How much is customs duty on a car in Nigeria?

Combined duty and levies have historically run at around 35%, and critically it is assessed on CIF, the cost of the vehicle plus insurance plus freight, not on the vehicle price alone. Rates and age-of-import rules move with policy, so any figure should be confirmed against the schedule current on the date you buy.

What does it cost to ship a car from the USA to Lagos?

Roll-on roll-off shipping typically runs $1,500 to $3,000. A container costs more but carries lower damage risk, which is usually the right choice for a high-value vehicle. On top of that sit inland transport to the port of departure ($300 to $900) and marine insurance ($150 to $400).

What other costs are there beyond duty and shipping?

Clearing agent and port fees at Apapa or Tin Can typically run $800 to $2,000. Last-mile delivery is $200 to $600 within Lagos metro, and $800 to $1,800 or more for Abuja, Port Harcourt and other states. Independent inspection and 360° capture adds $150 to $350.

Why is the landed cost so much higher than the US price?

Because duty is charged on CIF rather than the vehicle alone, and because freight, clearing, insurance and inland delivery all stack on top. A $50,000 vehicle commonly lands somewhere between $75,000 and $80,000 all-in. The gap is not margin. It is mostly government.

Demonstration build. Inventory is served live from the database, but every vehicle, price, and inspection note is invented example data, not a real listing.

The calculator

The number nobody tells you.

A car advertised at $50,000 in Atlanta does not arrive in Lagos costing $50,000. Duty alone is roughly 35%, and it is charged on the vehicle plus insurance plus freight, not on the sticker. Put a US price in and watch the whole stack build.

US purchase price $85,000

What the vehicle costs at auction or from a US dealer.

Customs duty and levies 35%

Historically around 35% combined. Rates and age-of-import rules move with policy, adjust this to test a scenario.

Shipping method

We default high-value vehicles to container.

Delivery city

Brand

Sets the warranty reserve.

This is an estimate, and it is honest about that. Figures use the mid-point of each range in our cost model. A real quote is fixed against the actual vehicle, the actual sailing, and the duty schedule current on the day. Once quoted, it does not move.

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Line by line

Where the money actually goes

Most of the gap between the US price and the landed price is not anyone's margin. It is government, freight, and the people who move things through a port.

Customs duty and levies: the big one

Historically about 35% combined. The detail that catches people is the base: duty is assessed on CIF: cost, insurance and freight together, so the shipping and the cover you bought are themselves taxed. On an $85,000 car that is roughly $31,000, and it is the single largest line after the vehicle.

Ocean freight: $1,500 to $4,500

Roll-on roll-off is cheaper and perfectly normal for most vehicles. A container costs more and is the right answer for anything where a scratch matters, because the car is never driven or handled loose on a deck.

Clearing and port fees: $800 to $2,000

Apapa and Tin Can. This range is wide for a reason, and the relationship with a good clearing agent is what decides whether your cost lands near the bottom of it or the top. Congestion turns a predictable fee into a negotiation.

Inland transport and export prep: $300 to $900

Getting the vehicle from the auction lot or dealer to the port of departure, plus the export documentation.

Marine and transit insurance: $150 to $400

Covers the ocean leg and the last mile separately, because damage can happen at either and they are different risk profiles. This is what underwrites our delivery assurance.

Last-mile delivery: $200 to $1,800

$200 to $600 within Lagos metro. $800 to $1,800 or more for Abuja, Port Harcourt and beyond, and outside Lagos adds days as well as cost, which is why we route the transporter before the vessel docks rather than after.

Warranty reserve: $250 to $1,500

Priced per brand against real parts availability in Nigeria. A Lexus reserve and a Ferrari reserve are not remotely the same number. See the table.

What can move

Two things genuinely change between quote and delivery.

Customs policy. Duty rates and age-of-import restrictions shift with policy, sometimes at short notice. A shipment priced at purchase can face a different rate by the time it lands. If that happens between your deposit and our purchase, we tell you the new figure before we buy, and you can withdraw.

Currency. Your cost is in dollars; your income is very likely in naira. Weeks of transit sit in between. We quote and settle in dollars so that exposure is at least visible rather than buried inside a moving naira figure.

Freight, clearing, inland transport, insurance and warranty are all fixed once quoted, and we carry the variance.

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