The same model with similar mileage often costs noticeably less in the USA than in Poland. But the price at an American auction isn't the price of the car outside your home. We explain where the difference really comes from, how much of it goes on duty, VAT and shipping, and when importing pays off and when it doesn't.
Why prices are lower in the USA
Several things add up to lower prices:
- A huge market - well over ten million new cars are sold in the USA every year, and the used market is even bigger. High supply and competition between sellers push prices down.
- Frequent car changes - Americans often drive a car for 2-3 years on a lease and then get a new one. Plenty of young, low-mileage cars reach the market.
- Insurance auctions - at Copart and IAAI, insurers sell cars after damage, recovered after theft or damaged by hail. Repairs in the USA are expensive, so the insurer prefers to pay out and sell the car. In Poland such damage can often be repaired much more cheaply.
- Generous equipment - cars for the American market often come with features as standard that are paid extras in Europe, and with more powerful engines.
How much duty and VAT take away
Duty and VAT are calculated on the customs value, that is the car's price together with transport to a port in the EU. Duty is 10% of this value, and VAT is 21% of the customs value increased by the duty. Together that's about 33% of the customs value.
Example: with a customs value of PLN 50,000, duty is PLN 5,000, and 21% VAT on PLN 55,000 is PLN 11,550. In total PLN 16,550.
On top of that comes excise duty in Poland. Its rate depends on the engine: 3.1% up to 2000 cm³, 18.6% over 2000 cm³, for hybrids 1.55% up to 2000 cm³ and 9.3% from 2000 to 3500 cm³, while electric cars have 0%.
Costs that don't depend on the car's price
Some costs are similar whether you buy a car for 5,000 or 50,000 dollars:
- transport from the auction yard to the port,
- sea freight by container to Rotterdam,
- the customs agency,
- transport from Rotterdam to your address,
- our commission - a fixed PLN 3,600 gross.
With an expensive car, these costs are spread over a large amount and the price difference covers them. With a cheap car, they can eat up the whole saving. We list every item on the USA car import costs page.
When importing a car from the USA pays off
- Mid-range and premium cars - the more expensive the car, the smaller the share of fixed costs in its price.
- Models and versions not sold in Europe - pickups, muscle cars, more powerful engines, richer equipment.
- Cars with light damage - a bumper, a light, a wing. A lower purchase price also means lower duty and VAT, and a repair in Poland is often much cheaper than in the USA. We write more about this in the post Salvage title - what does it mean and is such a car worth buying?.
- Hybrids and electric cars - lower excise duty, or none at all, leaves more of the price difference.
When to pass on a car
A low price isn't enough if you don't know what you're buying. We advise against:
- Cars with an uncertain history - gaps in the Carfax or AutoCheck report, mileage that doesn't match earlier readings, or title changes that can't be explained. Such gaps often hide earlier damage or a wound-back odometer.
- Cars after a so-called flip from an unreliable seller - a car bought cheaply after damage, repaired quickly and superficially, and put up for sale again to make money on the difference. It looks good in photos, but the quality of the repair is unknown. That's why we check the history of every car thoroughly, including its earlier sales.
- Cars with unclear damage - the damage description doesn't match the photos, there are few photos, or they don't show the areas they should. If the damage can't be assessed, the repair cost can't be worked out reliably either.
Compare the full delivered cost, not the auction price. Add the repair and the lighting conversion to the car from the USA, and compare it with a car in Poland of the same year, with similar mileage and equipment. Only then can you see how much you really save.
The dollar exchange rate
You pay for the car, the auction fees and transport in the USA in dollars, so the exchange rate on the day of payment matters. When the dollar gets cheaper, a car from the USA costs less in zloty, and when it gets more expensive, part of the advantage disappears. It's worth taking into account when setting your maximum bid.
How to check whether a specific car pays off
The simplest way is to work it out on a specific example. Choose a car from the current auctions or send us the auction link or the VIN through the Contact page. Before the auction, we'll work out the full delivered cost for free, and if the car isn't worth buying, we'll tell you straight.
