Kenya Vehicle Import Cost Calculator & Guide

Start with the exact vehicle

This pack is for buyers checking a vehicle before paying a seller or shipping agent. It combines an editable cost model with a Kenya-focused eligibility and document workflow. It does not issue a customs assessment or guarantee that a vehicle can be registered.

Record the exact make, model, trim, engine or powertrain, year of manufacture, year of first registration and chassis number. Ask for clear vehicle and chassis photographs, the original foreign registration record, seller invoice or auction record, shipping terms and export-country documents. Match the same identifiers across the listing, invoice, inspection record, logbook and bill of lading.

Before making a non-refundable payment, get a current written valuation and itemised estimate from a licensed clearing agent for that exact vehicle. Record what the quote includes and excludes, the quote date, currency, tax bases and any unresolved assumptions. A generic online estimate may use another trim, an old rate or a different customs valuation method.

The buying decision has four workstreams

Vehicle eligibility. Check the first-registration year against the expected arrival year, steering position, roadworthiness and the current KEBS inspection route. Confirm any claimed special-purpose or personal exception with the responsible authority before paying.

Seller and vehicle evidence. Verify the seller, ownership, exact vehicle identity, condition evidence, payment beneficiary, export readiness and cancellation or release of the foreign logbook. A listing photo is not proof of condition or ownership.

Customs value and taxes. Ask the agent how the exact vehicle will be classified and valued, which current schedule and method they used, the tax base for each item and whether any exception applies. Save the itemised estimate and later the final Customs entry.

All-in cash and timing. Add the purchase, currency conversion, freight, marine insurance, taxes, inspection, agent fees, port and storage, inland delivery, registration, repairs and a delay allowance. Mark each input with an evidence source and date.

Check eligibility before deposit

For ordinary used motor vehicles, current KRA guidance points buyers to the KEBS KS 1515 road-vehicle standard. KRA and KEBS material describes an age limit of less than eight years from the year of first registration, right-hand drive and roadworthiness inspection through a KEBS-appointed route in the export country. The precise cutoff depends on the arrival date and current rule, so confirm it with KEBS before buying. Do not use the workbook's age result as an approval.

The KEBS PVoC manual lists limited routes for defined cases such as returning residents and other special circumstances. These routes require evidence and conditions; they do not make an ordinary vehicle eligible by default. Ask KEBS for the current written requirements if you think an exception applies.

Confirm that the vehicle's make, model, trim and chassis number match its papers. Ask how the inspection certificate will be authenticated and what happens if the vehicle fails. Do not pay a non-refundable deposit until the seller, agent and inspector confirm the vehicle details and route in writing.

Research used in this guide

1. Procedures for Motor Vehicle — Kenya Revenue Authority
2. Current Retail Selling Price for Used Motor Vehicles — Kenya Revenue Authority
3. New Motor Vehicle Current Retail Selling Price, July 2025 — Kenya Revenue Authority
4. Clarification on CRSP implementation for used motor vehicles — Kenya Revenue Authority
5. KRA clarification on vehicle valuation and cargo clearance, 7 September 2026 — Kenya Revenue Authority
6. Notice to Importers of Used / Second-hand Motor Vehicles — Kenya Bureau of Standards