Japan has the largest export market of used cars anywhere in the world, with more than 80 online auctions and over 150,000 vehicles every week. Japan is the most popular source of grey import cars in the UK and many independent dealers now specialise in this area.

Buying Japanese imports can often have the following advantages:

  • Built to a higher specification than the UK version
  • Not available in the UK at all
  • Only available in the UK via a long waiting list
  • Cheaper than the UK equivalent

Although it is somewhat of a generalization, it is accepted that Japanese people treat their possessions with more care than other cultures and this extends to cars, often sticking to the service schedules and driving fewer miles as public transport is of a very high standard.

The Japanese equivalent of the MOT test is called a shaken (or JCI). This is carried out 3 years from first registration and then every two years.

It’s not that the shaken is necessarily stricter than an MOT, however the older the car is, the more expensive it gets. The 5 year test generally costs around 100,000 to 150,000 yen (approx. £500 – £1000). People often sell their cars before the test to save money and spend it on a new one even if it has been well cared for. Cars over 13 years are also subject to an automobile tax and weight tax. The automobile tax is about 15%, and the weight tax is about 30% higher, this goes up again after 18 years. These prohibitively high costs provide a ready market for imports of cars up to 20 years old into the UK.

Our agents cover the biggest and best Japanese car auctions, translate Japanese auction sheets and can inspect each car to ensure quality.

Things happen very quickly in Japan with many thousands of cars auctioned every day in different locations. You can get amazing deals on great cars every day but it’s necessary to be ready and waiting for the right one. We are set up to work on short timeframes and are ready to act when the perfect car you’ve been waiting for comes up.

Our partner in Japan covers several big auctions where cars can be inspected in person and a collection of high resolution photographs and videos can be sent to us for review. We can also request photographs and visual inspections from auction houses across Japan.

All of our cars come with a full history report with mileage certification from BIMTA/AA, you can find out more by visiting https://bimta.co.uk/