Importing cars to Australia can be a tricky process. This is because of the country’s strict laws, which attempt to discourage car importing as much as possible.
But there are exceptions for Classic Cars that are older than 25 years. These include Personal Effects, Reimportations, and the Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicle Scheme.
When Taurus Logistics promises a smooth shipping experience, we mean it. You won’t have to worry about any red tape.
80% receive a quote in 30 seconds! More complex jobs will receive a response within 24 hours.
Costs to Consider When Importing a Car to Australia
Shipping a car to Australia can be hard to price. Many shipping companies do not include all the fees. They also do not clearly state what they do not include. Many overseas freight forwarders just exclude ALL arrival charges so you have no idea what the actual cost is.
Our quotes are completely different.
Taurus will give you a detailed breakdown of all included charges and will highlight what it excludes. It is important for you as the importer to have a detailed quote and not just a lump sum. Lump sums never include everything you need and give you no recourse should there be additional costs. Always insist on a detailed quote to become a pro at comparing shipping quotes.
Why are some costs excluded?
There are variables that we can't know at the time of quoting and also services that are outside our scope of work. i.e. on-road costs like registration. That’s not part of the logistics process and not our area of expertise.
Likewise, we don’t know how clean your car is, whether insects infest it, or what its value is for GST. So we can’t include those costs.
What is the cost of Importing Cars to Australia
- The shipping quote - Get an Instant Shipping Quote
- Marine Insurance - Get a Marine Insurance Quote
- All - duties, taxes, GST, and Government Charges - Calculate your taxes GST / Duty / LCT Calculator
- Additional costs as a result of quarantine requirements e.g. cleaning, fumigation, vacuuming, re-inspection
- On-road costs such as vehicle compliance, or Registration
Cost to ship car from NZ to Australia?
An average car costs about AUD2,500(at the time of writing) to move from depot to depot. To get a custom quote for your car, click on Instant Quote Now. You can receive your quote in under 30 seconds.
Importing cars from New Zealand to Australia is a popular service. The similar vehicle standards make it easy to get your car on the road.
Ports We Ship to in Australia
Taurus Logistics can ship your car to all of the main ports across Australia, including Brisbane, Sydney and Fremantle. From there, we will load your cargo onto a truck or car carrier and deliver it straight to your home. This makes for a more seamless shipping process, taking the hassle out of the equation.
Ports we ship to in Australia:
- Adelaide
- Brisbane
- Fremantle (Perth)
- Melbourne
- Sydney (Port Kembla)
How Long Does It Take to Ship a Car?
While it’s not possible to list the shipping times for every route Taurus Logistics offers, below are a few of our most popular routes. These are indicative transit times, and do not include all shipping lines, containers, or part container options. Please contact us to discuss container sailing dates, or for roll on roll off please refer to our RORO Sailing Schedule.
- Australia to New Zealand – 10 days Approx.
- New Zealand to Australia – 30 days Approx.
- Europe to Australia – 45 days Approx.
- USA to Australia – 50 days Approx.
- Australia to Europe – 80 days Approx.
- Australia to USA – 40 days Approx.
Vehicle Import Approval
To bring a car, motorhome, or motorcycle into Australia, you need to be a permanent resident. Alternatively, you should plan to become one.
You can apply for your import permit online before you move to Australia, and they will email your permit to you.
The five main categories for importing a car to Australia cover most people’s situations. There are more categories, but in most cases around 80% of people will use the Personal Effects Option, or as below.
Personal Effects Option
This option allows migrants settling in Australia or expatriate Australian citizens returning permanently to Australia after a long period overseas, to bring their personal vehicle with them as long as it has been owned for the qualifying 12-month period.
Concessional RAV approvals
Overwhelmed?
Save time and stress, let us apply for the Vehicle Import Approval
Reimportation Import Approvals
This option allows road vehicles originally sourced within Australia but subsequently exported to be re-imported.
Reimportation import approvals
Vehicles Manufactured more than 25 years ago
This option allows for the importation of road vehicles manufactured more than 25 years ago.
Concessional RAV approvals
Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicle Register
Listing on the Register of Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicles means that vehicles can be imported into Australia under the Low Volume Vehicles Scheme and the Registered Automotive Workshop Scheme.
Specialist and enthusiast vehicles
Race, Rally and Support Vehicles Option
This option allows for the importation of vehicles intended for road vehicle rallies, closed circuit road vehicle racing and vehicles designed to support road vehicle racing or rallying.
Non-RAV approvals
What happens if my car fails Quarantine Inspection?
The Department of Agriculture checks all used vehicles upon their import. Only after this check do we know their cleanliness condition. Even a car cleaned by a professional can still fail. This is because of the high standards needed to enter Australia.
You don’t need to worry. We will set up the quarantine inspection. If you need cleaning, we will take care of it for you too.
Allow AU$300-500 as an estimate to cover potential cleaning, and or vacuuming.
Fail Quarantine
Do I have to pay GST, duty, or luxury tax when importing cars to Australia?
Yes, unfortunately. There is only one condition for GST / Duty exemption and that is returning Australian cars.
i.e., cars previously registered in Australia in your name and are now returning. There are no other tax exemptions even on used, personally owned cars. Vehicles that are over 30 years old have duty concessions and are duty-free. Luxury Car Tax (LCT) applies to cars worth more than AU$67,525.
GST & Duty sumsHow do I calculate my GST, Duty and LCT?
Calculating your GST, Duty, and LCT can be a bit complicated, so we have designed a handy online Import GST / Duty / LCT calculator.