Importing a Car From Japan to NZ
A car at a Japanese auction looks cheap because the number you are shown is the auction price, and the auction price is not what the car costs. By the time it is registered and legal on a New Zealand road, it has collected six or seven further charges, and together they are usually larger than people expect.
On the illustrative figures below, an $8,000.00 car costs $13,540.00. The auction price is around 60 percent of the total.
The three things to remember
GST is charged on the landed value, not the purchase price. Entry certification is a pass or fail gate before registration. And the Clean Car Standard applies to you, even importing one car privately.
The cost stack
Every line below is an illustration rather than a quoted price, because auction prices, freight and exchange rates all move. The structure is what matters, since the structure does not change.
This catches people out because it is not intuitive. GST applies to the value of the goods landed here, which includes the freight and insurance that got it here, not just the price of the car. On the figures above that is $1,590.00 rather than the $1,200.00 that 15 percent of the auction price would suggest. The gap is $390.00, on a modest example.
The Clean Car Standard applies to private importers
This is the part most people do not know, and it can be the largest single surprise in the whole exercise.
Since 1 January 2023 the Clean Car Standard has applied to anyone importing a light vehicle, not only to dealers. Bringing in one car for yourself makes you an importer with a CO2 account. The scheme compares the vehicle's CO2 emissions per kilometre against a weight-adjusted target set in legislation. Below the target the vehicle earns credits. Above it, the vehicle incurs a charge.
| Where the vehicle sits | What happens |
|---|---|
| Below the weight-adjusted CO2 target | Credits are earned in your CO2 account |
| Above the target | A charge applies, calculated per gram over |
| Either way | The CO2 and weight data are recorded at entry certification |
| On the charge itself | It is not subject to GST, being in the nature of a penalty |
The per-gram charge and the CO2 target are set in legislation and have been amended more than once. Secondary sources, including import brokers and blogs, quote figures that disagree with each other and that are frequently out of date. This page deliberately does not quote a rate for that reason. Look it up on the NZTA site for the month you are importing in, and run it against the specific vehicle's CO2 figure and weight before you bid.
The practical effect is that a large, older, thirsty vehicle can carry a charge that changes the whole decision, while a small efficient one may earn credits. Two cars with the same auction price can land at very different totals, and the difference is invisible until you check.
Entry certification is a gate, not a formality
Every imported vehicle must pass entry certification, carried out by an NZTA-approved inspecting organisation, before it can be registered for road use. It checks that the vehicle meets New Zealand standards, that the odometer and identity are consistent, and that it is structurally sound.
A car that cannot be certified cannot be registered, cannot be driven, and is difficult to sell to anyone but a parts buyer or an exporter. You will already have paid the auction price, the freight and the GST. This is the single strongest argument for buying through a route that provides a genuine pre-purchase inspection and an auction grade sheet you can rely on, rather than the cheapest listing you can find.
Auction grades, and what they are worth
Japanese auction houses grade vehicles, and the grade sheet carries a map of noted damage. The grades are genuinely informative and are the main reason importing at a distance works at all. They are still a description by the seller's side of the transaction, and they do not cover everything a New Zealand certifier will look at.
Is it worth it
Sometimes clearly, sometimes clearly not, and the honest answer depends on a comparison most people skip. Price the equivalent vehicle already here, already complied, already registered, with a warrant on it. That car has had all of the costs above paid by somebody else and carries no certification risk.
It works best for a specification that is scarce here: a model never sold new in New Zealand, a trim or drivetrain that was Japan-only, or a low-kilometre example of something that is tired in the local market. For an ordinary commuter car of which there are hundreds already complied and sitting on yards, the saving is usually thin and the risk is real.
What this guide does not cover
Every figure above is an illustration built from stated assumptions rather than a current quote, because auction prices, freight, exchange rates and fees all move. The Clean Car Standard rate and CO2 target are deliberately not quoted here and should come from NZTA directly. Commercial importing, vehicles over 20 years old, left-hand drive vehicles, damaged vehicle imports and motorcycles each have their own requirements not covered here. This is general information rather than advice on a specific purchase.
Related guides and tools
- Car buying guide, for comparing an import against buying locally.
- Car running costs guide, for what the vehicle costs once it is here.
- Road user charges guide, for the distance charge on diesel and electric vehicles.
- WoF failures guide, for inspections once the vehicle is on the road.
- How GST works guide, for the tax charged on the landed value.
Test Your Knowledge
Ten questions on import costs, certification and the Clean Car Standard.
Sources: NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi on entry certification and the Clean Car Standard, which has applied to anyone importing a light vehicle, including private importers, since 1 January 2023; New Zealand Customs Service on GST and entry requirements; and Inland Revenue guidance that Clean Car Standard charges and credits are not subject to GST. The per-gram charge rate and the CO2 target are set in legislation and have been amended more than once, and secondary sources disagree about the current figures. Get the rate from NZTA directly before committing to a purchase.
Related tools and guides
- Vehicle affordability calculator: whether the landed price fits your budget.
- Vehicle running cost calculator: what the import costs once it is on the road.
- Import duty and GST reference: the GST and fees in the cost stack.