UK Car Shipping to Mexico

Cost of Shipping a Car from the UK to Mexico (Altamira, Veracruz, Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas)

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 Mexico (Altamira, Veracruz, Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas).

Approximate — call for the latest rates. These are indicative shipping rates from our published rate table for Altamira, Veracruz. 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. 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 Mexico

Our Mexican sailings discharge at Altamira, Veracruz, Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas. Veracruz and Altamira face the Gulf of Mexico; Lázaro Cárdenas and Manzanillo are on the Pacific coast. All four are run by state port administrations, the ASIPONAs (Administración del Sistema Portuario Nacional). Veracruz's administration reported 993,603 vehicles across its quays in 2023, when it called the port Mexico's first for car traffic. The current schedule has RoRo sailings with "K" Line, Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Höegh Autoliners and container sailings with MSC.

What does work for a British car is the temporary route. A foreign tourist, or a Mexican legally resident abroad, can bring a foreign-registered vehicle in under a Banjército temporary import permit: 180 days in the country, multiple entries over twelve months, a guarantee deposit set by the vehicle's year and a return certificate when the car leaves. Traffic keeps to the right, so most buyers ask for a left-hand-drive car, which we can source in the UK or elsewhere in Europe.

Here 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 Southampton, Liverpool, Felixstowe and London Gateway. If the car was registered in the UK, the full V5C log book travels with it, less the permanent export section that goes to DVLA. At the Mexican end we can arrange clearance, 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 Mexico 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 Mexico 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 Mexico: we find a dealer that runs the scheme and ship the car when you are ready. How the scheme works.