The best used cars in the world are already three thousand miles away.
Japan has the strictest roadworthiness testing, the least corrosive climate and an auction system that grades every car honestly. We have built our business around buying from it.
Started with one Skyline in a shipping container.
Motorized began in 2025 when our founder imported a single R33 for himself, spent four months untangling the paperwork and decided nobody else should have to. Today we run a branch in Sutton, south London, and employ our own inspection agent in Nagoya.
We are a small team and we sell fewer cars than we could, because we turn down anything with a suspect grading sheet. That is the whole business model. It is also why nearly half of our customers come back or send a friend.
- car in stock or on its way
- 1car in stock or on its way
- typical door-to-door
- 6–8 weekstypical door-to-door
- minimum warranty on every car
- 3 monthsminimum warranty on every car
Four reasons a Japanese car is usually the better buy
None of this is marketing. It falls out of how the Japanese market is regulated.
Inspected before we bid
Every car is graded by the auction house and then checked again by our own agent in Japan. If the underside is not clean, we walk away.
Genuinely low mileage
Japanese owners drive far less than we do, and odometer tampering is a criminal offence policed at auction. What the clock says is what the car has done.
Rust-free by climate
Japan does not salt its roads. A twenty-year-old Japanese car routinely has a cleaner chassis than a five-year-old British one.
One fixed price
Our quote includes purchase, shipping, duty, VAT, IVA, MOT, registration and plates. The number we give you is the number you pay.
What actually happens after you say yes
Roughly six to eight weeks, and you hear from us at every stage.
- 01
Tell us what you want
Give us the model, the spec and your budget. If you are not sure, describe how you will use the car and our passionate team will help you find your perfect match.
- 02
We bid at auction
We watch the Japanese auctions daily and, with your approval, bid on the car. You approve the ceiling price before we bid. We take a deposit before bidding and full payment for the vehicle once we win the auction. If we are outbid, your deposit is returned in full.
- 03
Shipping and customs
We handle export paperwork, marine insurance, shipping and UK customs clearance. You get updates at every stage and a fixed cost, direct to any port in the UK.
- 04
Registered and ready
IVA where required, MOT, DVLA registration and number plates. The car is valeted, warranted for a minimum of 3 months and delivered to your door.
Where every pound of your quote goes
We itemise all of this on your quotation before you pay a penny.
- Vehicle purchase at auction
- Paid in yen at the live exchange rate. We show you the winning bid.
- Japanese export and inland transport
- Deregistration, export certificate and transport to the port.
- Shipping and marine insurance
- Roughly £900 – £1,400 depending on port and vehicle size.
- UK duty and VAT
- 10% duty and 20% VAT on the landed value for most cars. Vehicles over 30 years old attract reduced rates.
- IVA or MOT
- IVA for newer vehicles, MOT for those over ten years old.
- DVLA registration and plates
- Including first registration fee and road tax set-up.
- Our fee
- A single fixed fee, quoted upfront and never taken as a percentage of the car.
Vehicles more than thirty years old are classed as historic and attract 5% VAT with no duty, which is why a 1995 import can land for considerably less than a 2015 one.
Everything else people ask
If yours is not here, ring us — we would rather talk it through.
Six to eight weeks from winning the auction to the car sitting on your drive is typical. Shipping is about four to five weeks of that; the rest is customs, testing and registration.
Before we bid you get the auction sheet, its translation and photographs from our agent in Japan, and you approve the car and the ceiling price. Cars already in our stock can be viewed and test driven at our Sutton branch.
Most Japanese models share parts with UK or European versions, and the rest are readily available from specialist suppliers. We can recommend independent garages near you that know these cars well.
Most mainstream insurers will cover an import, and specialist brokers often offer agreed-value policies. We can give you a quote reference and chassis details so you can compare prices before you commit.
It depends on the engine and emissions standard. Every car in our stock lists whether it is ULEZ compliant, and we will tell you before you order an import.
Yes. Send us the registration and mileage and we will give you a firm figure within one working day.
Ready to start, or just want to talk it through?
There is no obligation and no deposit at the enquiry stage. Most of our conversations start with someone who is not sure yet.