Quick answer: the auction price is the smallest surprise. On top of it you pay shipping and port charges, an import approval, 10% GST on the landed value, customs duty (often nil for a Japanese-built car with origin paperwork, otherwise 5%), Luxury Car Tax if the car is worth more than $80,809, then state inspection, stamp duty and registration. Most of those are fixed by law and you can calculate them yourself before you bid. The rest are quotes, and you should get them in writing.
Every import guide in Australia has a cost section. Most of them are written by someone who would like to be the one sending you the invoice, which is fair enough, but it means the article usually ends with “contact us for a quote.” We don’t import cars. So this one ends with a formula you can run on your own laptop.
What does importing a JDM car to Australia actually cost?
Split the bill into two piles. The first pile is set by legislation and is the same whoever you use. The second pile is set by the market and varies by broker, port, car and season.
| Cost | Who sets it | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Car (auction or dealer price in Japan) | Market | Hammer price plus auction and dealer fees, in yen |
| Export, inland transport, shipping, marine insurance | Market | Broker or shipper quote, usually Ro-Ro to a major port |
| Import approval (older vehicle, 25+ years) | Federal government | Application fee paid in the ROVER portal before the car ships |
| Customs duty | Law | Free under the Japan–Australia agreement (JAEPA) if the car originates in Japan and the origin claim is made; otherwise 5% for most engine sizes |
| GST | Law | 10% of customs value + freight + insurance + duty |
| Luxury Car Tax | Law | 33% of the amount over $80,809 (2026–27), on the GST-exclusive excess |
| Biosecurity inspection, cleaning, BMSB treatment | Market (rules set by government) | Quote; depends on how clean the car is and when it ships |
| Port, wharf and customs broker charges | Market | Quote |
| State inspections, stamp duty, CTP, registration | Your state | Published state fees, stamp duty on market value |
| The first round of parts | Thirty years of time | Budget for it. It is not optional |
Is there customs duty on a car imported from Japan?
Usually not, if the paperwork is right. The standard rate for a used passenger car with an engine between 1,500 and 3,000 cc is 5% (tariff line 8703.23.11 on the Australian Border Force tariff schedule). The Japan–Australia Economic Partnership Agreement removes that 5% for vehicles that originate in Japan, but only if the preference is actually claimed on the import declaration, with origin documentation behind it. DFAT’s guidance says origin can be shown by a certificate of origin or by an origin certification document completed by the exporter, producer or importer.
Two practical points. First, “made in Japan” is not automatic. A car assembled somewhere else and sold in Japan does not qualify, and no claim means the default rate is charged. Ask your broker in writing whether they are claiming JAEPA and on what document. Second, there is a separate concession in Schedule 4 of the Customs Tariff for vehicles aged 30 years or more. For an early R32 that may be the more relevant line. Your customs broker picks the right one; your job is to ask which one they used.
How is GST worked out on an imported car?
GST on an import is 10% of the “value of the taxable importation”, which is the customs value plus the cost of getting the car to Australia (freight and insurance) plus any duty. It is paid at the border, at the same time as duty.
That means GST is charged on your shipping bill too. Nobody enjoys learning this, but it is better learned here than from an invoice.
Does Luxury Car Tax apply to JDM imports?
It does once the car is valuable enough, and plenty of JDM cars now are. For 2026–27 the threshold is $80,809 for ordinary vehicles and $91,661 for fuel-efficient ones (Australian Customs Notice 2026/19; the ATO publishes the same figures). Above it, LCT is 33% of the excess, calculated on the GST-exclusive amount. The ATO’s formula is (LCT value − threshold) × 10/11 × 33%.
For a sub-$40,000 Silvia or R33 GTS-t, LCT is irrelevant. For an R34 GT-R or a good A80 Supra, it can be the single largest line on the bill after the car itself, and it is the one most often missing from back-of-envelope sums on forums.
What does the 25-year import approval involve?
Cars built 25 or more years ago come in under the “older vehicles” criterion of a concessional RAV entry approval, applied for through the department’s ROVER portal. The order of events matters: the approval also acts as your permission to import, and the Australian Border Force says not to arrange transport until it has been issued. Age is counted from the date of manufacture, not first registration, and you will need evidence of the build date and photos of the chassis number.
The catch worth knowing early: a car that has been significantly modified within the last 25 years is no longer treated as an older vehicle under this criterion. A heavily built car can be a different, slower and more expensive pathway. Find out before you fall in love with the turbo kit.
What extra costs catch people out?
