How it works
Auction to driveway
Buying a car from Japan takes a few weeks and a lot of paperwork. You don’t have to deal with any of it. Here’s every step and what happens in it. You pick the car. We sort out everything else, from the auction in Japan to your driveway. One all-in price, one person to talk to.
- Step 01 In Japan You pick the car. We search, read the sheet, inspect where available and bid.
- Step 02 In transit Export paperwork and sea shipping to the UK.
- Step 03 UK preparation Customs, VAT, approval or MOT, registration, plates.
- Step 04 Ready for handover Delivered to you, or collected by you.
The Coggy Cars promise
You pick the car. We sort out everything else.
Tell us the car you want. From the auction hall in Japan to your driveway, we do the rest: one all-in price, one person to talk to, nothing for you to chase.
- Sourcing We search Japanese dealer auctions for cars that match your spec and budget.
- Inspection We translate the auction sheet for every shortlisted car and, where available, we inspect it in Japan before any bid.
- Bidding We bid for you, never above the limit you agree.
- Export & shipping Export paperwork and transport in Japan, then sea freight to a UK port.
- Customs & VAT Port clearance, import duty and import VAT, paid and filed for you.
- Approval & MOT Vehicle approval or MOT, plus any changes needed to make it UK road-legal.
- DVLA registration & plates Registered with the DVLA, with UK number plates fitted.
- Delivery Delivered to your driveway, or collect it if you prefer.
Our service fee is 8% of the estimated landed cost, minimum £600, and it’s included in every all-in estimate. Fee shown excluding VAT if applicable.
Ordering
Four steps for you
That’s all you do. Everything in between is on us.
- Pick your car Choose from the cars we can source, or tell us exactly what you want with a custom order.
- Pay a £30 deposit It’s fully refundable and comes off your final price. It lets us start searching properly.
- We find, inspect & buy it We check auction sheets and photos and, where available, we inspect the car in Japan. We bid within your limit.
- We deliver it, road-legal Shipped, cleared, approved, registered and plated, then brought to your driveway.
£30 sourcing deposit, fully refundable and deducted from your final price. You get it back if you cancel within 14 days, or if we can’t find a matching car within the search window we agree with you.
Behind the scenes
What we do, step by step
Once you’ve ordered, this is what happens. You’ll hear from us at every stage, and you won’t need to chase anyone.
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Your part
Step 1: Pick your car and place an order
Choose one of the cars we can source from our shop, or place a custom order for anything else. Tell us your budget and spec: year range, mileage, minimum grade, colour, seven seats, a tow bar, a hybrid. Not sure? We’ll suggest a few models that fit.
To start the search you pay a £30 sourcing deposit. It’s fully refundable and comes off your final price. You get it back if you cancel within 14 days, or if we can’t find a matching car within the search window we agree with you.
Every price on this site is an estimated all-in figure for a typical example, including our service fee, so you can see early whether the numbers work.
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In Japan
Step 2: We search and shortlist
We search Japanese dealer auctions for cars that match your brief. Each week thousands of cars pass through these auctions, and each one has an auction sheet: an inspector’s report on its condition.
We send you a shortlist with the auction sheets translated into plain English, the auction photos and our honest view of each car, including anything we don’t like the look of.
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In Japan
Step 3: Inspection and your maximum bid
Where it’s available, we can inspect a car in Japan before the auction and send you extra photos or video. This isn’t possible for every car or every auction, and we’ll tell you when it isn’t.
Before we bid on a specific car, we send you a written quote with every cost and our fee, and you set the most you’re willing to bid. We never bid above that limit. The quote also sets out in writing how the rest of the price is paid, before we bid.
Checking a car against its auction sheet. Illustrative image -
In transit
Step 4: Win, export and shipping
If we win, we pay the auction, move the car to the port and prepare the export paperwork. The car then travels to the UK by sea.
Shipping typically takes several weeks, and schedules depend on sailings and ports. We won’t promise an exact date, but we’ll keep you updated as the car moves.
