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Kenya car import duty can add thousands of pounds to your shipment, and the difference between a smart import and a costly mistake almost always comes down to one thing: understanding the numbers before you ship, not after your car lands in Mombasa.
If you’re planning to import a car to Kenya from the UK, whether by RoRo shipping or container shipping to Kenya, the sticker price of your vehicle is only half the story. Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) charges import duty, excise duty, VAT, and additional levies on every vehicle entering the country, and these charges are calculated on a benchmark value most buyers have never heard of: CRSP. Get this number wrong, or skip verifying it, and you risk landing at Mombasa port with a bill that wipes out whatever you saved on the vehicle itself.
This guide breaks down exactly how Kenya’s import duty system works in 2026, with real numbers you can use to budget accurately before you commit to shipping.
Every duty calculation starts with CRSP, the Current Retail Selling Price, a benchmark value that KRA assigns to each vehicle model. This is not the price you paid for the car. It’s an official reference value that KRA uses as the starting point for your Customs Value, which is then reduced by depreciation based on your vehicle’s age, up to 60-70% for a car that’s 7 to 8 years old.
Your final Customs Value, the depreciated CRSP figure, is what every duty and tax charge is calculated on, not your invoice price. This means two identical cars can attract different tax bills purely based on age and KRA’s current CRSP listing for that model.
Once the Customs Value is set, five separate charges stack on top of it. Here’s the breakdown that matters:
Charged at 35% of the Customs Value. This is the single largest component of your bill and the figure most buyers underestimate, since older guides and calculators online still quote outdated 25% figures.
Calculated on Customs Value plus import duty combined, and the rate depends entirely on engine size and fuel type. Expect roughly 20% for engines under 1500cc, 25% for 1500cc to 3000cc, and up to 35% for larger engines.
Charged at 16%, calculated on Customs Value plus import duty plus excise duty combined, not on Customs Value alone. This compounding effect is exactly why the total often surprises first-time importers.
Charged at 3.5% of the Customs Value, calculated directly on the initial figure rather than the compounded total.
Charged at 2% of the Customs Value, also calculated on the initial figure.
Because import duty, excise, and VAT each build on the last, a single increase in your Customs Value ripples through every subsequent calculation. IDF and RDL, by contrast, stay tied to the original Customs Value regardless of what duty and excise add on top.
Rates are set by KRA and reviewed periodically, so always confirm current figures on the official KRA motor vehicle import duty page or with a licensed clearing agent before budgeting your shipment, since even a small percentage shift changes your total significantly on higher-value vehicles.
Say your vehicle has a depreciated customs value of £8,000, with an engine between 1500cc and 3000cc. Here’s roughly how the charges compound:
By the time every layer is applied, total Kenya car import duty and tax can add up to well over half your vehicle’s Customs Value, and for larger-engine vehicles taxed at the higher excise band, it can approach or exceed the Customs Value itself. This is precisely why getting a professional to run your specific numbers before you ship, rather than relying on outdated online estimates, protects your budget.
Before duty even becomes relevant, your vehicle has to clear Kenya’s age restriction. Vehicles older than 8 years from the year of manufacture are not permitted entry. This rule is strictly enforced at the point of clearance, so confirming your vehicle’s exact manufacture date before booking shipment saves you from a shipment that can’t legally land.
Kenya also requires all imported vehicles to be right-hand drive, which works in favour of most UK-registered cars, and mandates a PVoC certificate for vehicle shipping inspection before your vehicle leaves the UK.
Getting your paperwork right isn’t just a formality, it directly affects how smoothly your assessment goes:
Missing or inconsistent documentation is one of the most common reasons duty assessments get delayed or disputed at the Kenyan port, adding storage costs while the issue is resolved. Our guide on documents required to ship a car covers the UK-side paperwork in full.
Understanding Kenya car import duty is only half the job, the other half is working with a shipping partner who gets your paperwork right the first time. If you’re ready to move forward, see our complete car shipping to Kenya service for current RoRo and container pricing, transit schedules, and a free personalised quote.
For official guidance directly from Kenya’s tax authority, you can also consult the Kenya Revenue Authority website for the most current duty rates and customs procedures.
CRSP stands for Current Retail Selling Price, a benchmark value KRA assigns to each vehicle model. It’s depreciated based on your car’s age to produce the Customs Value, which is the base figure used for every duty and tax charge on your import.
Import duty is charged at 35% of the Customs Value, with excise duty (20% to 35% depending on engine size) and 16% VAT calculated on top in sequence, plus IDF and RDL on the original value.
No. Kenya enforces an 8-year age limit from the vehicle’s year of manufacture, and vehicles outside this limit are not permitted to clear customs regardless of condition.
Yes. Excise duty ranges from around 20% for engines under 1500cc to 35% for larger engines, and since excise is calculated before VAT is applied, a bigger engine increases your total tax bill at every stage that follows.
A licensed customs clearing agent in Kenya or an experienced UK shipping partner can run your vehicle’s specific customs value and current KRA rates to give you an accurate Kenya car import duty estimate before you commit to shipping.
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