Dodge never sold the Challenger or the Charger new in Britain. If you want one, you are buying an American car and bringing it over, which can make it feel like a leap into the unknown. It is less of one than it looks. These are left-hand drive cars with American lights, and making those legal here is routine work for us.
- 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
Two names, several cars
Both names have been used on quite different cars over the years. The Challenger is a two-door coupe in every form. The Charger started as a two-door muscle car, became a front-wheel drive hatchback in the 1980s, and returned as a four-door saloon in 2006.
That matters for importing because the age of the car, not the badge, decides the tax and the test. The table below is worked out from today, 12 October 2026, so the lines move a little each year.
| Feature | Built | UK test | Import tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charger, classic era | 1966 to 1978 | No MOT needed, if not substantially changed | 5% VAT, no duty |
| Challenger, first generation | 1970 to 1974 | No MOT needed, if not substantially changed | 5% VAT, no duty |
| Challenger, second generation | 1978 to 1983 | No MOT needed, if not substantially changed | 5% VAT, no duty |
| Charger, hatchback | 1982 to 1987 | MOT, or none once over 40 | 5% VAT, no duty |
| Charger saloon | 2006 to 2023 | MOT or IVA, check the build date | 10% duty + 20% VAT |
| Challenger, third generation | 2008 to 2023 | MOT or IVA, check the build date | 10% duty + 20% VAT |
| Charger, new generation | 2024 onwards | IVA | 10% duty + 20% VAT |
Classic Challengers and Chargers
The early cars are the ones that made the names, and the Challenger is one of the most popular American classics My Car Import brings in. Being over 30, a car that qualifies as historic pays 5% import VAT and no duty. Being over 40, it needs no MOT, as long as it has not been substantially changed.
Anything built before 1 January 1986 can also stop paying vehicle tax once registered. You have to apply for that exemption, so it does not happen on its own. Our guide to importing a classic American car covers dating, titles and the rest of the paperwork for older cars.
Badges and trim on muscle-era cars are easy to copy. If you are paying for a particular engine or package, have the car checked by a specialist before it ships.
Modern cars, built 2006 to 2023
This is where most enquiries sit. A modern Challenger or Charger was never approved for Europe, so there is no Certificate of Conformity. A car under 10 years old goes through Individual Vehicle Approval, and an older one takes an MOT after the same kind of changes.
Today the line falls in October 2016. A 2015 car will take an MOT, a 2018 car will take an IVA test, and anything from 2016 or 2017 needs its build date checked. The tax is the same either way: 10% duty and 20% VAT.
The new Charger. The current generation, from 2024, includes an electric version. If that is the one you want, read our guide to shipping an electric car to the UK as well, because the battery changes how it ships and the US charging socket differs from ours.
What to check before you buy
Before you pay a deposit
0 of 8 done
Modifications deserve a careful look on a modern car. A louder exhaust or a remap may be fine in America and a problem in a UK test, so tell us about them early and we will tell you what we think. Our guides to buying a car abroad safely and buying from a US auction cover the rest.
Insurance comes first
A powerful, left-hand drive American car is a specialist risk, and cover varies a lot between insurers. My Car Import's advice is to use a specialist, consider agreed-value cover on a classic, declare every modification and say clearly that the car is left-hand drive.
Get the quote before you buy, not after the car lands. Our guide to insuring an imported car explains what insurers look at.
From the US to Castle Donington
We collect from anywhere in the USA and truck the car to the port, mainly New York, Savannah, Houston or Oakland. It is inspected at the port and a condition report is produced before loading. Most cars travel in a shared container, which keeps the cost down and means our own team opens it at our site.
US Customs wants the title, or a certified copy, at the port with the car at least 72 hours before it sails, plus a lender's letter if there is a loan on it. As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping 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. The whole journey is in our guide to shipping a car from the USA.
A car under 30 pays 10% import duty and 20% import VAT on the price plus shipping. If you are moving here and qualify for Transfer of Residence, it can come in with no tax at all. The import tax calculator will run your own figures.
Lights, testing and plates
The DVLA registers left-hand drive cars without the steering being moved. The work is mostly lighting: American cars often flash red at the rear, usually have no rear fog light, and have headlights set for driving on the right. A car first used before 1 April 1980 does not need a rear fog light. See converting an American car for UK roads for each change.
We run one of only seven privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain, so a newer car 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.
Questions people ask
Were the Challenger and Charger ever sold in the UK?
Not new. Dodge did not sell either car through UK dealers, so almost every one here has been imported, usually from the USA and in left-hand drive.
Can I register a left-hand drive Challenger or Charger?
Yes. The DVLA registers left-hand drive cars without converting the steering. 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 a modern Challenger need an IVA test?
Only if it is under 10 years old, which today means built after October 2016. Older cars take an MOT. Send us the VIN and we will check which applies.
How much tax will I pay on a Dodge 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. Transfer of Residence can make it nil if you are moving here and qualify.
Can I import the electric Charger?
Yes, though the battery means it ships under dangerous goods rules and the US charging socket is not the one UK chargers use. Read our electric car guide and ask us before you buy.
Found your Challenger or Charger? Send us the details on the quote form and we will price it from the US address to UK plates.
