Let me preface this whole thing by saying I’m not an expert — there are people who professionally ship vehicles to Europe regularly and are probably better positioned to assist with specific questions about your shipping. But there is also a dire lack of information on this topic on the internet, so I’m trying to fill that void by providing my experience on shipping my 2019 Jeep Wrangler JL overland build to the United Kingdom.

Lola the Jeep left for the United Kingdom on 15 December 2021. We expect to collect her in the United Kingdom in early February 2022.

Shipping Basics

Shipping a vehicle may seem like a foreign concept to most of us, but remember that many cars arrived in the United States from Japan or Europe via ship, so the process of moving vehicles around the globe is well established.

Generally speaking, shipping a car falls into one of two categories: a RORO vessel or a container shipment. A RORO — which stands for “Roll On / Roll Off” is a vessel designed for cars to drive onto the ship and then drive off at the destination. The cars are parked tightly on the ship, allowing the company to maximize space. More cars = more profits. A container is just that — a shipping container that you put your car into and is then loaded on a ship. This is far more expensive because there is often dead space in the container, but it’s also less likely to result in vehicle damage. This is the route most sports cars and exotics are shipped for that reason. There is almost always a huge difference in price between these options, with RORO shipping almost always being the cheapest option.

In order to ship your car from Point A to B, you need to tackle a variety of items, like obtaining the proper documentation, cleaning the car, and getting it to the port. If you live inland, you might need to hire a car transport to send your car to the drop-off port — or be willing to drive to one of the major ports in the US.

For the purpose of this blog, I’ll describe my experience shipping my car from Washington, DC to the United Kingdom. In my case, I am dropping the car off about an hour away in Baltimore, where there is a major commercial port. Pickup is a little more challenging; I’ll be living near Leeds, UK, which is land-locked and not near any major shipping ports. The major port of entry into the UK is Southampton, so my car will ship there and will travel via overland transport to a pickup point.

One of the many vehicle shipping companies in the United States that can ship cars globally

Carriers

There are as many car shipping companies as there are shoe companies, so I’m not able to give a complete list of carriers for every specific scenario. However, I am familiar with two companies that have experience in shipping overland rigs — a Germany company called SeaBridge and a UK-based company called IVSS.

In some cases, you may need to plan on two different routes to get your vehicle in country. For instance, shipping to Iceland probably would require you to ship the vehicle to mainland Europe, then a second shipment to forward the car to Iceland.

in our case, we’re working with an intermediary company that receives our car and transports it to the port. They also help handle some of the customs paperwork, etc. The value of this is that we can drop-off the car with them at a time that is convenient, and then it’s their responsibility to get the car to the port on a day when a vessel is there. Otherwise, you may need to take your car directly to the port at a specific time that works for the ship, but maybe not your schedule.

Measuring Your Rig

Unlike shipping a box, shipping a car is not measured in weight. Instead the shippers use the term ‘measured tons’ to refer to the size of your vehicle. Generally, a car under 20 measured tons is considered standard sized, and anything above is out-of-gauge and subject to extra charges. The reason for measuring vehicles like this is pretty simple — it’s the volume of space it takes up on the ship that matters most. They can pack more small cars onto a ship than big ones — but these vessels are equipped to transport all sorts of oversized cargo too. I’ve even seen RORO ships carrying full sized earth movers and construction vehicles for export.

To calculate the measurement ton of your rig, first multiply the length x the width x the height (all in inches). Then divide that number by 1728 (this gives you the cubic feet), and then divide by 40. If that number is less than 20, you are probably standard size.

This is a general rule, so check with the shipping company you use to see if this is in fact correct for your specific shipment.

One note on measuring — the measurements are taken from the tallest / furthest / widest part of your rig. So if you have an antenna sticking up, take it off. If you can remove that roof rack or cargo box, take them down. We barely eeked in at 19.8 measured tons by stripping our Jeep down to the very bare bones, including taking the tent rack off the top.

Everything must be removed for shipment — including the license plate!

Documentation

Export and import documents required to ship a car can vary wildly by the intended destination, and it changes too often for this to be a comprehensive guide.

However, one thing is consistent — if you still have a lien on your car due to an unpaid auto loan, you will need to secure permission from your bank in order to ship the car overseas. This is for the protection of the bank… if you stopped paying on your loan overseas, it would be virtually impossible for the bank to come repossess your vehicle. Some banks may require you to have the loan paid in full before shipping the car, while others will accept shipment if your loan is in good standing (paid on time) and you have developed a history of timely payment. In some cases, you may be asked to pre-pay a few months worth of your loan, or setup auto draft from your bank for future payments. Either way, plan to get some documentation (normally a notarized letter from the bank) in order to ship the car.

You’ll also want to think about car insurance for your destination country. Again, there are tons of options based on where you will be and how long you’ll be there, so do a little searching to plan accordingly.