Sea freight to the UK. Illustrative image -
UK preparation
Step 5: Customs, approval and registration
When the car lands, we handle UK customs clearance and pay the import VAT and any duty. Then it needs to be made road-legal: a vehicle approval test for newer cars, or an MOT for older ones, with any changes needed to pass (such as an mph speedometer or a rear fog light).
Finally we register the car with the DVLA and fit UK number plates.
UK preparation: modifications, plates and paperwork. Illustrative image -
Ready for handover
Step 6: Delivery or collection
Once it’s registered, the car is ready. We’ll arrange delivery to you or a time for you to collect it, and go through the paperwork and anything you should know about the car.
Handover. Illustrative image
Reading a Japanese car
Auction grades and sheets
Every car at a Japanese dealer auction is inspected and graded, with a sheet that maps every scratch, dent and repair. It’s a guide, not a guarantee, and scales vary a little between auctions. We translate the whole sheet, including the handwritten notes, for every car we shortlist for you.
Our price guide and shop only use results for cars graded 3.5 or better, and when you order you can set the minimum grade you’ll accept.
- S / 6 As new Very recent, very low miles.
- 5 Excellent Low miles, near-perfect.
- 4.5 Very good Minimal marks for its age.
- 4 Good Light, honest wear. A sweet spot.
- 3.5 Fair Visible wear; read the sheet.
- 3 Rough Needs work; often best avoided.
- R / RA Repaired Past accident repair. Only with care.
Interior grade
- A Like new
- B Clean
- C Some wear
- D Worn
What you pay for
The costs, laid out
The price of the car at auction is only part of the total. These are the costs that go into every estimate on this site, with the typical figures we currently use.
| Cost | Typical figure we use |
|---|---|
| The car’s winning bid at auction | Depends on the car |
| Exchange rate | £1 ≈ ¥208 (live (2026-10-02)) |
| Japan-side costs (auction fees, inland transport, export paperwork) | ¥128,000 (≈ £614) |
| Sea shipping to the UK | £1,800 |
| UK port handling and clearance | £450 |
| Import duty (with proof of Japanese origin) | 0% (10% without) |
| Import VAT | 20% |
| Vehicle approval test and modifications (under 10 years old) | £900 |
| MOT and modifications (older vehicles) | £450 |
| First registration fee | £55 |
| Number plates and preparation | £250 |
| Contingency | 5% |
| Historic vehicles (30+ years, unmodified) | 0% duty, 5% VAT — conditions apply |
| Coggy Cars service fee (added on top of the landed cost) | 8% of the estimated landed cost, minimum £600. Fee shown excluding VAT if applicable |
What does Coggy Cars charge?
Our service fee is 8% of the estimated landed cost, minimum £600 per car. It is added on top of the landed cost, so the total you pay is the landed cost plus our fee. The minimum applies to cars that land below about £7,500.
For example, a car that lands at £6,000 carries a £600 fee (£6,600 in total); one that lands at £15,000 carries £1,200 (£16,200 in total).
We agree the fee in writing, as part of your quote, before we bid — so you know the all-in figure before you commit. The price guide and calculator already include it. Fee shown excluding VAT if applicable.
Estimate or quote?
An estimate is what you see on this site and in our first reply: a typical total cost for a model, based on recent auction results and the figures in the table. Real cars vary by grade, mileage, auction and timing, and exchange rates move.
A quote comes later, for a specific car you want us to bid on. It sets out each cost and our fee in writing, and you agree it before we bid.
The £30 sourcing deposit
£30 sourcing deposit, fully refundable and deducted from your final price. You get it back if you cancel within 14 days, or if we can’t find a matching car within the search window we agree with you. It isn’t an extra charge: it comes off the total you pay for the car.
Import VAT is charged on the car’s value plus shipping and any duty. Import duty is 0% when the car qualifies as originating in Japan and we have the proof of origin; otherwise it’s 10%. We’ll tell you which applies before you commit.
Questions
Still wondering?
Insurance, servicing, right-hand drive, what happens if something isn’t right — we’ve answered the common ones.