Shipping a Car Overseas Cost

Typical costs:

• Shipping a car from the US to Europe starts around $750 for a compact and runs up to around $2,000 for a full-sized SUV.
• Transporting a standard-sized car from the US to Australia costs about $2,950. If household items are to be shipped in a container along with the vehicle the price runs around $3,200 for a 20-foot container that can handle a car plus a few small items or around $4,600 for a 40-foot container that holds 47,500 pounds.

• Auto movers transport cars by ship from several locations including San Francisco and Los Angeles in California; Jacksonville or Miami in Florida; New York City, New York; Norfolk, Virginia; Charleston, South Carolina; Wilmington, Delaware and Baltimore, Maryland.
• Car owners not living near a terminal generally contract with the overseas shipper or a local auto mover to transport the car to an overseas shipping location. Depending on the distance from home to a shipping dock, the price can start at $100 for a few miles and climb up to $900 from a Midwest state.
• Vehicles are either driven onto the ship or into auto containers which measure 7x7x19-feet long. Large or oversized vehicles will cost $150-$250 more to ship from a state to a terminal along with an additional surcharge aboard ship.
• Paperwork needed to ship a vehicle includes two copies of a notarized title, a Shipper Export Declaration^[1] form and a Declaration of Dangerous Goods form. Both may be downloaded for free. Notaries charge about $10 per signature.

• Autos must meet the safety standards^[2] of the destination country, according to Watzmann.net. Also, be aware that repair and replacement parts for a US manufactured vehicle may be pricey or difficult to come by.
• Shipping insurance for the vehicle runs 1.5 %-2.5% of the estimated value, or about $300-$500 for a car valued at $20,000. Some individual auto policies cover transport.
• Ask the shipper about port of entry taxes in Europe that may cost about 150 euros or around $200 USD.
• Non-operational vehicles will be charged extra for loading and unloading difficulties.

• Some auto movers offer a discount if more than one car is shipped.

• International Movers.com^[3] has an online locator for overseas auto shippers.

1.  www.census.gov/foreign-trade/regulations/forms/new-7525v.pdf
2.  www.watzmann.net/scg/faq-24.html
3.  www.intlmovers.com/index.asp

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