Import from the USA
How much does a car from the USA really cost: the full budget from auction to registration
The Copart or IAAI price is the number most US-import conversations start from — and that’s exactly why so many people blow their budget. The winning bid is only the first of more than ten items. Below we lay out the whole bill for an 8,000 USD car: auction fees, transport, taxes, repair and registration. The result: about 75,000 zł, roughly 2.5 times the auction price.
Why the auction price is only about 40% of the budget
Polish taxes are charged on the customs value — the car’s price plus fees and transport to the first EU port. Duty, excise and VAT stack up: excise is charged on the value including duty, and VAT on the value including duty and excise. So every dollar of fees or freight gets “taxed” on top. Then come the costs the listing doesn’t show at all: repair, modifications and paperwork.
The cost layers — in order
- Winning bid — the auction amount, in USD.
- Auction fees — a buyer fee that rises with the price, an online bidding fee, a gate fee and an environmental fee. According to a CarProxy overview (2024), the Copart gate fee was 79 USD and the environmental fee 10 USD; check the current fee schedule before you bid.
- Towing to a US port — depends on the distance from the yard to the loading port.
- Ocean freight — cheapest in a shared container; one carrier quotes “from 700 USD” to Gdynia (excluding unloading and clearance), with a 20–25 day voyage from New Jersey.
- 10% duty on the customs value.
- Excise of 3.1% (up to 2000 cc) or 18.6% (above) on customs value plus duty.
- 23% VAT on customs value, duty and excise.
- Port and customs agent, container unloading, delivery home.
- Repair — usually the biggest unknown for a damaged car.
- Modifications and registration — lighting, inspection, sworn translations, office fees.
Example: an 8,000 USD car
Assumptions: 3.70 zł/USD (use the current customs rate on the clearance date), engine over 2000 cc, clearance in Poland, private buyer. Items marked as assumptions or estimates depend on the specific car and are illustrative only.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Winning bid (8,000 USD) | 29,600 zł |
| Auction fees (assumed ~900 USD) | 3,330 zł |
| Towing to a US port (assumed 400 USD) | 1,480 zł |
| Container freight to Gdynia (assumed 800 USD) | 2,960 zł |
| Customs value (CIF) | 37,370 zł |
| Duty 10% | 3,737 zł |
| Excise 18.6% (engine > 2000 cc) | 7,646 zł |
| VAT 23% | 11,213 zł |
| Port: unloading and customs agent (estimate) | 1,800 zł |
| Delivery from port to home (estimate) | 1,200 zł |
| Repair (estimate) | 10,000 zł |
| Lighting modifications (estimate) | 1,500 zł |
| Inspection, translations, registration (estimate) | 800 zł |
| Total | 75,266 zł |
Taxes alone come to 22,596 zł here — more than three quarters of the auction price. Clearing in Germany can reduce part of this; we compare the routes in Bremerhaven or Poland.
Costs people most often forget
- Late and storage fees — per CarProxy, Copart charged 50 USD for not paying within 3 business days, and after 8 days the car could be relisted with a fee of 10% of the price (min. 600 USD). Plus daily yard storage.
- Exchange rate — the customs rate on the clearance date counts, not the rate on the auction day. A few grosze on 10,000 USD is hundreds of złoty.
- Cargo insurance — not always included in the freight price.
- Hidden damage — especially after flooding; see flood-damaged cars from the USA.
- The title — a Parts only or Junk title may not pass registration at all: what a US car title means.
How not to blow the budget
Before you bid, work out your maximum bid backwards — from the car’s value in Poland after repair. We show it step by step in how to calculate your maximum Copart bid. The taxes for any amount are in the USA import calculator, and the paperwork once the car lands is covered in registering a US car in Poland.
Financing a US car? Compare a loan and a lease: Finumero →
This material is informational and is not tax advice. The example is simplified; auction fees, freight and repair costs depend on the specific car and offers. Tax rates as of 2026.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How much does it cost to import a car from the USA to Poland? Usually 2–2.5 times the winning bid. In the example, an 8,000 USD car (29,600 zł) with an engine over 2000 cc costs about 75,000 zł once auction fees, transport, duty, excise, VAT, repair and registration are added.
What are taxes on a US car based on? On the customs value: the car’s price plus fees and transport to the first EU port. 10% duty is charged on the customs value, excise on the value including duty, and 23% VAT on the value including duty and excise.
What fees does Copart charge buyers? A buyer fee depending on price, an online bidding fee, a gate fee and an environmental fee, and if you’re late, late and storage fees. In a 2024 overview the gate fee was 79 USD; check the current schedule before bidding.
How much does shipping a car from the USA to Poland cost? It depends on the yard’s distance from the US port and the freight type. Carriers quote shared-container rates to Gdynia from about 700 USD, excluding unloading and clearance; US towing and European port costs are extra.