In as much as the Nigerian economy is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, the country still lacks behind in the area of manufacturing of automobiles with include cars, SUVs, trucks e.t.c.
There are quite a number notable automobile companies in the Nigeria who are doing an outstanding job in filling the gap in the Nigerian automobile manufacturing industry but the sad truth is that most of these companies depend on parts manufactured in other countries to carry out their daily routine of “assembling cars” and other automobiles.
If you’re interested in owning a car in Nigeria for your personal or business use, there are obviously two routes you can go through and these are getting a brand new car or getting a fairly used or tokumbo car locally or internationally.
If you decide to get a car locally, then you would just need to negotiate the price of the vehicle with your dealer, pay and get your vehicle in no time but if you choose to get a vehicle (whether new or used) abroad, then you would have to pay some fees at the port to get your vehicle cleared.
This post explains the method of charging duties as stated by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and also the current cost of clearing cars and other vehicles in most Nigerian ports (Tin Can, Apapa Port), Cotonou (Seme Border) and others to deliver them to a client in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Customs Service formerly charged for clearing vehicles according to the year of manufacture but as of the time of writing this article they now charge according to the cost of the car not the year of manufacture.
For Used Cars, the Nigerian Customs Service charges 35% of whatever the vehicle costs as Duty and an additional payment for Tax (Surcharge, ETLS and VAT) while for New Cars that are being imported to the country, the NCS charges 35% of whatever the vehicle costs as Duty and an additional levy of 35% making it 70% of the cost of the vehicle.
Another thing to note is that asides the amount paid for customs duty on any vehicle, you will still have to pay some othe fees which include:
- Shipping Charges: Money paid to the shipping company that transported the vehicle down to Nigeria from wherever you purchased it,
- Terminal/Port Charges
- Clearing Charges
- Agent Fees
With the knowledge how cars and other automobiles are imported into Nigeria and how the charges are calculated at various seaports and borders, let take a look at the latest prices or cost of clearing cars in Nigeria 2024.
Latest Cost of Clearing Cars in Nigeria Today (Updated)
The cost of clearing cars at the ports depends on many factors and some of these factors include current exchange rate from Dollar to Naira, current state of the economy amongst others.
Below is a list of the estimated cost of clearing some popular cars at various Nigerian ports. Please note that these prices may vary depending on your agent.
Cost Of Clearing Toyota Cars In Nigeria
- Toyota Tacoma 2002 – #450,000
- Toyota Matrix 2005 – ₦450,000
- Toyota Tundra 2005 – ₦500,000
- Toyota Tundra 2006 – ₦650,000
- Toyota Sienna 2006 – ₦600,000
- Toyota Rav4 2008 – ₦650,000
- Toyota Rav4 2004 – ₦420,000
- Toyota 4Runner 2006 – ₦600,000
- Toyota 4Runner 2011 – ₦950,000
- Toyota Corolla 2005 – ₦450,000
- Toyota Corolla 2006 – ₦550,000
- Toyota Corolla 2010 – ₦950,000
- Toyota Corolla 2007 – ₦600,000
- Toyota Corolla 2011 – ₦1,000,000
- Toyota Corolla 2013 – ₦1,250,000
- Toyota Venza 2013 – ₦1,400,000
- Toyota Highlander 2005 – ₦500,000
- Toyota Highlander 2008 – ₦700,000
- Toyota Highlander 2015 – ₦1,650,000
- Toyota Camry LE 2002 – ₦450,000
- Toyota Camry 2007 – ₦600,000
- Toyota Camry 2008 – ₦650,000
- Toyota Camry 2009 – ₦750,000
- Toyota Camry 2011 – ₦950,000
- Toyota Camry 2013 – ₦1,350,000
- Toyota Camry 2015 – ₦1,500,000
- Toyota Camry 2016 – ₦1,800,000
- Toyota Yaris Verso 2000 – ₦200,000
Cost Of Clearing Ford Cars In Nigeria
- Ford Edge 2007 – ₦550,000
- Ford Edge 2011 – ₦900,000
Cost Of Clearing Nissan Cars In Nigeria
