Car Shipping to Honolulu, USA
On the south shore of the island of Oahu in Honolulu, Hawaii, with its piers running from Fort Armstrong near downtown to Sand Island and the Kapalama basin. UK Vehicle Exporters Ltd ships vehicles from the UK to Honolulu, handling the whole UK side for you: car sourcing, tax-free supply where the car qualifies, buying on your behalf, inspections, collection and delivery to the UK port, UK customs clearance and loading onto the ship.
About Honolulu Harbor
Honolulu Harbor is the principal commercial port of Hawaii and the hub of the state's harbor system, run by the Hawaii Department of Transportation Harbors Division. The 2050 master plan puts its cargo at over 12 million tons a year and describes it as the only gantry-crane port in the state, handling 1,197,000 TEU in fiscal year 2020. The state's new Kapalama Container Terminal, a project of about $555 million that is to raise the harbor's cargo capacity by 40 percent, was reported in August 2026 as due for completion by the end of 2026, with Pasha Hawaii moving there from Sand Island.
Area served: Oahu, and the neighbour islands through Honolulu's hub role: Young Brothers runs inter-island tug and barge services from the Piers 39 to 40 Interisland Terminal, with 12 scheduled sailings a week to six neighbour island ports (2022), and Matson carries cars on to Kahului, Hilo and Nawiliwili by a monthly barge from Honolulu.
How Vehicles Are Handled at Honolulu
No ship sails to Honolulu direct from the UK: cars arrive on the domestic Hawaii services from the US West Coast, which Matson runs from Long Beach and Oakland (Matson has suspended Hawaii car bookings through Tacoma) and Pasha Hawaii runs with enclosed ro-ro ships, taking cars at facilities in San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland and Seattle. In Honolulu, Pasha handles ro-ro cars and rolling stock at Piers 1 and 2 (Fort Armstrong) with containers at Pier 51 on Sand Island, while Matson's con-ro ships land cars mainly at Piers 32 and 33 and at its Sand Island terminal (Piers 52 and 53), where it keeps its auto lot. Hawaii Stevedores also handles international ro-ro car deliveries at Pier 1, and the harbor handled 126,000 ro-ro autos in fiscal year 2020, down from 178,000 in fiscal year 2017.
- Port authority
- Hawaii Department of Transportation, Harbors Division
- Vehicle berths
- Piers 1 to 2 (Pasha, international ro-ro); Piers 31 to 33 and Sand Island Piers 51 to 53 (Matson)
- Ro-ro autos
- 126,000 units (FY 2020); 178,000 (FY 2017)
- Containers
- 1,197,000 TEU (FY 2020)
- Mainland car links
- Long Beach and Oakland (Matson); San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle (Pasha Hawaii)
- All Hawaii harbors
- 1.75 million TEU and 191,000 autos and trucks (FY to June 2024)
Shipping a Car from the UK to Honolulu
We handle the whole UK side of an export to Honolulu: sourcing the vehicle, tax-free supply from the selling dealer where the car qualifies, collection from any UK address, UK customs clearance and export documentation, and loading onto the ship by RoRo or container.
Any import duty and taxes are paid by the importer, whoever clears the car. We can arrange customs clearance, registration and delivery to your door through a local agent, quoted separately, or work with an agent of your choice. For costs, the full sailing schedule and everything else about exporting to USA, see our USA shipping guide.
Our Other Services
UK Car Sourcing & Supply
We source any new or used vehicle from any manufacturer in the UK, through our network of franchised dealers, car auctions, classified listings and private sellers, then inspect, purchase and export it to your country.
Buy a Car in the UK on Your Behalf
We check, view and buy the UK car you've found, from a dealer or a private seller, then ship it to you, protecting you from the pitfalls of paying an unknown seller from overseas.
Tax-Free & VAT-Free Vehicle Supply
We find new and VAT-qualifying used cars from VAT-registered dealers who will sell them free of UK VAT for export, which takes a sixth off a VAT-inclusive price. The saving comes from the dealer, not as a refund from us: we are not VAT registered. We arrange the export and give the dealer the proof it needs.
New / Used Car Export
We export new and used cars from the UK every week, sourced from our dealer, auction and trade network or supplied by you, given a multi-point inspection before shipment and shipped worldwide by RoRo or container.
Pre-Purchase Inspections
Before you commit to a car, we check its DVLA, MOT and recall records and run a paid UK history check, then view it, compare it with its logbook and send you photos and a video. A full mechanical inspection by an independent inspector can be added, quoted separately.
Government Pre-Shipping Inspection
Where the destination country requires a pre-export roadworthiness inspection, we arrange it with the approved inspection agency before the sailing so the vehicle is not held up on arrival. Quoted separately from the shipping price.
UK Vehicle Collection & Delivery
We collect any vehicle from any UK address and deliver it to the departure port at £1 per mile, driven on DVLA plates or moved on a carrier, timed to meet the booked sailing.
Secure Vehicle Storage
Vehicles wait with us in a secure compound between purchase and sailing, so there is no rush to move a car the day you buy it and nothing accumulating in storage charges at the port. Quoted separately from the shipping price.
Paintwork Reconditioning
Where a car would arrive the better for it, we can recondition the paintwork before it ships — worth doing while the vehicle is with us rather than paying to sort it out after it lands. Quoted separately from the shipping price.
UK Vehicle Customs Clearance
We make export declarations directly on the UK customs system and prepare every document needed at the UK port of exit, including the Bill of Lading, export certificate and DVLA export documentation.