The Corvette has been built since 1953, and until the C8 there was no right-hand drive version for Britain. So if you want one here, there is a good chance it is coming from America, with left-hand drive, American lights and no European paperwork. That sounds like a headache. In practice it is a well-trodden path, and the age of the car tells you most of what will happen.
- Shipping from the USA
- From £1,450, shipping only
- Time at sea
- Around 2 to 4 weeks
- Import tax
- 10% duty + 20% VAT
- Over 30 years old
- 5% VAT, no duty
Every generation, by age
Corvette owners talk in C numbers, from the C1 to the current mid-engined C8. Each generation falls into a different age band here, and the band decides both the import tax and the test the car takes before it can be registered. These are worked out from today, 12 October 2026, so they shift a little every year.
| Feature | Built | UK test | Import tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | 1953 to 1962 | No MOT needed, if not substantially changed | 5% VAT, no duty |
| C2 Sting Ray | 1963 to 1967 | No MOT needed, if not substantially changed | 5% VAT, no duty |
| C3 | 1968 to 1982 | No MOT needed, if not substantially changed | 5% VAT, no duty |
| C4 | 1984 to 1996 | MOT, or none once over 40 | 5% VAT, no duty, if built before October 1996 |
| C5 | 1997 to 2004 | MOT | 10% duty + 20% VAT |
| C6 | 2005 to 2013 | MOT | 10% duty + 20% VAT |
| C7 | 2014 to 2019 | MOT or IVA, check the build date | 10% duty + 20% VAT |
| C8 | 2020 onwards | IVA | 10% duty + 20% VAT |
The C7 is the one to watch. A car built before October 2016 is over 10 years old and takes an MOT, while a later one takes an IVA test. The C4 sits across two lines as well: all of them are over 30, and the earliest are now over 40.
Classic Corvettes
The C1, C2 and C3 are the cars most people picture, and they are among the most popular American classics to bring over. Being over 30, they pay 5% import VAT and no duty, as long as they qualify as historic, which generally means original and not substantially changed. Being over 40, they do not need an MOT on the same condition.
Every C1, C2 and C3 was also built before 1 January 1986, so it can stop paying vehicle tax once registered. GOV.UK says you have to apply for that exemption; it is not automatic. We still put older cars through an MOT as a check when we register them.
For the wider points on shipping and dating an old car, see our guides to importing a classic American car and importing a classic car.
Modern Corvettes and the C8
A US-market Corvette was never type approved for Europe, so there is no Certificate of Conformity to lean on. A car under 10 years old goes through Individual Vehicle Approval instead.
The C8 changed the picture. Chevrolet has sold it in right-hand drive in the UK since 2021, so an American C8 is competing with UK-supplied ones. People still import them for a particular colour, spec or edition, or because they already own one and are moving here. A UK-supplied C8 bought from a British dealer is not an import at all.
What to check before you buy
The body is glassfibre, so it will not rust the way a steel car does. The frame and structure underneath are another matter, and on an older car that is where the money goes.
Before you pay a deposit
0 of 8 done
Desirable badges are easy to copy, and a fake one can cost you a lot of money. My Car Import recommends having the tags checked by a specialist before the car ships, not after it lands. Our guide to buying a car abroad safely covers the general checks, and buying a car from a US auction covers auction stock.
Getting it out of America
US Customs and Border Protection treats the title as the core export document. The original, or a certified copy, goes to the port with the car, and for a sea shipment both must be there at least 72 hours before it leaves. If there is a loan on the car, CBP also wants a signed letter from the lender allowing export.
We collect from anywhere in the USA and truck the car to the port, mainly New York, Savannah, Houston or Oakland. At the port it is inspected and a condition report is produced before it is loaded. Most Corvettes travel in a shared container, sealed at the US end and opened by our own team in Castle Donington. The full journey is in our guide to shipping a car from the USA.
Shipping and tax
As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping a car from the USA starts from £1,450, shipping only. The sea passage is around 2 weeks from the East Coast and around 4 from the West, with about 2 weeks before sailing for paperwork and loading.
A Corvette under 30 pays 10% import duty and 20% import VAT, worked out on the price plus shipping. A qualifying car over 30 pays 5% VAT and no duty. If you are moving to the UK and qualify for Transfer of Residence, it can come in with no tax at all. The import tax calculator will run your own numbers.
Lights, testing and plates
The DVLA registers left-hand drive cars without asking for the steering to be moved. What needs changing on a Corvette is mostly lighting: US cars often flash red at the rear and have no rear fog light, and the headlights are set for driving on the right. A car first used before 1 April 1980 does not need a rear fog light, so the earliest cars have less to do.
The details are in our guides to converting an American car for UK roads and left-hand drive cars in the UK. American cars normally read in mph already, so the speedometer is rarely a job.
Looking at a C7? A few months either side of October 2016 decides whether the car takes an IVA test or an MOT. Send us the VIN before you buy and we will tell you which.
We run one of only seven privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain, so a newer Corvette is tested on our own lane without waiting for a government slot. Once it passes, our dealer-level DVLA account lets us register it within 10 working days. See the IVA test explained for what the examiner looks at.
Questions people ask
Can I register a left-hand drive Corvette in the UK?
Yes. The DVLA registers left-hand drive cars without the steering being moved. The car needs lighting changes first, mainly amber rear indicators, a rear fog light on cars from 1 April 1980 and headlights set for driving on the left.
Does an imported Corvette need an IVA test?
Only if it is under 10 years old, which today means a C8 or a late C7. US-market Corvettes have no European approval, so younger cars go through IVA. Older ones take an MOT, and cars over 40 that have not been substantially changed need no MOT.
How much tax will I pay on a Corvette from the USA?
Usually 10% duty and 20% VAT on the price plus shipping. A car over 30 that qualifies as historic pays 5% VAT and no duty, which covers the C1, C2, C3 and most C4s. Transfer of Residence can make it nil if you are moving here and qualify.
Is it worth importing a C8 when they are sold in the UK?
It depends on the car. Chevrolet has sold the C8 in right-hand drive here since 2021, so people usually import one for a particular spec or edition, or because they already own it and are moving to the UK.
Do classic Corvettes pay road tax in the UK?
Cars built before 1 January 1986 can stop paying vehicle tax from 1 April 2026, which covers every C1, C2 and C3. You have to apply for the exemption; it does not happen on its own.
Found your Corvette? Send us the details on the quote form and we will price the whole journey, from the US address to UK plates.
