SERVICE
Car transport to Europe, one exceptional car at a time
SKORTA arranges car transport to Europe the way an exceptional car deserves to travel: on its own, as a single dedicated movement, with one crew from your door in Britain to the address on the Continent. No shared transporter, no depot handling, no changing hands at the port — the two people who load the car are the two who unload it.
Whether it is bound for a house above the Riviera, a paddock in Germany or a sale in Italy, the principle holds. One car, one crew, door to door, with a signed photographic condition report at both ends.
One crew the whole way — no hand-offs at the port
Most cross-Channel car transport is a relay. The car is collected onto a multi-car transporter, taken to a depot, re-loaded, driven to a port, left on a deck, and met on the far side by a driver who has never spoken to you. Every one of those hand-overs is a moment where a low front lip can be dragged, a wheel kerbed, or a car simply parked in a yard for longer than anyone intended.
SKORTA removes the relay entirely. Your car is loaded once, and it stays exactly where it is put until it reaches the destination address. The same crew drives it to the coast, crosses with it, and continues on the Continent — no sub-contractor waiting in Calais, no unaccompanied trailer, no third party you have not met. On a European leg, where the distances are longer and the opportunities to mishandle a car multiply, that single continuous chain of custody is the whole point.
The car is held the way it should be: soft straps over the tyres, never a ratchet across the bodywork. It is secured at your door and released at theirs, and nothing in between requires it to be touched.
The crossing itself, and what happens at the border
The Channel is the one stretch of a European move that cannot be driven, and it is where a lesser arrangement tends to fall apart. Because SKORTA runs the whole job as one accompanied movement, the crew crosses with the car — it is never left alone on an open ferry deck or in a marshalling lane waiting for a driver to reappear. On an enclosed job the trailer stays sealed throughout the crossing, so the car is not on view at any point of the journey, and neither is the fact that it is travelling at all.
Every international road movement of a vehicle travels under a CMR consignment note — the standard document set out by the 1956 CMR Convention that governs cross-border carriage of goods by road. It records the sender, the carrier, the vehicle and the consignee, and is signed at collection and again at delivery. It is not paperwork for its own sake; it is the legal spine of the movement and the record of who held the car and when.
Post-Brexit paperwork, explained plainly
Since Great Britain left the EU customs union, a car crossing to the Continent is a customs event, not simply a long drive. What that means for you depends almost entirely on one question: is the car coming back?
If the car is going out and returning — a concours, a track weekend, time at a second home — it can usually travel under temporary arrangements such as Returning Goods Relief or, where appropriate, an ATA Carnet or Temporary Admission, so that import duty and VAT are not triggered, provided the paperwork is correct and the car comes home in the same condition it left. If the car is changing country for good — a sale, a purchase abroad, a relocation — the destination country treats it as an import, with import VAT, possibly duty, and re-registration to follow. That is a defined process with its own timeline, and it is worth understanding before anything is booked.
SKORTA's crew carries and completes the CMR note and is fluent in what a cross-Channel movement of a single car requires. Formal customs clearance and any VAT or duty on a permanent import is a distinct, regulated step that [CUSTOMS CLEARANCE ARRANGEMENT TO CONFIRM] — and we will tell you plainly, before you commit, which category your move falls into rather than leaving you to discover it at the border. For the detail, see our guide to taking a car from the UK to Europe after Brexit.
Enclosed or open — choosing for a European leg
SKORTA runs two trailers: a fully enclosed unit (sealed, weatherproof and out of sight, in the Brian James RT7 idiom) and an open aluminium tilt-bed. For a domestic hop with a robust car, open is a sensible, lighter and more affordable choice. For a European movement, the balance usually tips the other way.
A continental run means long motorway miles, and long motorway miles mean stone chips, road film, weather and a phone camera at every service stop. An enclosed trailer keeps all of it off a car that may be worth considerably more than the vehicle towing it — and it keeps the car private, which for many owners matters as much as keeping it clean. That is why most European movements of a supercar, a classic or a concours car travel enclosed, and only shorter or hardier jobs go open.
Whichever deck the car rides on, the restraint is the same: soft straps over the wheels, taking the load through the tyres and suspension rather than anything painted, polished or original.
Where in Europe we go
Door to door means exactly that — from any UK address to any European address, not to a regional depot you then have to drive to. Regular destinations include France (Paris, Le Mans and the Côte d'Azur), Monaco, and Italy (Milan, Maranello and Lake Como), along with Germany (the Nürburgring, Munich, Stuttgart), Spain (Marbella, Barcelona), Switzerland (Geneva, St. Moritz) and the Benelux countries.
Beyond the headline cities, the collection and delivery points are the ones that actually matter to you: the villa gate, the restorer's workshop, the storage facility, the auction house, the paddock. If the address exists, we go to it. Destinations further afield than our regular runs are arranged on request — tell us the car and the two doors, and we will tell you honestly whether and how it can be done.
A signed, photographed record at both doors
Before the car moves, every panel, wheel, shut-line and existing mark is photographed and the condition report is signed at collection. At delivery, the car is checked against that same record and the report is countersigned. On a European move — more miles, a border and a sea crossing between the two signatures — that documented before-and-after matters more, not less. It is the difference between a car that arrives as it left and a car about which nobody can say for certain.
Discretion runs alongside the record. On an enclosed job the car is not on view, its whereabouts are not published, and routes and timings are not discussed beyond the crew who need them. The movement is covered by [GOODS-IN-TRANSIT COVER TO CONFIRM], and the figure — like every other detail — is confirmed to you in writing before the car is collected rather than assumed.
What car transport to Europe costs
There is no fixed tariff for a European movement, because no two are the same. The price turns on the road distance, the two precise addresses, the trailer you choose, the date and the season, and whether the job is one way or a there-and-back. A sealed enclosed run to the South of France in event season is a different figure from an open run to Calais in winter, and any honest quote reflects that.
You can get a sense of the number in seconds. The on-site calculator estimates a dedicated, single-car movement from your collection city to your delivery city, the crossing included, so you are not left guessing before you make an enquiry. Treat the figure as indicative — a fixed, written quotation is confirmed by the crew before collection, once the exact doors and date are known. For how the pricing is built up, see our note on the cost to transport a car to Europe, then get an indicative estimate for your own route.
Do you take the car across the Channel yourselves, or hand it to another firm?
The same crew takes the car across and delivers it — there is no sub-contracting and no hand-off at the port. It is one continuous movement from your UK door to the European address.
Which European countries do you cover?
France, Monaco, Italy, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, the Benelux countries and beyond — delivered to the actual address rather than a regional depot. Destinations further afield are arranged on request.
What paperwork is needed to move a car to Europe after Brexit?
A CMR consignment note travels with the car on every crossing. Whether import duty or VAT applies depends on whether the move is temporary or permanent, and we tell you which category yours falls into before anything is booked.
Should I choose enclosed or open transport for a European trip?
Most European movements of a supercar, classic or prestige car go enclosed, for protection from stone chips and weather over long motorway miles and for privacy. Open suits robust cars on shorter or domestic legs.
How much does car transport to Europe cost?
It depends on distance, the two exact addresses, the trailer, the date and season, and whether it is one way or return. You can get an indicative estimate on the on-site calculator; a fixed written quotation is confirmed by the crew before collection.
Is the car insured while it is in transit?
The movement is covered by [GOODS-IN-TRANSIT COVER TO CONFIRM], and the cover is confirmed to you in writing before the car is collected. As SKORTA is new, every figure on the page is set out in writing before any car moves.