Everything you need to know about importing a vehicle into Australia with Prestige Car Imports.
Frequently Asked Questions
General
Not every vehicle can be imported into Australia.
There are several import pathways available depending on the vehicle. Two of the most common pathways we work with are vehicles eligible through the Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicles scheme and vehicles that are at least 25 years old.
Eligibility depends on the exact make, model, variant, build date and sometimes the condition or modifications of the vehicle.
If you’re unsure whether a particular car can be imported, send us the listing or vehicle details and we’ll check it for you.
Vehicles that are at least 25 years old may be eligible to import under Australia’s older vehicle pathway.
It works on the vehicle’s actual build date, so eligibility rolls forward as vehicles reach 25 years of age.
For example, a vehicle built in September 2001 may become eligible in September 2026, subject to meeting the requirements of the pathway.
Significant modifications can affect eligibility, particularly where those modifications were completed less than 25 years ago.
We recommend checking eligibility with us before purchasing any vehicle overseas.
Yes. A vehicle must have the appropriate Australian import approval before it is imported.
Prestige Car Imports handles the import approval process as part of the service where applicable, along with the other paperwork required to get the vehicle from overseas to Australia.
Do not ship a vehicle to Australia without first confirming its import eligibility and approval requirements.
It depends heavily on the vehicle, purchase price, country of origin, shipping method and applicable taxes and compliance costs.
Typical costs can include:
- Vehicle purchase
- Overseas transport
- Shipping
- Import approval
- Customs and port charges
- GST
- Duty where applicable
- Luxury Car Tax where applicable
- Compliance
- Australian transport
- Roadworthy, registration and stamp duty
We can provide an estimated landed and complied cost before you commit to purchasing a vehicle.
Import Calculators: Japan Import Calculator, UK Import Calculator, USA Import Calculator and New Zealand Import Calculator.
Our initial fee is $1,190 AUD.
Our total service fee depends on factors including the price of the vehicle, country of purchase, how the vehicle is purchased and the work involved in the import.
We’ll explain the applicable fees and expected costs with you before you proceed.
No. The initial $1,190 fee is non-refundable.
Before you make this payment, we’ll discuss the vehicle you’re looking for, your budget, requirements and expectations with you. We only want you to proceed once we’re confident we can realistically source what you’re after and you’re 100% ready to begin the process with the required budget available.
No.
Importing a vehicle involves several payments at different stages rather than one large payment to us upfront.
Generally, you will pay the initial fee first, the vehicle when it is purchased, and then shipping, import, customs, compliance and other costs as they become due.
We provide estimates and explain the expected payment stages before you proceed.
Yes. We can assist with finance options for eligible customers and vehicles.
Financing an import can be different from purchasing a vehicle already registered in Australia, particularly while the vehicle is still overseas.
Speak with us before purchasing and we can discuss the options available for your situation.
As a general guide, allow around 12 to 20 weeks from purchase through to the vehicle being ready in Australia.
The actual timeframe depends on the country, shipping availability, import approvals, customs and quarantine, compliance requirements and the individual vehicle.
We’ll give you a more relevant estimate based on the vehicle and country you’re importing from.
Potentially, but modifications need to be assessed before purchasing the vehicle.
The rules depend on the import pathway and the modifications involved. Significant modifications can affect whether a vehicle qualifies under the 25-year pathway, and compliance and registration requirements also need to be considered.
Send us the vehicle details and modification list before buying and we’ll check what is realistically possible.
Yes, in some circumstances.
For example, eligible vehicles imported under the 25-year pathway can potentially remain left-hand drive, but registration requirements can differ between Australian states and territories.
For newer vehicles, the applicable import pathway and potential right-hand-drive conversion requirements need to be assessed individually.
We’ll check this before you purchase the vehicle.
We can manage the import from beginning to end, including:
- Sourcing vehicles
- Vehicle inspections
- Negotiation and auction bidding
- Purchase assistance
- Import approvals
- Export arrangements
- Shipping
- Customs and quarantine
- Compliance coordination
- Australian transport
- Roadworthy and registration assistance where required
You deal with an Australian-based company while we coordinate the overseas side of the process.
Japan
We can source vehicles from Japanese auctions, dealers and other available stock throughout Japan.
Auction is often the best option because of the volume of vehicles available each week, but we aren’t limited to auctions.
If you’ve already found a vehicle on Goo-net, BE FORWARD, Car From Japan or another Japanese website, send us the listing and we can investigate it for you.
Yes.
We offer access to our Japanese auction platform where you can browse vehicles coming up at auction.
Our team can then help inspect suitable vehicles and bid on them for you.
Where inspection is available, yes.
Our team in Japan can inspect vehicles before bidding and provide additional information beyond the auction sheet.
We pay particular attention to areas such as accident repairs, rust and corrosion, paintwork, interior condition, mechanical concerns and other issues relevant to that particular vehicle.
We would rather skip a bad car than win the wrong one.
The auction sheet is the auction house’s condition report for the vehicle.
It generally contains information such as the vehicle’s grade, kilometres, equipment, visible damage and auction inspector comments.
We translate the relevant information and combine it with an additional inspection where available before recommending that you bid.
Japanese vehicle auctions move extremely quickly.
Before the vehicle goes through auction, we’ll discuss the car with you and agree on your maximum bid.
We then bid on your behalf up to that amount.
If we win below your maximum, you pay the winning amount rather than your maximum bid.
We check the available documentation, auction history and condition of the vehicle for inconsistencies before recommending a purchase.
