Ninety percent of used vehicles bought and sold in the Nigerian market are imported. This represents between 200,000 thousand and half a million imported vehicles a year, depending on estimates. However, this reliance on imported used vehicles has come under threat lately. The Nigerian government has recently worked to protect the domestic car industry in Nigeria by introducing levies on used car imports from June 2015 onwards. The market, however, has endured a bad spell as the government set out to protect its domestic car industry and introduced levies on used car imports starting June 2015.
If you’re interested in buying a used car in Nigeria, you will be happy to learn that there are better options than to just go to your local dealer. In fact, you can buy your imported vehicle directly from the United States. How? By buying from online auto auctions through a third-party proxy company like Auto Auction Mall. This will let you get your hands on a cheap US vehicle from the comfort of your home.
Auto Auction Mall
Through Auto Auction Mall, you’ll have access to hundreds of thousands of vehicles. You will need to set up and account, and then it’s just a matter of browsing, examining all the details and choose the vehicle you want. With help from Auto Auction Mall’s expert customer support, you will be able to get the vehicle of your dreams at a very affordable price.
Now that that is all taken care of, all you need to do is have the car delivered to you in Nigeria. This, as you probably imagine, can be a complex logistical problem and may take some time. Fortunately, the whole process can be streamlined if you work with Auto Auction Mall. Auto Auction Mall will put you in touch with brokers who can assist you in shipping the car from the auction house to Nigeria as well as in dealing with the necessary paperwork.
Generally speaking, there are two ways you can ship your car to Nigeria. Ro/Ro shipping requires your car to be able to move under its own power, since the car will be driven on to the ship and then off it when it reaches its destiantion. Container Shipping is a much safer option because the car is enclosed in a container and shielded from the elements.This option is also more expensive.
Ports
Six ports provide Ro/Ro shipping from the United States to Nigeria. These are: Galveston, Texas, Jacksonville, Florida, Savannah, Georgia, Portsmouth, Virginia, Bayonne, New Jersey and Baltimore, Maryland.
As for container shipping, you can use the following ports: Oakland and Long Beach in California, Houston, Texas, Miami, Florida, Savannah, Georgia and Newark, New Jersey.
The vessels can arrive at two ports in Lagos: Tin Can Island (Ro/Ro) and Apapa (container ships). Once the vessel arrives, import duties and other requirements are your own responsibility.
Find out More about Shipping Cars to Nigeria
Help pages for Auto Auction Mall in Nigeria
USA Car Auctions
[auctions title=”clear”]
So, How Much Does it Cost to Ship a Car to Nigeria from the USA?
The cost depends on the method of transport. Here is a table of shipping prices that we offer for port-to-port shipping.
| Coupe/Hatchback | Sedan/Wagon | SUV/Long Sedan | 40’hc Full Container Load | Transit Time | |
| Prices to Ship | $1070 | $1080 | $1150 | $3200 | 3-5 weeks |
On top of this, there may be a fee for transporting the vehicle to the port of export. As such, we advise you to find vehicles close to these ports for sale:
Ro/Ro Shipping
Galveston, Texas, Jacksonville, Florida, Savannah, Georgia, Portsmouth, Virginia, Bayonne, New Jersey and Baltimore, Maryland.
Container Shipping
Oakland and Long Beach in California, Houston, Texas, Miami, Florida, Savannah, Georgia and Newark, New Jersey.
Your shipment will take less time to transit when sent from an East-Coast port.
Vehicle Duty Rates and Taxes
When importing a vehicle into Nigeria, you will also have to pay the import duty, and a sales tax. This is, however, only based on the price you paid for the vehicle, not the shipping rates. So make sure you are only paying the percentage of your purchase price, and not including any other fees or shipping costs.
| Duty rate | Sales tax | ||
| Nigerian Rates and Taxes |
20% |
5% |
Example Costs of Buying a Car from the USA, Importing to Nigeria.
Other Factors
For local clearing, it is best to contact a customs licensed clearing agent as an individual cannot clear a vehicle by him or herself.
The charges are
– Customs duty (based on a valuation provided by customs
– Terminal Charges
– Gate fees
– Agent’s commissions
Additional miscellaneous payments may be required on cases where the vehicle cannot move in the case of RORO or for any other reason and it is important to make allowances for these to avoid delays and incurring storage charges
When you clear, ensure that your agent furnishes you with the complete documents including Payment receipt for customs charges and a copy of customs valuation sheet. With these you can confirm that the right amount was paid for duty to avoid the risk of underpaying and having your vehicle impounded and even forfeited.
Can We Help?
We have a team of sales reps on hand to help you through the process. They know the process, can recommend vehicles, and are experienced in helping customers to ship vehicles overseas, and everything involved in this. Use the ‘live chat’ feature button in the corner of this page, or view our contact pages for more info.
Why not also check out our guides to shipping cars to Nigeria to find out more about the process:
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