need confirmation from the maker that any safety recalls are cleared. Unresolved recalls can hold up the import.
No. We aren't a shipping company. We link you with one vetted, FIDI-certified mover who arranges the car and the customs.
Tell us the make, model and year, your UK postcode and your Canadian address. One FIDI-certified mover checks the admissibility and comes back with a shipping price and the customs steps. No cost, no obligation.
Get My Car Shipping QuoteFree. One FIDI-certified partner mover. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, operating since 2010.
We connect car shipments to Canada with one vetted, FIDI-certified partner mover. We don't ship vehicles ourselves. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743. Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
Admissibility, duty, GST and registration are confirmed by the mover and a customs broker before you book.