Japanese auction records and export documentation can provide useful odometer history, but we still assess each vehicle individually rather than relying on one document alone.
This is one of the biggest reasons we recommend inspecting vehicles before bidding.
Auction sheets are useful, but they don’t replace having someone physically look at the vehicle where possible.
If the condition isn’t good enough, we simply don’t bid and wait for another car.
As a general guide, allow approximately 12 to 16 weeks from purchasing the vehicle through to it being ready in Australia.
Shipping schedules, import approvals, customs, quarantine and compliance can all affect the timeframe.
Yes.
If the right car is sitting with a Japanese dealer rather than at auction, we can contact the seller, arrange an inspection where available, negotiate the purchase and organise the export and import process.
UK
Yes.
We regularly assist with vehicles from UK dealers, private sellers and online auction platforms.
Eligibility depends on the particular vehicle, so we check that before you commit to purchasing it.
Yes.
We can communicate with the seller, arrange an independent inspection, assist with the purchase and coordinate collection, export, shipping and the Australian import process.
Yes.
We can arrange an independent pre-purchase inspection in the UK before you commit to buying the vehicle.
For higher-value or specialist vehicles, we strongly recommend having the vehicle properly inspected rather than relying solely on photos and the seller’s description.
Depending on the vehicle, we can review available MOT history and other vehicle history information and combine this with a physical inspection.
For older and collectible vehicles, service history, previous repairs, corrosion and originality can be just as important as the mileage.
Absolutely.
Send us the listing and we’ll first check whether the vehicle is eligible to import.
If it is, we can then help with the seller, inspection, purchase and the entire import process.
It depends on the vehicle and its origin.
Duty, GST and potentially Luxury Car Tax can apply depending on the individual vehicle and circumstances.
Rather than giving you a generic figure, we’ll calculate the expected taxes as part of your import estimate.
As a general guide, allow approximately 12 to 16 weeks from purchase through to the vehicle being ready in Australia.
The timeframe can vary depending on vehicle collection, shipping schedules, Australian import processing, quarantine and compliance.
USA
Yes.
We can assist with eligible vehicles from private sellers, dealers and auction platforms throughout the United States.
The first step is checking whether the particular vehicle has an Australian import pathway.
Yes, where the vehicle is eligible.
Vehicles that qualify through the 25-year pathway may be able to remain left-hand drive, subject to the applicable Australian requirements and state or territory registration rules.
Newer vehicles require another applicable import pathway and may require right-hand-drive conversion.
Not necessarily.
An eligible 25+ year old vehicle can potentially be imported while remaining left-hand drive.
Registration is ultimately governed by the relevant state or territory, so we check the complete situation before recommending that you purchase the vehicle.
Older Corvettes, Mustangs, Camaros, American muscle cars, classics and other specialist vehicles can all potentially be imported where an appropriate pathway exists.
Newer vehicles need to qualify under another Australian import pathway.
Send us the year, make, model and listing and we’ll check it.
Yes.
We can arrange inspections for vehicles in the USA before purchase.
For valuable enthusiast vehicles we strongly recommend this, particularly when buying privately or from interstate.
Yes.
We can assist whether you’ve found the vehicle through a dealer, private seller or online marketplace.
We can also help coordinate domestic transport within the USA before the vehicle is exported.
Allow approximately 12 to 20 weeks for a straightforward import.
Vehicles requiring additional work such as right-hand-drive conversion can take substantially longer.
We’ll give you an expected timeframe once we know the actual vehicle and import pathway.
It depends on the vehicle price, location within the USA, domestic transport, shipping method, taxes and Australian compliance requirements.
Our USA Import Calculator can give you a starting estimate, and we can then provide a more detailed estimate for the actual vehicle.
New Zealand
Yes.
We can help source, inspect, purchase and import eligible vehicles from New Zealand.
New Zealand can be particularly useful for Japanese, European, performance and classic vehicles that are already available locally.
Yes.
If you’ve found a vehicle on Trade Me or another New Zealand marketplace, send us the listing.
We can check its Australian import eligibility before you commit to purchasing it.
Yes.
We can arrange independent inspections and vehicle history checks before purchase.
We strongly recommend doing this rather than buying solely from photos or the seller’s description.
Depending on the vehicle we can arrange checks covering its physical condition and available history.
We can also investigate issues such as finance/security interests and other available records before proceeding.
Potentially, yes.
The fact that a Japanese vehicle is already registered in New Zealand doesn’t automatically make it eligible for Australia.
Australian import eligibility still needs to be assessed against the vehicle itself and the applicable Australian pathway.
The same Australian eligibility requirements ultimately apply regardless of where we’re buying the vehicle.
Vehicles 25 years or older and vehicles eligible through specialist pathways are common examples, but we’ll check the exact vehicle before purchase.
New Zealand is geographically much closer than our other major sourcing markets, but shipping is only one part of the process.
Import approval, shipping schedules, customs, quarantine, compliance and Australian transport all affect the total timeframe.
We’ll provide a realistic estimate for the particular vehicle rather than promising a fixed delivery date.
Costs depend on the purchase price, exchange rate, shipping, Australian taxes and the compliance requirements of the vehicle.
You can use our New Zealand Import Calculator for an initial estimate, then send us the actual vehicle for a detailed breakdown.
Still Have Questions?
Found a car you’re interested in or want to know what’s possible?
Send us the vehicle or tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll check the eligibility, expected costs and import process for you.
Ready to Start Your Import?
Tell us the car you’re looking for and your budget. We’ll talk through eligibility, likely costs and the process before you commit to sourcing.