Importing a car from the USA? Cost and 5 important rules

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Artur Owczarek

Brand Product Manager Moje AutoHe has been involved in the automotive industry for years. He is passionate about cars and detailing. On his blog, he shares his knowledge and experience, offering tips on how to effectively care for your car and extend its life.

• Importing a car from the US or the EU?
• Car transport costs and commission – when do you have to pay it and how much? 
• What is the customs duty on US cars?
• What are the costs of shipping cars from the USA?
• Importing a car from the USA – how to adapt the vehicle to road traffic in our country?
• Costs of importing a car from the USA - the cost of registering a car imported from the United States

Importing a car from the US or the EU? Are cars imported from the US, such as a Ford Mustang or Tesla, profitable?

The attractiveness of the prices attracts offers from the United States and this is one of the key factors that we take into account when making a decision. However, this is not the end of the costs, which is not always so obvious to potential buyers at the beginning. The costs of transport from the USA are also important. You need to know that they will be higher than in the case of importing a vehicle from Europe. This is due to the method of transport - in this case, sea transport will be necessary - after all, your new car has to cross the ocean! The costs of importing a vehicle are not low, but in many cases it is still worth it.

If you decide to import a car from outside the European Union, you have to add additional costs to the overall costs, such as customs and excise duty, i.e. customs fees and VAT. However, this does not discourage Poles, who still reach for offers from the United States. There are really great deals, especially when it comes to American car models. First of all importing a car from the USA, is a chance to become the owner of a luxury sports car or even a vintage car at an attractive price. Importing cars from the USA is still popular among many people.

Car transport cost and commission – when do you have to pay it and how much? It is not only the auction house that will charge it!

We buy cars from overseas from various sources. One of them is auction houses. In this case, you will have to pay a commission to the house where you make the purchase. Its amount varies and depends on the specific auction. It oscillates around $940. In addition, it rarely happens that we buy a car in the USA while being local. If this is not the case, we will pay another commission to the bank. How high it will be depends on the specific bank and its terms of cooperation, but we can assume that it is around $30. The costs of importing a car from the USA are not only the price of transporting the car, but also the commission. For safety, Polish buyers use the help of intermediaries, who complete many formalities for them. They also earn on our purchase. For such support, we will pay around $400 depending on the scope of activities performed. In many cases, it is still worth importing a car from overseas.

Importing a car from the US. VAT on cars from the US and excise duty on cars from the US. What is the duty on cars from the US?

In accordance with applicable law in the USA, the buyer is obliged to make import fees. Among them is customs duty, which amounts to about 10% of the car's value in the case of German ports, for example. Another is excise duty depending on the engine capacity. It ranges from 3,1% in the case of an engine with a capacity of up to 2000 cm3 to 18,7% of the car's value in the case of a larger capacity. There is also VAT. For standard cars, it is 19%, and for vintage cars 8%. These are the rates applicable in Germany, which are definitely more profitable for Poles. Why? You can of course make the payment in Poland, but in such a situation your VAT will be 23%. However, if you buy a vintage car, you do not incur customs and excise costs, so this may turn out to be a good solution. If you want to have your dream car, you must remember about customs and tax fees.

Importing cars from the USA - land transport in this case will be impossible. What are the costs of transporting cars from the USA? Transporting the car to the port is not everything!

Is it difficult to import a car from the USA? Remember that your new car will cover thousands of kilometers, for which you will of course have to pay. Transport is very extensive, which affects its cost. First, the car must be towed to a port in America, so in this case the price will depend on how far the port is from the place where the car is located. We will pay about 200-800 dollars for this service. On the ship, you have to buy a container, pay for the cruise, loading and unloading. In total, the average cost of transport will oscillate around 1150 - 2250 dollars. Your car will be in one of the European ports, from where you will have to transport it to Poland. Taking all this into account, importing cars from the USA may not be profitable in the case of cheaper cars. The total price of car transport can cost you even several thousand zlotys! Very often, however, it turns out that it is still profitable to buy a car from the USA.

Importing a car from the USA - how to adapt the vehicle to the road traffic in our country? Car registration

What when  importing a car from the USA succeed and the vehicle is already on the Vistula? In Poland, you also have to pay mandatory fees. The vehicle documents must be translated into Polish, but this can only be done by a sworn translator. The vehicle must undergo a technical inspection. Moreover, certain changes related to the exhaust system, lights and the amount of exhaust gases generated must be made, because American cars have a different design than European cars. According to diagnosticians, the most common changes are the dipped headlights, which in the US have symmetrical reflectors. In Europe, however, the lights should be asymmetrical to better illuminate the side of the road. The rear turn signals in many US car models may also require replacement. Usually, US passenger cars have red turn signals. As for fog lights, many models do not have a mandatory rear fog light. On the other hand, the position lights in US car models are often yellow, in Poland they should be white. It is also worth paying attention to the counter itself, which should indicate the speed in km/h. However, many counters in US cars have two scales. Looking at the prices of buying a car, it is usually worth it anyway!

Costs of importing a car from the USA - the cost of registering a car imported from the United States

There is still a fee to pay at the transport office. car registration from the USA is basically not much different from  car registration from Germany. You must have translated documents from customs clearance, an invoice, confirmation of payment of excise duty or title certificate. With a complete set of documents, you can go to the Communication Department in your city. You have 30 days to register your car. However, remember to complete the formalities related to customs or VAT within 14 days. After paying the excise duty, you can go to the office to register your car. Until recently, you would have paid around PLN 250 for vehicle registration. Today, however, the registration itself is slightly cheaper, because there is no obligation to obtain a vehicle card or inspection sticker. Therefore, the cost of registering a car is around PLN 160. The recycling fee has also been abolished.

So how much extra will you pay for a car that cost $10. Converted into Polish zlotys, it will be approximately PLN 000.

Summary

• The United States is a country where you can buy a car at a very attractive price, especially if you are looking for an American luxury sports car.
• Commission fees apply to the auction house (approx. $940), bank (approx. $30) and intermediary (approx. $400).
• You will pay about 10% for customs duty, excise duty from 3,1% to 18,7% of the car's value, and VAT will be 19% in the case of a standard car and 8% for a vintage car.
• The costs of transporting a car imported from the USA to Europe range from approximately $1150 to $2250.
• In Poland, the car will have to be adapted to the requirements in force in Europe, pass an inspection and be registered at the transport office.

We hope our article was helpful. Importing a car from the US can be very profitable. However, it is worth considering all the costs and fees.'

See also:

• How to prepare a car purchase and sale agreement?
• Buying a car – what to pay attention to when buying a car?
• Re-registering a car – how long? What is the penalty for missing?