UK Car Shipping to Sweden

Cost of Shipping a Car from the UK to Sweden (Gothenburg, Wallhamn)

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 Sweden (Gothenburg, Wallhamn).

Approximate — call for the latest rates. These are indicative shipping rates from our published rate table for Gothenburg. 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 Sweden, 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 Sweden

Our Sweden sailings call at Gothenburg and Wallhamn. To Gothenburg, DFDS sail from Immingham, 1-2 days port to port. Wallhamn is a privately owned vehicle port on the east side of the island of Tjörn, on the west coast north of Gothenburg, which has handled vehicle imports and exports since 1965; Grimaldi sail there from Southampton and Portbury, 2-3 days port to port. The UK is outside the EU, so a car from here is declared to Swedish Customs (Tullverket) first, and the customs document is needed for the next step.

Registration is run by the Swedish Transport Agency, Transportstyrelsen. Once the car is in Sweden, the person who will be its registered owner applies for an origin check (ursprungskontroll), sending the original registration certificate, the purchase document and, for a car from the UK, that customs document. For a UK car the registration certificate is the V5C: when a car is permanently exported, its "permanent export" section goes to DVLA and the owner keeps the rest to register the car abroad. A registration inspection (registreringsbesiktning) at an inspection company comes next. Once the car passes, it gets a Swedish number, and the certificate and plates are posted to the owner's address in the Swedish population register, never abroad.

A UK-market car can need more at that inspection than one from elsewhere in Europe. An EC type-approved car is normally accepted without further technical paperwork, but Transportstyrelsen says that does not hold for a vehicle built for left-hand traffic (driving on the left, as in the UK) or fitted with a British-standard speedometer, so ask the inspection company what your car will need. Until it passes, a car from outside the EU/EEA can only be registered temporarily for limited use, such as the shortest route from the port to where it is stored. From 1 December to 31 March, cars in Sweden must also have winter tyres or equivalent whenever there are winter road conditions, so plan for a set if the car arrives in winter.

We work directly with the shipping lines serving Sweden, delivering to Gothenburg and Wallhamn, and handle the whole UK side for you: sourcing the vehicle, tax-free supply from the selling dealer where the car qualifies, collection, UK customs clearance and export documentation, and loading onto the ship. Sailings leave from Immingham, Southampton and Portbury.

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 Sweden 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 Sweden 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 Sweden: we find a dealer that runs the scheme and ship the car when you are ready. How the scheme works.