Import Cost Calculator
Estimate the all-in cost of your car from Korea to your port — full transparency.
Calculation details
Estimated cost
- Car price
- $15,000
- Korea export & paperwork fees
- $450
- Sea freight (3-4 weeks)
- $1,200
- Service commission (5%, min $500)
- $750
- Total to arrival port
- $17,400
Indicative figures for budgeting (shared container). Excludes destination customs & taxes. These are NOT confirmed prices — message us on WhatsApp for real-time pricing.
Indicative rates — updated 2026-07
What it costs to import a car from Korea to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf
The calculator above estimates what your car costs from Korea to the arrival port — Dammam, Jeddah, Jebel Ali or another port — in US dollars. For example, a $10,000 car comes to about $12,150 at the port of Dammam and about $12,350 at Jeddah, before Saudi customs and taxes. The total is the sum of four lines:
- 1
Car price in Korea
The auction or seller price of the car in Korea, in USD. Korean sites such as Encar list prices in Korean won, so convert to dollars first — or send us the car's link and we check its price and condition.
- 2
Korea export & paperwork fees
$450A flat $450 covering de-registration in Korea, export plates, inland transport to the loading port and port handling.
- 3
Ocean freight
$1,200–$2,300Set by the arrival region: $1,200 to the Arabian Gulf (including Dammam) and $1,400 to the Red Sea (including Jeddah) — see the table below. Rates are indicative for a sedan-size car by RoRo or shared container; larger vehicles such as SUVs and vans pay more because freight is charged by volume.
- 4
Service commission
5% (min $500)5% of the car price with a $500 minimum — our fee for buying the car on your behalf and handling the export and shipping.
Total = car price + export fees + ocean freight + service commission — the cost of the car up to the arrival port, before customs and local charges in your country.
Ocean freight by arrival region
| Arrival region | Indicative freight | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Arabian Gulf (Jebel Ali, Dammam, Sohar) | $1,200 | 3–4 weeks |
| Red Sea (Jeddah, Aqaba, Suez) | $1,400 | 4–5 weeks |
| East Africa (Mombasa, Dar es Salaam) | $1,600 | 4–5 weeks |
| West Africa (Lagos, Tema, Dakar) | $1,950 | 5–6 weeks |
| Latin America | $2,300 | 5–6 weeks |
Indicative rates for a sedan-size car — updated 2026-07.
What the calculator does not include
The calculator stops at the arrival port. After that come costs set by your country, which is why we don't put fixed figures on them:
Customs duty
Set by the destination country's customs; it varies by country and by car, and can change.
VAT and other taxes
Any taxes due are assessed in the destination country under the rules in force at clearance.
Port and clearance charges on arrival
Port handling and your customs broker's fee, plus storage (demurrage) if clearance is delayed.
Local inspection and registration
Technical inspection, plates and registration after clearance, following each country's procedure.
Marine insurance (optional)
Not included in the calculator; we can add it to your quote on request.
These lines depend on the destination country and on the car itself, and the rules change — so rather than show percentages that may be out of date, we confirm the current requirements for your specific car before purchase. Your customs broker in Jeddah, Dammam or your own port clears the car with the documents we prepare and can give you the exact amount.
Worked examples: importing a car from Korea to Saudi Arabia
Three examples calculated with the same formula as the calculator — to Dammam on the Arabian Gulf and to Jeddah on the Red Sea:
| Cost line | $10,000Dammam · Arabian Gulf | $20,000Dammam · Arabian Gulf | $20,000Jeddah · Red Sea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car price | $10,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| Export fees | $450 | $450 | $450 |
| Ocean freight | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,400 |
| Service commission | $500 | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Region transit (est.) | 3–4 weeks | 3–4 weeks | 4–5 weeks |
| Total to port | $12,150 | $22,650 | $22,850 |
Indicative figures for budgeting, using our freight rates updated 2026-07; destination customs and taxes are not included. Before you pay, you receive in writing the final price for your car landed at your arrival port.
In the calculator's total to port, the only difference between Dammam and Jeddah for the same car is the ocean freight ($200). Port and clearance charges after arrival are paid in Saudi Arabia and are not part of this comparison.
How to get an exact quote to your port
- 1Choose a car in our live auction — or find one on Encar, K Car or KB Chachacha and send us the link.
- 2Message us on WhatsApp with the car's link and your arrival port: Dammam, Jeddah or any other port.
- 3Before you pay anything, we send you in writing the inspection report, full photos and the final price landed at your arrival port (before your country's customs and taxes); then a deposit on agreement and the balance before shipping, by bank transfer to the company account.
Related reading
Import cost questions
How much does it cost to import a car from Korea to Saudi Arabia?
A $10,000 car costs about $12,150 to the port of Dammam ($450 export fees + $1,200 ocean freight + $500 commission) and about $12,350 to Jeddah, where freight is $1,400. These figures are for a sedan-size car and come before Saudi customs, taxes and port charges; enter your car's price in the calculator above for an instant estimate.
Is the calculator total the final price?
No. It is a budgeting estimate up to the arrival port — car price + Korean export fees ($450) + ocean freight + service commission — built on our current rates (updated 2026-07) for a sedan-size car by RoRo or shared container. It does not include customs, taxes, port charges or registration in your country. Freight rates change, and the car's size and arrival port affect the figure, so before you pay anything we send you, in writing, the final price for the car you chose landed at your arrival port (before your country's customs and taxes).
Does the cost include customs in Saudi Arabia?
No. Customs duty and any taxes in Saudi Arabia or another Gulf country are outside the calculator, because they depend on the car and on the rules in force at the time of import, and those rules change. Before purchase we confirm the current requirements for the specific car with you; your customs broker in Jeddah or Dammam then clears it with the documents we prepare and can give you the exact amount.
How is the service commission calculated?
It is 5% of the car price with a minimum of $500: cars up to $10,000 pay $500, and above that the percentage applies — a $20,000 car pays $1,000. The commission is shown as its own line in the calculator.
Why does freight to Dammam differ from Jeddah?
Freight is priced by arrival region and the length of the voyage from Korea: Dammam is on the Arabian Gulf (about $1,200) and Jeddah on the Red Sea (about $1,400). In the calculator's total to port, that $200 is the only difference for the same car. Across all regions the calculator's freight ranges from $1,200 to $2,300. Choose the port closest to your city; larger vehicles (SUVs, vans) cost more to ship because freight is charged by volume.
What do the Korean export fees cover?
A flat $450 covering de-registration in Korea, export plates, inland transport to the port and port handling. We also prepare the export documents: the de-registration certificate, commercial invoice and bill of lading.
I found a car on Encar or another Korean site — how do I work out its cost?
Korean sites list prices in Korean won, so convert the price to US dollars, enter it in the calculator and pick your arrival region for an instant estimate — or send us the link through our find-a-car page or on WhatsApp; we check the price, availability and condition and send you a full quote to your port.