Importing a Car

[Spinal]

I know a few people here export cars from the UK... has anyone done it the other way around?

I'm thinking of bringing something over from India - how feasible is it to register it in the UK?

Maybe more importantly, how expensive is it?

M.

EDIT: Forgot to say - I presume the same rules apply for motorcycles/three-wheelers and similar esoteric things, right?

 

[pipmk]

Very straightforward and not expensive once the vehicle is in the UK. Speedo will probably be in kms and unless it can show mph will need to be changed. Local licensing office used to be helpful,with the cuts not sure if this is still true. Long time since I did it so can't remember the details but I know it wasn't difficult.

 

[Sp!ke]

are you importing a Tuk Tuk?

 

[Spinal]

are you importing a Tuk Tuk?

That is one thought stream. The others in this mental plan is a Daihatsu (no idea how to spell that properly) midget... or a Piaggio 150... you get the gist... Was hoping to drive it in the UK for a year or so, before driving it out of the UK on the Mongol Rally.

The other thought stream is something like this (instead of the electric scooter!) :
VESPA SCOOTER, PX 150CC NEW ENGINE 1966 SEA FOAM GREEN | eBay

or this:
LAMBRETTA LI 150CC 1966 MODEL FULLY RESTORED FREE SHIPPING | eBay

PIPMK: what should I be budgeting in fees? Tuktuk prices in the UK are around £3500-£4000 - I can get one in India for £500-£800, and get it modified to read in MPH before getting it shipped over...
M.

 

[Sp!ke]

Those scooters look fun but I suspect will be a magnet for thieves and most probably rather unreliable (40 year old two strokes dont like rain).

I suspect (finger in the air figure) that it would cost you a couple of grand to import a tuk tuk and get it all legal here including registration and taxes.

 

[Sp!ke]

Those midgets look like fun - never seen one before.

***** Daihatsu Midget ***** 650cc ***** Advertising Board ***** Not TUK TUK***** | eBay

 

[flango]

I looked at it from the USA and abandoned the idea as it was just too time consuming to get the vehicle modded but most of all the paperwork and checks, there are companies that do it but they charge a fortune.

I agree with Sp!ke you are looking the wrong side of £2k to get a tuk tuk into the UK and legal. I know a restaurant owner in Derbyshire that did it many years ago and it cost him a fortune but was good for business

 

[Druk]

Rebuilt Indian Lammby looks decent.

Quote from blurb...

" Chassis and other body parts such as leg shield, panels, foot boards etc are nicely dented and we make a rough fixing of body line to check the cemetery"

Chancing fate perhaps?

 

[Spinal]

I looked at it from the USA and abandoned the idea as it was just too time consuming to get the vehicle modded but most of all the paperwork and checks, there are companies that do it but they charge a fortune.

I agree with Sp!ke you are looking the wrong side of £2k to get a tuk tuk into the UK and legal. I know a restaurant owner in Derbyshire that did it many years ago and it cost him a fortune but was good for business

£2000+£800 < £4500 (eBay price for a tuktuk)

I wonder what the rules are around driving an Indian registered vehicle, in Europe... i.e. import it, but keep it off the road here... Then somehow get it to Dover and over to Calais...

The midgets look like good fun, and they have steering wheels, air condition and 4 seats! The top speed on the 5-gear models is around 62mph, so could be the idea vehicle for the mongol rally (minus the lack of spare parts just about anywhere in the world)
M.

 

[lxi]

Reminds me of the original MASH tv series, where Radar was mailing a Jeep home to his parents one part at a time

 

[AMGeed]

There is a lot involved in importing a car into the UK.

https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk is one document worth looking at.

Type approval is another thing, ie speedo reading mph, foglight fitted with an illuminated switch inside. Tyres fitted that pass our spec etc.The car then has to pass a type approval test which is more rigourous than a standard MOT.

I looked into importing Jap cars from the Middle East back in the 90's and it was more trouble than it was worth. Don't forget you will most likely have to find a shipping agent to deal with getting the car to the container port, and dealing with customs this end.