Not everyone can spare a day driving to a Thames-side port. Our collection service picks your vehicle up from home, work, a dealership, an auction house or a body shop anywhere in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland and delivers it into our secure yard ready for loading.
Running, road-legal vehicles are collected by a trade-insured driver on trade plates, which is the most economical option. Non-runners, category-written units, low-clearance sports cars, classics and prestige vehicles travel on a covered or open transporter with winch recovery, and we quote that separately by size and distance.
Auction collection is a regular part of our week. Send us the lot number, release details and payment confirmation and we will collect within the auction's free storage window so you avoid daily penalties. We do the same for dealer part-exchanges and online marketplace purchases, including a documented condition check on the spot.
The moment your vehicle arrives at the yard it is photographed inside and out, its mileage and fuel level recorded and any pre-existing damage noted on a condition report that travels with the shipping file. You receive that report and the photographs by email the same day.
What the collection service covers
- Any UK postcode, including Highlands and Islands
- Trade-plate driven collection for running vehicles
- Covered and open transporter for non-runners
- Auction, dealer and private-sale collections
- Classic, prestige and low-clearance vehicles
- Winch recovery for immobile units
- Same-day condition report with photographs
- Secure storage at our yard before sailing
What we need from you
We need the collection address and a contact on site, the vehicle's make, model and registration, confirmation that it starts and steers, the keys, and the V5C or a copy of it. If the car is still insured and taxed we can drive it; if not, it moves on a transporter. Please leave a quarter of a tank of fuel, disable any tracker or alarm that would immobilise the vehicle, and remove personal belongings unless the car is being containerised.
How Your Shipment Moves
Quote & booking
Rates, sailing or flight options confirmed in writing.
UK collection
Nationwide collection or delivery into our Tilbury depot.
Loading & packing
Lashing, crating, palletising and photographic record.
Customs & export
Export entry, NES clearance and documentation released.
Transit & delivery
Tracking updates until the cargo lands with your consignee.
Timing and cost
Collections are typically arranged within two to five working days of booking, with next-day available on request. Driven collection starts from around £65 in the South East and is priced by mileage from Tilbury; transporter movements are priced by distance and vehicle size. The cost is shown as a separate line on your quotation so you can compare it against delivering the vehicle yourself.
Storage before shipping
Our yard is fenced, monitored and lit, and the first fourteen days of storage are included free with any shipping booking. That gives you room to complete a sale, wait for the next available sailing, or finish paperwork without paying port storage. Longer storage is available at a modest weekly rate, undercover if the vehicle requires it.