Affordable Car Transport Companies from the UK

Looking for affordable car transport companies? ShipCars UK is a UK-based car shipping and vehicle transport company shipping cars, 4x4s, SUVs, pick-ups, vans, motorhomes, motorcycles, classic cars, prestige cars, non-runners, trucks and plant machinery overseas every week. We handle affordable car transport companies on a roll-on roll-off (RoRo) basis and inside 20ft, 40ft and 40ft high cube shipping containers, from our own facility at Unit 62A Thames Industrial Park, East Tilbury, a few minutes from the Port of Tilbury.

Our car shipping rates cover UK collection from any postcode, transport to the port, export customs clearance, loading, lashing and bracing, the bill of lading, all-risk marine insurance and, where you want it, destination clearance and door delivery. Car shipping cost depends on the vehicle's size, the shipping method and the destination port, so the pricing guide below is a genuine starting point rather than a teaser price, send the make, model and destination through the quote form on this page and we will price your car transport properly, usually within the hour.

We are car carriers, not a broker farm. Every vehicle shipment is coordinated by one person from collection to delivery, so when you call about your car transport you speak to the person who booked the vessel. That is the difference between an anonymous auto shipping quote engine and a real car shipping service with its own loading bay, its own trailers and its own export desk.

1) RoRo Affordable Car Transport Companies — the cheapest way to ship a car

Roll-on roll-off is the cheapest car shipping method and the one most customers choose. Your car is driven up the ramp of a purpose-built RoRo vessel, chocked and lashed to the car deck, and driven off at the destination port. There is no container to fill, no loading charge and no waiting for other cargo, which is why RoRo car shipping rates are consistently the lowest available and why sailing dates are fixed and weekly.

We load RoRo from Tilbury, Sheerness, Southampton, Immingham and Liverpool. The vehicle must be a runner, taxed only to the extent it can be driven onto the ramp, no more than a quarter full of fuel, and empty of personal belongings unless the carrier permits them on that trade.

• Lowest cost per vehicle of any shipping method
• Fixed weekly sailings, no waiting for a container to fill
• Simple: drive on in the UK, drive off at destination
• Ideal for standard cars, 4x4s, vans, trucks and plant

2) Container Affordable Car Transport Companies — protection for prestige and non-runners

Container car shipping costs a little more than RoRo but the vehicle is sealed inside its own steel box for the whole voyage. We block, brace, chock and ratchet-strap the car to the floor lashing rings, photograph every stage and seal the container before it is gated in, with the seal number printed on your bill of lading. This is the right choice for classic cars, supercars, low-slung sports cars, non-runners, salvage vehicles and any shipment where you also want to send personal items, spare parts or trade stock alongside the car.

UK car collection and delivery to the port

We collect nationwide. Covered transporters, open multi-car trailers and single-vehicle recovery units run daily from Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Coventry, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, London (north, south, east and west), Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Reading, Sheffield, Southampton and Swindon. Non-runners are winched, low-clearance cars are loaded on tilt beds with extended ramps, and every collection is photographed on pick-up so the vehicle's condition is on record before it leaves you. If you prefer to deliver the car yourself, our East Tilbury yard is open Monday to Friday and there is no drop-off charge.

Affordable Car Transport Companies costs — what actually drives the price

Auto shipping quotes vary because the inputs vary. Cubic measurement decides RoRo pricing, so a hatchback is cheaper than a long-wheelbase van of the same weight. Container car shipping is priced per box, so two cars in a 40ft is usually cheaper per vehicle than one car in a 20ft. Destination matters too: high-volume trades to West Africa, the Gulf, East Africa, Australia and the Caribbean carry keener rates than thin routes served by transhipment.

• Vehicle length, width and height (cubic measurement)
• RoRo versus sole-use or shared container
• Departure port and destination port pairing
• UK collection distance from East Tilbury
• Marine insurance at 1.5% of declared value
• Destination clearance, port charges and duty if required

Documents we need for vehicle export

Paperwork is straightforward when it is prepared early. We raise the export declaration, notify the DVLA where the vehicle is leaving permanently, and issue the bill of lading in your name or your consignee's.

• V5C logbook (original, not a copy)
• Photo ID and proof of address for the exporter
• Purchase invoice or bill of sale for valuation
• Finance settlement letter where a loan was secured on the car
• Consignee name, address and contact at destination

Why choose ShipCars UK for affordable car transport companies

We are an established UK car shipping company with our own Thames-side facility, our own loading team and direct contracts with the RoRo and container lines, not a lead-generation site selling your details to third-party car transporters. Every quotation is written, itemised and honoured, marine insurance is available on every booking at 1.5% of declared value, and you get photographic proof of loading before the vessel sails.

• Weekly sailings to 198 countries and 330+ discharge ports
• Own container loading facility minutes from Tilbury
• Free nationwide collection quote with every enquiry
• In-house export customs entries and bills of lading
• All-risk marine insurance at 1.5% of declared value
• One named coordinator from collection to delivery