Things you need to know for shipping a car into New Zealand from US or UK

 It is well-known fact that New Zealanders love their cars. New Zealand has one of the highest car ownership ratios in the world. The number of light passenger vehicles per 1000 people in New Zealand is over 800. However, New Zealand has a population of around 5 million which also limits the local availability of different models and brands of cars compared to countries with a higher population.

The most important part of vehicle shipping into New Zealand is for you to check if your vehicle meets the New Zealand compliance standards. The compliance standards for cars are set by the New Zealand transport agency. The standards are very clearly displayed on their portal.

Compare multiple quotes

If you are thinking of car shipping UK to NZ, it is a very good idea to get it done through an experienced car shipper. We recommend you use a professional shipping company so there are no nasty surprises, and your vehicle arrives safely, with no last-minute extra costs. It may be a better idea to get the job of shipping your car to New Zealand done by an experienced shipper who have shipped vehicles from all over the world to New Zealand. The best option is to get quotes from multiple service providers

The Roll-on Roll-off is the most economical freight option

As a thumb rule, the Roll-On Roll-Off is a cheaper freight method for vehicles than container shipping. The other charges are GST, Tariff, Insurance charges, Storage Charges, Delivery Charges and the charges for clearing soil from the vehicles.

Why you need to ensure that your car is clean enough by MPI standards?

The MPI or the Ministry of Primary Industries of New Zealand is entrusted with the vigilance of the country’s bio-security system. The MPI’s responsibilities include facilitation of New Zealand’s international trade, protection of the environment, flora fauna etc. Therefore, New Zealand Customs has bound an ultra-strict biosecurity policy. Your vehicle has to be clean and free of foreign soil or plant matter. You may have to pay an additional cleaning fee if your vehicle does not meet the standards set by the MPI.

You are eligible for GST exemption in certain cases

You are entitled to a concession on the GST charges, if you are a first-time immigrant or you are returning to New Zealand after spending 21 months or more at an overseas location. However, you should note that you need to furnish full legitimate documented evidence in order to be eligible for the concession. 

You should also note that if you ship a vehicle to New Zealand, the vehicle must meet all standards set by the NZ Transport Agency. The vehicle also has to be registered and a registration fee also has to be paid. You might also have to pay import processing charges, customs brokerage, logistics service provider charges etc. It takes approximately 45 days for car shipping USA to NZ. The important part you have to take care of is that most vehicles manufactured in the USA are left hand drive vehicles while the New Zealand Transport Agency mostly authorized a right-hand drive vehicle with a few exceptions.

What is a left-hand drive vehicle?

Left-hand drive vehicle refers to the specific side of the vehicle in which the steering wheel unit of the vehicle is placed. In the USA, the vehicles manufactured are left-hand drive vehicles while the vehicles manufactured in countries like United Kingdom, Japan etc. are right drive vehicles.

In order for the vehicle to be driven in New Zealand, the left-hand drive vehicles need to be converted to RHD or Right-hand drive vehicles. However, there are a few exceptions. The only vehicles that can be registered as LHD and driven on New Zealand roads are those that belong to one of the specific categories of LHD that are permitted by law.

The exempted categories include special interest light vehicles less than 20 years old, light vehicles that are 20 years old or more, certain types of Specialist vehicles, vehicles operated by diplomats, certain vehicles that are exempted from registration and licensing, certain types of Motorcycles with sidecars and certain specific LHD vehicles that were entry certified in New Zealand before 1 April 2010 certain vehicles that were temporarily imported into New Zealand.