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Cross border car shopping becomes a hot trend lately thanks to the rising Canadian dollar. Reported savings range from around 10% for subcompact and compact vehicles, compact SUVs and small vans, to over 25% in the luxury vehicle segment. Most of the manufacturers honor the warranty (note there are exceptions, e.g. Honda reportedly). Some dealers even modify cars to the Canadian standards, e.g. speedometer and odometer labels, child tether anchorage, daytime running lights, French airbag labels and anti-theft immobilization devices. Some would complete the import paperwork for you. Again whether it’s worthwhile importing a car from the US is a personal decision.
If you do decide to do so, Transport Canada has a comprehensive checklist on “How to import a vehicle into Canada” covering,
- what to do before importing a vehicle,
- what to do at the border,
- what to do after the vehicle enters Canada,
- what RIV fees will be applied, and
- who to contact for vehicle import questions, including contact information for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
This list is all you need to import your dream car with a big saving. There are also independent resources such as Import a car FAQ .
There may be a few extra cost that you need to be prepared for. If the vehicle to be imported was not manufactured in North America, you have to pay duty to bring it into Canada. Normally the duty for cars is 6.2 percent of the value of the vehicle. There are also excise taxes on any imported vehicle weighing more than 2,007 kg (4,425 pounds).
Comments
9 responses so far. Leave a comment
car shopping…
My Friend Asked me to Read your Post Shopping in US | Better Value in Dollar on Saturday.Your post was Well written.Please Keep it up .I Love reading on car shopping….
Ive searched the database but Im still not sure as to the status of duty on a USA made standard cargo trailer.. the type that one pulls behind a car, 5×8 or 6×10 feet, similar to a Uhaul style trailer for moving.
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Mike S
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April 2nd, 2010 at 5:18 pm
Importing cargo trailer into Canada..
thanks!
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Do I have to pay the state tax in Indianna when I purchase a vehicle there and drive it back to Canada?
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BoB
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May 7th, 2010 at 10:57 am
You’ll always pay for local tax when pick up there. Shipping it out may exempt you form the local sales tax
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My dream car is the Porsche 911 or the new Nissan GTR. those cars are really great..”*
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I would like to ask whether the US Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO) has the same weight as the NAFTA Certificate of Origin, since we are looking for a duty refund for our Mercedes Benz sprinter van conversion–where the coach is manufactured in the USA, but the chassis/cab/engine is German-made!
If we present the MCO, will that satisfy the CBSA or do we need to ask the American RV company to fill up the official NAFTA certificate of origin?
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I would like to ask whether the United States Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO) has the same weight as the NAFTA Certificate of Origin, since we are looking for a duty refund for our Mercedes benz sprinter van conversion–where the coach is manufactured in the USA, but the chassis/cab/engine is German-made!
If we present the MCO, will that satisfy the CBSA or do we need to ask the American RV company to fill up the official NAFTA certificate of origin?
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Even if this post was a year old, the tips here remains the same except perhaps for some fees that may have adjusted due to inflation/deflation. My brother-in-law brought in his Ram from Washington and he did save some few bucks however, the legwork and paperwork might not be worth it after all. I think it’s better buy at your local dealership except of course if somebody from the US is giving you a free vehicle.
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