Why not import a car from the USA on your own?

Published:
1.9.2025

At first glance, European cars do not encourage with price especially at the moment when we compare them with American models. They also encourage with their characteristic appearance in the case of sports cars and functionality if we aim for a means of transport for the whole family. The number of formalities necessary for such a purchase can give you a headache.

Table of contents:

  1. A huge number of additional costs
  2. Bringing a car to Europe
  3. Trust in specialists

A huge number of additional costs

Comparing the import of a car to the purchase of any electronic device from the USA does not make any sense. The journey from choosing a car to crossing Polish roads behind its wheel for independent buyers can be a real torment. Before we attempt to transport our Dodge or Mustang to Europe, we must first deal with the commissions. Being in Poland, we have to pay intermediaries in the transaction. Usually you need to allocate about 400 dollars for this. You can also not forget about the bank commission, which is about $30.

Bringing a car to Europe

However, the real stairs only begin at the moment when we want to transport our car. Of course, you need to start by buying a place on a container ship, the cost of which can vary up to several hundred dollars. The United States, of course, is not in the European Union, so you have to pay a customs duty of about 10 percent of the value of the car. Further charges are influenced by two factors. The excise duty depends mainly on the capacity of the engine. It can be a few percent of the value, or even oscillate up to 18 percent. Next, you need to deal with VAT. In Germany, the rate for passenger cars is 19 percent, and for cars considered vintage 8 percent. Our western neighbors should be the destination of imports. This is influenced by the much higher VAT tax in Poland, which is 23 percent.

Trust in specialists

It can be clearly seen that the cost of such an operation will not be among the lowest. We are also talking about the time commitment itself and the need to deal with a large number of formalities. However, as you can see, with the right experience, these costs can be optimized by up to several thousand dollars. That's a hefty sum even for those very desperate to get behind the wheel of their dream car straight from the United States. Therefore, it is worth asking for help from specialists who, thanks to their experience, will save time and money.

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Complete guide to excise duty on cars imported from the USA

Excise duty on cars from the USA — how to calculate it? This is a question that many people ask themselves. Importing cars from the USA is a popular practice due to the good technical condition of the cars, a wide selection of models and attractive prices. However, a modern importer needs to keep abreast of changing regulations so as not to run into unpleasant surprises. One of the key aspects on the road to owning a car from overseas is to properly understand and calculate excise taxes. In this publication, we will explain how the excise tax on cars from the USA is calculated, including the excise tax on a damaged car from the USA.

Registration of a car from the USA

Bringing cars from the USA is still very popular among Poles. Thanks to this, you can become the owner of a well-specified car at a price lower than in Europe or bring a dream classic. Therefore, it is worth knowing what documents will be needed to register a car brought from overseas. Step by step you will learn how the car registration process goes and how much the whole procedure costs.

Does importing cars from the US require a lot of paperwork?

In Europe, cars from the USA are still very popular. If you take into account the costs associated with importing a particular car model from the United States and buying it in Poland, then still mathematics absolutely shows that a vehicle from the USA can be purchased much cheaper. However, importing a car from the USA is not easy, because this process involves a lot of formalities. In order not to waste time filling out a pile of documents, it is worth using the services of an intermediary.

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