UK Car Shipping to Chile

Cost of Shipping a Car from the UK to Chile (San Antonio)

The total cost of shipping depends on the vehicle make, model and most importantly size. We work directly with all shipping lines in the UK to arrange regular and reliable vehicle exports from the UK to Chile (San Antonio).

Approximate — call for the latest rates. These are indicative shipping rates from our published rate table for Iquique. They move with the market and with the vehicle, and a full export quote covers the UK-side work listed below as well, so treat them as a guide rather than a final price. The table does not publish a RoRo rate for Chile, so that one is quoted per booking — we do sail it, and the schedule below shows the departures. See the full rate table or ask us for an itemised quote.

What a full export quote covers

• Loading and lashing vehicle into ship
• UK customs export and clearance
• UK port handling charges
• DVLA documentation and export certification
• Export documentation (e.g. Bill of Lading)
• Posting of the Export Documents from UK by UPS/DHL
• Shipping of the vehicle from the UK to Destination Port

Not covered

• Pre-Export Inspection (if required)
• Marine Insurance (container only)
• Collection and/or delivery of the vehicle
• All destination country's import fees

Apart from import duty, taxes, port storage and demurrage at the destination, which the importer always pays, we can add any of these to your quotation, priced separately, along with customs clearance, registration and delivery to your door through a local agent.

Shipping to Chile

Our Chilean sailings discharge at San Antonio. San Antonio belongs to Empresa Portuaria San Antonio, the state port company, and cars come off at DP World San Antonio, the multipurpose terminal that, by its own account, handles more than 95% of the vehicles imported into Chile: in December 2025 it discharged 6,338 vehicles from a single ship, which it reported as the largest vehicle unloading in the country's history. The current schedule has RoRo sailings with NYK RoRo and container sailings with MSC.

The exception buyers ask about most is the one for Chileans coming home. Customs lets an adult Chilean who has lived abroad continuously for 18 months or more and is returning for good import one vehicle, a car, four-wheel drive or motorhome, new or used, provided it enters Chile within 120 days either side of their return. All duties and taxes are payable, and a used car imported this way cannot be sold, leased or otherwise transferred for three years. Cars bought in the Iquique or Punta Arenas free zones by local residents carry a two-year restriction of their own, lifted only with a customs certificate presented to the Civil Registry, which keeps the National Register of Motor Vehicles and records the restriction against the car.

On the UK side we source the car, arrange tax-free supply from the selling dealer where it qualifies, collect it, complete UK export clearance and the DVLA paperwork, and see it loaded. Sailings leave from Liverpool, Felixstowe, London Gateway and Southampton. At the Chilean end we can arrange clearance at San Antonio, registration and delivery to your door through a local agent, quoted separately, or work with an agent of your choice.

Documentation Required for Booking

• Car Registration Document (V5 or Logbook) and Vehicle Invoice (or value).
• ID (one government-issued photo ID and one utility bill showing address).

Payment Terms / Modes

• A £1,000 deposit secures a vehicle we source or buy for you. It is part of the price, not an extra fee. If you cancel, our terms and conditions say what is refunded.
• The balance is due in full, in cleared funds, before the vehicle is loaded, unless your quotation sets out different terms.
• Bank transfer preferred. Card payments up to £5,000, with no fee on personal debit or credit cards.
• Letters of credit, cheques, money orders and cash are not accepted.

Our Other Services

Car Sourcing and Buying on your behalf

Buying and exporting a car to Chile doesn't need to be stressful. UK Vehicle Exporters specialises in sourcing and exporting vehicles from the UK, with trusted shipping partners and support at every stage, from choosing the vehicle through to loading it onto the ship.

Tax-Free Vehicle Supply and UK VAT

UK Preferential Origin (Reduced Import Duty)

Some UK-built vehicles may qualify for reduced or zero import duty. That depends on the UK having a trade agreement with the destination country and on the car meeting that agreement's rules of origin. During your quote, we'll confirm whether the vehicle you're interested in qualifies.

VAT-free Supply of VAT-Qualifying (VATQ) Cars

A VAT-registered dealer can sell a new car, or a used car that carries VAT on its full price, free of UK VAT when it is exported and HMRC's conditions are met. Used cars of that kind are known in the trade as VAT-qualifying: typically ex-rental or ex-lease cars, where the hire or leasing company reclaimed the VAT when it bought them. On a VAT-inclusive price, the VAT is one-sixth. A used car sold under the second-hand margin scheme is different: VAT is due only on the dealer's margin, and HMRC does not let a dealer zero-rate it as an ordinary export. We are not VAT registered, so the saving comes off the dealer's price, not as a refund from us. We arrange the export to Chile and give the dealer the proof of export it needs.

HMRC's Personal Export Scheme (PES)

The Personal Export Scheme lets overseas visitors and UK residents who are leaving the UK, and will stay outside it with the car for at least six months, buy a car free of VAT and use it here before it is exported. Only VAT-registered businesses can operate the scheme, so you buy from a dealer that runs it. The car must leave within 12 months of delivery for an overseas visitor, or 6 months for a UK resident, or the VAT becomes payable. It can suit anyone relocating to Chile: we find a dealer that runs the scheme and ship the car when you are ready. How the scheme works.