How to import your Lexus into the UK

See also: How to export your Lexus from the UK

We recommend that you do not bring your vehicle into the UK without first contacting the DVLA and your insurance provider.

Vehicles originating from another country within the European Economic Area

Any vehicle being imported into the UK for a period of longer than six months must be registered with the Drivers Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

In order to complete this registration the DVLA will require a Certificate of Conformity (COC). This can be provided by the national Lexus sales office within the country of origin.

Contact details for selected national Lexus offices can be found at www.lexus-eu.

You should also visit www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk

If, for any reason, no COC is available the vehicle is likely to require an Individual Vehicle Approval certificate. This can be arranged through the Drivers Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and further information can be found at www.gov.uk/vehicle-approval. Additionally, we would advise you to contact your national Lexus sales office for more information relating to your vehicle.

Please note that we will not be able to provide a COC or any other information relating to vehicles from outside of the UK. Whilst we are able to assist with queries concerning vehicles from Northern Ireland, we cannot provide any data for vehicles from the Republic of Ireland.

Queries relating to vehicles from the Republic of Ireland should be addressed to customerservice@lexus.ie

Vehicles originating from any country outside of Europe
Any vehicle being imported into the UK for a period of longer than six months must be registered with the DVLA.  All customers wishing to bring a vehicle into the UK from outside of Europe are advised to visit the DVLA website for further information.

Currently, no COC will be available for any vehicle originating from outside of Europe as this document does not exist in any non-European jurisdiction.

As no COC will be available for your vehicle, it is likely that an Individual Vehicle Approval certificate will be required. This can be arranged through the DVSA.

The only exceptions to this are any vehicles that were manufactured more than 10 years ago (such vehicles will only require a current MOT certificate). Further information about the application process can be found at www.gov.uk/vehicle-approval.

Customers wishing to import a vehicle from outside of Europe should contact the national Lexus sales office in the country where the car was first registered to obtain the relevant information relating to their vehicle.

Additional information

I want to import a left hand drive vehicle into the UK from any country
In addition to the usual registration requirements, you must demonstrate that the vehicle has been appropriately modified to ensure that it complies with UK road regulations. This includes the fitment of the following:
• headlamps for left hand traffic
• speedometer capable of displaying both KPH and MPH
• rear seat belts (if applicable)
• rear fog lamp
• side lamp indicators

For more information on UK road regulations please see www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration

I require a vehicle dating letter
There may be occasions where a customer is asked to provide evidence of the date of manufacture of a vehicle (e.g. that vehicle originates from outside of Europe). We may be able to provide you with this document (providing that the vehicle is listed on our database).
• In order to obtain a dating letter please follow the steps outlined below:
Complete the online enquiry form providing all appropriate details including the Vehicle Identification Number or frame number (these can be found on inside your vehicle or in your vehicle documentation). Attach a copy of proof of ownership of the vehicle.

Please note that we are unable to process any applications received without any document providing confirmation of legal ownership of the vehicle.
• A fee of £10.00 including VAT is payable for a vehicle dating letter (see How do I pay? below).

Please note that the letter that we will provide will only be able to confirm the month and year of manufacture and not the date of original registration.

I want to amend the current UK registration document relating to my vehicle
• A registration document may need to be amended to allow any inaccuracy or omission to be corrected. In order to complete this process you may require us to confirm certain information relating to your vehicle (e.g. CO2 emissions, model type).
• We are able to provide this information if it is available to us. Where this data is not immediately available within the UK we can try to source it from either Toyota Motor Europe or Toyota Motor Corporation Japan. Please note that CO₂ emission values for a non-European vehicle is not available.
• In order to produce this document we must see the registration document that needs to be amended.
Please note that we are unable to process any applications received without this document.
• A fee of £10.00 including VAT is payable for any letter of confirmation issued by us (see Section 4 How do I Pay below).

I need to find out the UK model equivalent of my vehicle
Insurers in the UK frequently ask customers who have imported a vehicle from outside of the UK to provide them with details of the UK model equivalent.

Unfortunately we are not able to provide customers with details of the UK equivalent of any vehicle imported from a country outside of the UK. We cannot be certain of any modifications made to vehicles originating outside of the UK and so if we were to provide any such information it could risk the insurance of that vehicle being invalidated.

We strongly recommend that anyone seeking to import a vehicle into the UK from any other country contacts their insurance provider for further information regarding premiums and coverage.

How do I pay?
Payment will be collected after we have processed your request and we will provide you with the appropriate details using a standard bank (BACS) transfer when we contact you. Please do not send any credit or debit card details to us.

Once your payment has been received we will send your documents to the address that you have provided to us. All documents will be sent using standard first class post within the UK or Airmail if being sent outside of the UK.

Data protection

Any data provided by you when you submit a general enquiry form or collected by us in dealing with any query that you raise, will only be retained for our own customer service records. Such data will not be used for any marketing purposes and will be stored on secure servers with the European Union. Any sensitive personal data that you may be asked to provide to us (e.g. in relation to the completion of a payment) will be permanently and securely destroyed as soon as is reasonably practical. No payment data is ever entered onto or stored on any of our computer networks.

For further information about how we use your personal data more generally, please refer to our Privacy Policy