Biosecurity and stink bug season
Every imported car is inspected for contamination, and a car that arrives with soil in the wheel arches or leaves in the cowl gets cleaned at your cost before it is released. On top of that, Brown Marmorated Stink Bug seasonal measures run for goods shipped between 1 September and 30 April. For 2026–27 the Department of Agriculture lists Japan as an emerging risk country (random inspections), and Ro-Ro vessels that call at target risk countries face extra vessel measures. In practice, ask your shipper what BMSB treatment or inspection they expect for your sailing date, and get the answer as a line on the quote.
State inspection and registration
Federal approval gets the car into the country. It does not make it legal to drive. Each state has its own inspections, permits and fees, and stamp duty is charged on market value unless it has already been paid in another Australian jurisdiction. Our South Australia registration guide walks through one state in detail, including the unregistered vehicle permit almost everybody forgets.
The exchange rate between bid and payment
You bid in yen and pay in dollars, often days later. Run your maximum bid at a slightly worse rate than today’s and you will not lie awake if the dollar has a bad week.
The parts you were always going to buy
A thirty-year-old car arrives with thirty-year-old rubber. Fluids, filters, belts and hoses are close to certain in year one. That is not a defect in your purchase, it is the nature of the thing. Our parts sourcing guide covers part numbers and the asbestos rule, and our sister site lists the parts most owners replace first.
How do I work out the landed cost myself?
Here is the whole calculation. Every input in bold is something you can get in writing before you commit.
- Customs value (the price you paid in Japan, converted to AUD at the rate on your invoice date)
- + Freight and insurance to the Australian port
- + Duty: nil with a valid JAEPA claim, or 5% of the customs value
- + GST: 10% of (1 + 2 + 3)
- + LCT, only if the GST-inclusive value is over $80,809: (value − 80,809) × 10/11 × 33%
- + Approval fee, port, biosecurity, customs broker and import agent charges
- + State inspection, stamp duty, CTP and registration
- + A parts and servicing allowance for the first year
A quick illustration, with made-up round numbers so you can follow the arithmetic, not a quote: a car bought for $30,000 with $3,000 of freight and insurance, Japanese origin claimed (no duty). GST is 10% of $33,000, so $3,300. The car is under the LCT threshold, so that line is zero. You are at $36,300 at the border before a single port, inspection or registration charge. If the same car had been charged the 5% default duty, add $1,500 plus the 10% GST on that duty. That is the cost of one missing document.
How is this different from asking an importer for a price?
An importer’s all-in price is useful, and a good broker earns their fee. The point of doing the sum yourself is that you can compare quotes line by line rather than bottom line by bottom line, and spot the one that left out GST on freight, assumed no LCT on a car that clearly attracts it, or did not mention which duty concession it used.
That is the job this site is built for. Today, YOU SHOULD, SHA. publishes the guides behind those checks: reading Japanese auction grades, checking odometer history and registering in your state. We don’t sell cars, hold your money or take payments. What is coming next is a place to compare cars from several Australian brokers and dealers side by side, with the same information shown the same way for each, so that you can do this comparison without a spreadsheet. You can see how that will work on How it works.
FAQ
How much does it cost to import a car from Japan to Australia?
The car price, plus shipping and insurance, plus 10% GST on the landed value, plus duty (nil for a Japanese-origin car with a JAEPA claim, otherwise usually 5%), plus Luxury Car Tax if the car is over $80,809, plus port, biosecurity and agent charges, plus state registration and stamp duty. The taxes can be calculated in advance; the rest should be quoted in writing.
Do I pay import duty on a JDM car?
Often not. A car that originates in Japan can enter duty free under JAEPA when the preference is claimed with origin documentation. Without a valid claim, the default rate (5% for most used passenger cars between 1,500 and 3,000 cc) applies.
Is GST charged on shipping costs?
Yes. GST on an import is 10% of the customs value plus freight, insurance and any duty.
What is the Luxury Car Tax threshold in 2026–27?
$80,809 for most vehicles and $91,661 for fuel-efficient vehicles, from 1 July 2026. LCT is 33% of the GST-exclusive amount above the threshold.
Can I ship the car before the import approval comes through?
No. The Australian Border Force says not to arrange transport until the approval is issued. A car that lands without one is the most expensive mistake on this route.
When is stink bug season for cars from Japan?
BMSB seasonal measures apply to goods shipped between 1 September and 30 April. For 2026–27 Japan is listed as an emerging risk country with random inspections. Ask your shipper what treatment they expect for your sailing date.
Rules, rates and thresholds change. This guide is written from published sources as at October 2026 and is not tax or customs advice; confirm your specific vehicle with a licensed customs broker, the Department of Infrastructure and your state registration authority. Sources: Australian Border Force tariff schedule (Chapter 87) and Customs Notice 2026/19; ATO luxury car tax rates and thresholds; DFAT JAEPA guidance; Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts, concessional RAV entry approvals; Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, BMSB seasonal measures 2026–27.