Car/Vehicle Shipping Cost from Hong Kong to Yokohama

Three years after purchase, every new car has to go through an expensive inspection process, and once every two years after that. Furthermore, vehicles older than 10 years have to pass the inspection every year. As a result, most car owners in Japan write off their cars after 10 years and buy new ones.

Import Tax and Duty Explained If you have lived in Hong Kong at least 12 months and owned the car at least 6 months of that period, there is zero tax and zero duty to pay. If the car is over ten years of age and you have not previously owned it then expect 10% duty on a current value for the car and 20% VAT.

The cheapest way to ship a car internationally is generally Roll-on/Roll-off (RORO), where cars drive onto and off the ship, costing around $900-$2,500+ depending on destination, as it avoids packaging and crane costs. For more protection, Shared Container shipping (grouping cars) is the next cheapest, while booking through platforms like Shiply or using companies with price matching, like SGT Auto Transport or Sherpa, can also find competitive rates.