Has anyone had any experience with importing a van into the UK? Specifically from Norway/Sweden (EU).

*let’s just ignore the fact Brexit is happening for now because none of us are any the wiser of what will happen, even if it is now only weeks away*

We currently live in Norway but there’s a possibility we would move to the UK in 5yrs or so. Typically I guess people would just sell their car in the original country and buy a new one in the new country, easy peasy.

We are going to buy a large van this winter, Fiat Ducato/Mercedeces Sprinter style, to convert into a home made camper van. As you can imagine there will a heck of a lot of work that will go into it therefore we’ll want to take it with us if we move back to the UK, especially as it could potentially be something we’ll end up living in for some time while we find a house.

It would be nice and easy to just buy a UK van, not least because it is a lot cheaper, but insurance is hassle as far as I can work out given I’m living permanently in Norway and my partner (named driver) is Swedish living in Norway. Also if you are registered as living in Norway you have to import your car into Norway after no longer than 1yr of it being here which is insanely expensive. So I figure the best thing is to buy a Norwegian/Swedish can and import it ot the UK. A quick scan of the .gov website makes it seem quite simple. A few forms, change a few minor parts, put it through a UK MOT, tax it, insure it and away you go.

Also – thoughts on eventual resale value of a left hand drive vehicle in the UK? I guess it will be worth less compared to RHD but I was thinking if it is a well built, well equipper camper it could well hold a bit more value than a typical LHD car? Maybe?

Not done it with a van, but I took my Greek registered Land Cruiser with me when I moved back to the UK and imported it. I’ve also just taken my UK Subaru to Switzerland and imported it here.

The process was pretty easy and inexpensive, DVLA website and by phone were very helpful.

From memory :

Check what you need to do (if anything) with the local authorities.
Check UK rules as to how long you must own the vehicle or you may be liable for duty
Get a European Certificate of conformity (dealer or manufacturer head office can provide this. Both Toyota and Subaru have given me this for free).
Change headlights to dip to the nearside (this may be switchable or automatic on newer models)
Change the speedo to show MPH.
If your rear fog light is off centre it will need to be moved to the offside.
Procure insurance based on the chassis number {this means a bit shopping around as not all insurers will insure LHD or on chassis number.
Get an MOT.
Complete paperwork and submit to DVLA with receipts for work.

I had Toyota do the headlights and Speedo but did the fog lights myself and had no issue.

Admin costs are minimal, the big costs are lights and speedo (the headlights for my Subaru were about £1500 each).

You shouldn’t need to convert a speedo to MPH – my Aussie-built VW camper has a KMH speedo.

Most Euro speedos only show KMH, for the UK it has to show MPH, hence importing a car from mainland Europe requires a Speedo change for the UK.

Most UK speedos show both, so taking a car from the UK to mainland Europe does not require this.