Preparing Your Car for Shipment

Phew! You’ve made it this far, now time load and go, right? Not quite. Depending on the shipping company, you may also have to follow different rules to prepare your vehicle for shipment. For instance, if you have a propane tank to power a stove and it can be easily removed, you may be required to do so. Likewise, you may have to remove all personal items from the vehicle if the company requires it. This varies tremendously due to different liabilities that companies are willing to accept.

In the case of our shipment, we were required to strip the car down to the bare bones. No auxiliary lights. No FM radio antenna. No personal effects of any kind (seriously, none). No morale patches. No equipment in your Goose Gear drawers. Nicht. Nada. Null. This is due to the liability of theft during shipment — but different companies may have different rules. Remember your car will pass through dozens of hands in shipment, so even if you are allowed to keep more things in the vehicle, don’t ship anything you’re not okay having stolen.

Beyond the removal of surplus equipment, you will almost certainly also be required to clean the vehicle, particularly for European destinations. US soil and grass can contain diseases that aren’t found in Europe and customs agents won’t allow a vehicle that is soiled and therefore possibly carrying those germs into the country. Plan to wash the car well (inside and out) and don’t neglect the undercarriage. Finally, washing the car allows the shipping company to detail damage like scratches that exist in the paint at drop off.

Lastly, most companies will regulate how much fuel can be in the tank when you ship the car. This is to reduce risk of fire. At drop-off our Jeep had to have 1/4 tank of gas or less. And they are a stickler for this — if there is too much, they will make you drive around until it’s at or below 1/4 tank.

Lola the Jeep at the drop-off site completing her final inspection for shipment. Notice how all accessories, including lights and the FM antenna, have been removed.

Make Friends — Disclose that RTT

Don’t plan to sneak up to the shipping company drop-off site the day of sailing and hope to sneak aboard with a rooftop tent and all sort of camping gear on your rig. Many companies will look at that tent and consider it a removable accessory and will turn you away.

In our case, we coordinated with the shipping company weeks in advance. The key was to demonstrate that the rooftop tent / roof rack was permanently installed. I repeat, coordinate in advance to demonstrate permanent installation. The term “permanent” is already loose when you consider the Jeep’s doors are designed for easy removal, but in our case we showed pictures of the mounting system and how it was drilled through the roof of the car. We also showed the wiring and demonstrated that removal of the rooftop tent was not only impractical due to the mount, but also impossible without leaving our roof looking like Swiss cheese. (If your rooftop tent is clearly easily removed, don’t try to be a jerk and claim it cannot be. These folks see lots of cars and lots of setups — they know what a easy-to-remove tent looks like.)

Disclosing the tent up front and getting permission from the company to ship the Jeep with the tent attached was critical. When I drove up to drop-off the car, they initially started to wave me off, but I calmly presented the email exchange with the corporate office and all was good. In fact, the manager of the drop-off site complimented the proactiveness and said that if I hadn’t done that, they would turn me away because they have people try to “work the system”. So lesson learned — plan to make a friend at the shipping company!

Final look at our Jeep as we left her outside the port of Baltimore, Maryland for her trip to the United Kingdom

Dropping Off Your Car

Drop-off day arrived at last and it’s time to set sail! Most drop-offs are pretty quick and easy. Depending on where you ship from, you may take your car directly to the port and drop it off on the docks. Other companies will have holding and prep sites where they collect vehicles and then transport them to the ports for shipment. Again, your specific setup will likely vary based on location and destination (a west coast car shipping to Europe will likely first take a car carrier overland to an east coast port).

The process of drop-off normally starts with a quick inspection where they verify the paperwork is done correctly, the gas tank is at 1/4 tank or less, the car is clean, and appropriate accessories removed. At that point, you’ll likely be directed to someone who will process your car for shipment, confirming destination, etc. Finally, your car will be photographed from all angles for liability should any damage occur in shipment.

After that… the waiting game starts. If you know the name of the ship your vehicle was loaded onto, you can track it using free websites. How long it takes to arrive depends on ship schedules, overland transportation requirements, clearing customs, etc. On average, expect the trip to take 2-3 weeks minimum, but it could take longer too!

Inspection by a worker at the shipping company to ensure compliance with cleanliness, fuel, and paperwork requirements

Keeping It Legal

Don’t forget to plan accordingly for the legalities of driving in Europe — licensing and insurance. Depending on the length of your stay, you may not need to get an international driver's license, but your US auto policy almost certainly won’t cover you in Europe (USAA being a possible exception, but you’d need to modify the policy to cover you in Europe). Also don’t forget to research license plate laws and if you can use your US-issued plates for your trip, or if the vehicle will need to be re-registered in Europe.

A Guide to Shipping Your Overland Jeep to Europe