Export Cars
to Trinidad & Tobago
UK Car Export provides professional vehicle export services to Trinidad & Tobago for private buyers, trade customers and dealerships. We manage the complete process from vehicle sourcing and documentation through to international shipping and delivery support.
Request Export QuoteExporting to Trinidad & Tobago
Trinidad & Tobago is a significant Caribbean vehicle import market. Port of Spain serves as a major Caribbean transshipment hub, making it well connected for UK exports.
UK Car Source manages all aspects of the export process to Trinidad including documentation, pre-shipment inspection coordination and sea freight booking.
Import Rules
| Drive Configuration | Right-hand drive required. |
| Vehicle Age Limit | Maximum 8 years from manufacture — extended from 3 years, effective January 2026. |
| Condition | Clean, roadworthy. Pre-shipment inspection certificate may be required. |
| Customs Authority | Trinidad and Tobago Customs and Excise Division |
| Duty & VAT | Motor vehicle tax, customs duty and VAT applicable on CIF value. |
| Standards | UK-spec vehicles accepted. Catalytic converter required. |
Import regulations are subject to change. We recommend confirming current requirements with the relevant customs authority prior to shipment.
Major Ports
Shipping Options
Required Documentation
Estimated Timelines
Vehicle Sourcing & Preparation
1–3 weeks depending on specification and availability
Documentation & Export Clearance
3–7 working days
Sea Freight Transit
14–18 days sea freight
Customs Clearance at Destination
3–10 working days depending on port and documentation
Total Estimated Process
6–10 weeks from order to delivery (subject to availability and customs)
Import Tax Breakdown
| CET (CARICOM External Tariff) | 25% for most vehicles |
| Motor Vehicle Tax (MVT) — 0–1500cc | 25% |
| Motor Vehicle Tax (MVT) — 1500–2000cc | 30% |
| Motor Vehicle Tax (MVT) — 2000–3000cc | 45% |
| Motor Vehicle Tax (MVT) — over 3000cc | 100% — significantly increases cost of large-engine vehicles |
| VAT | 12.5% |
| Age Restriction | Maximum 8 years from manufacture (effective January 2026). Verify current levy structure with local customs agent at point of import. |
| Customs Authority | Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority (TTARA) |
Tax rates are indicative and subject to change. Verify with local customs authority before shipping.
Port Guide
Port of Spain (Port Authority of T&T — PATT) is the primary vehicle import terminal. Point Lisas Industrial Port is secondary. Vehicles are processed at the PATT facility on the south side of Port of Spain — a modern terminal with efficient processing. Standard clearance time is 5–10 working days.
Electronic pre-arrival processing is required via ASYCUDA World. Shipping from UK takes approximately 14–18 days sea transit via the North Atlantic route or transhipment. Both RoRo and container shipping are available — RoRo is preferred for cost efficiency.
Local Market Advice
Trinidad has strong oil wealth and one of the highest per-capita vehicle densities in the Caribbean. The prestige market is substantial — Range Rover Sport, BMW X5, Defender and Porsche Cayenne are genuine aspirational purchases, not just status symbols.
The engine displacement tax is critical to factor in — vehicles over 3000cc face 100% MVT, making large V8 and V12 vehicles extremely expensive. This pushes buyers towards V6 and 2.0T variants of prestige models. Fuel is cheaply available (subsidised). Drive on the left — RHD ideal. Black, white and silver are the most popular colours.
Most Popular Vehicles
The Motor Vehicle Tax structure shapes Trinidad's prestige market more than in most Caribbean territories. Because anything over 3000cc attracts a punitive 100% levy, buyers gravitate to the smaller-engined variant of an aspirational model rather than the flagship. The Range Rover Sport D300 diesel and P400 mild-hybrid are the most requested prestige SUVs — both stay under the 3000cc threshold while still delivering genuine luxury. Porsche Cayenne base and S models see similar demand for the same reason, with the V8 Turbo largely avoided on cost grounds.
Away from the prestige segment, the Toyota Hilux and Land Cruiser Prado dominate the trade and rural utility market, valued for parts availability and durability on Trinidad's varied road surfaces. Nissan Navara and BMW X5 (diesel) round out the mid-range. For buyers relocating to Tobago rather than mainland Trinidad, compact SUVs such as the RAV4 and X-Trail are popular given the island's narrower rural roads.
| Top Seller | Range Rover Sport D300 / P400 |
| Runner Up | Porsche Cayenne (base / S) |
| Trade & Utility | Toyota Hilux / Land Cruiser Prado |
| Budget Pick | Toyota RAV4 / Nissan X-Trail |
Common Questions
What changed with the vehicle age limit in 2026?
Trinidad and Tobago raised its maximum import age from 3 years to 8 years from manufacture, effective January 2026. This significantly widens the pool of eligible UK stock — buyers can now import well-specified nearly-new vehicles that would previously have been ineligible, often at a meaningfully lower purchase price than a 3-year-old equivalent. We recommend confirming the current limit with TTARA before committing to a purchase, as age-limit policy has changed more than once in recent years.
How much does the engine size tax actually add to the cost?
Motor Vehicle Tax scales sharply with cylinder capacity: 25% up to 1500cc, 30% up to 2000cc, 45% up to 3000cc, and 100% above 3000cc — on top of the 25% CET customs duty and 12.5% VAT. A large-engine V8 SUV can therefore cost close to double its UK value once landed. This is why we steer clients towards diesel or smaller-capacity petrol/hybrid variants of the same model wherever the specification allows — the difference in landed cost is substantial.
Can a vehicle be shipped directly to Tobago rather than Trinidad?
Almost all UK vehicle imports clear customs at Port of Spain on the island of Trinidad — Tobago has no dedicated deep-water facility for vehicle imports. Once cleared, vehicles destined for Tobago are transferred via the inter-island ferry or cargo vessel to Scarborough. We factor this additional inter-island leg into the delivery timeline for Tobago-based clients and coordinate the ferry booking as part of our logistics service.
Export a Vehicle to Trinidad & Tobago
Contact our export team today. We handle sourcing, documentation, shipping and logistics — so you don't have to.