- Nissan Pathfinder 2001 – ₦400,000
- Nissan Pathfinder 2005 – ₦500,000
- Nissan Primera 2003 – ₦420,000
- Nissan Altima 2015 – ₦2,500,000
Cost of Clearing Mercedes Benz Cars In Nigeria
- Mercerdes-Benz E-Class 2000-2005 – ₦550,000
- Mercerdes-Benz E-Class 2006 – ₦600,000
- Mercerdes-Benz E-Class 2007/2008 – ₦750,000
- Mercerdes-Benz C280 4Matic 2006 – ₦550,000
- Mercerdes-Benz C300 4Matic 2009 – ₦850,000
- Mercerdes-Benz ML350 4Matic 2007 – ₦700,000
- Mercerdes-Benz ML350 2012 – ₦1,515,000
Cost of Clearing Lexus Cars In Nigeria
- Lexus RX 330 2004 – ₦470,000
- Lexus RX 350 2007 – ₦700,000
- Lexus RX 350 2008 – ₦700,000
- Lexus RX 350 2009 – ₦980,000
- Lexus RX 350 2010 – ₦1,000,000
- Lexus ES 350 2009 – ₦950,000
- Lexus ES 350 2010 – ₦980,000
- Lexus GX 350 2010 – ₦1,100,000
Volvo
- Volvo XC90 2004 – ₦500,000
- Volvo XC90 2008 – ₦650,000
Honda
- Honda Accord 2007 – ₦600,000
- Honda Odyssey –
Hyundai
- Hyundai Elantra 2009 – ₦650,000
- Hyundai Elantra 2011 – ₦950,000
Acura
- Acura MDX 2007 – ₦700,000
- Acura MDX 2008 – ₦850,000
- Acura MDX 2009 – ₦980,000
Volkswagen
- Volkswagen CC 2011 – ₦1.2 Million
- Volkswagen Passat 2003 – ₦380,000
- Volkswagen Buses – ₦350,000
- Volkswagen Golf 2003 – ₦380,000
- Volkswagen Golf 2004 – ₦380,000
- Volkswagen Golf 2005 – ₦380,000
Mazda
- Mazda Salvage 2015 3 SV – ₦2Million
- Mazda 6 2004 – ₦450,000 – ₦500,000
Infiniti
- Infiniti FX35 2005 – ₦450,000
- Infiniti FX35 2006 – ₦500,000
- Infiniti G35 2007 – ₦600,000
- Infiniti G35 2008 – ₦700,000
- Infiniti JX35 2013 – ₦1,950,000
Land Rover
- Land Rover Range Rover 2003 – ₦950,000
- Land Rover Range Rover 2004 – ₦950,000
- Land Rover Range Rover 2005 – ₦1,150,000
- Land Rover Range Rover 2007 – ₦1,600,000
- Land Rover Range Rover Sport 2006 – ₦1,400,000
- Land Rover Range Rover Sport 2015 – ₦6,000,000
- Land Rover Range Rover Sport 2017 – ₦18,000,000
Others
- Kia Sorento 2004 – ₦430,000
- Chevy Cobalt 2008 – ₦650,000
- Kia Optima 2012 – ₦1,190,000
Where To Clear/Verify Vehicles In Nigeria?
In order not to have your vehicle tagged “smuggled vehicle” by law enforcement agents in Nigeria, you need to follow the appropriate procedure for clearing and verifying the status of your vehicle as stated by the Nigerian Government.
If your car is coming from Nigerian seaports which include Tin Can port, Apapa port and others, then you’ll need to pay the customs duty alongside other fees and clear your car at the port while if your car is coming from Cotonou (Benin Republic) then you’ll need to clear your car and pay other fees at the Seme border before bringing the car (or vehicle) into the country.
Verification of car status can be done at any of the four zonal centres of the Nigerian Customs Service. These zonal centres include:
- Zone A Headquarters, No. 1 Harvey Road, Yaba, Lagos;
- Zone B Headquarters, Kabala Doki, Kaduna;
- Zone C Headquarters, Nigeria Ports Authority, Port Harcourt and;
- Zone D Headquarters, Yelwa Tudu Road, Bauchi State.
Another easy way you can verify your car status in Nigeria is to call or send an SMS to 94621597, 094621598 or 094621599. Anyway you choose to contact them, make sure you include the C-number, the year you paid your custom duty fees and the port or location through which your car was brought into the country in your message or when calling them.
Clearing your car by yourself can be very stressful most times so if you can employ the services of a clearing and forwarding agent, please do so. You also have to be very careful and watchful because most fraudsters these days pose as car dealers or customs agents with the aim of defrauding you of your hard earned money in the name of clearing your vehicle(s).
To be on the safer side when attempting to clear your vehicle(s), we mostly advise going to the nearest Zonal centre to check out the latest method of importing and clearing cars in the country. This will also help you checkmate most fraudsters posing as clearing agents.
Got any questions for us on this topic? Please leave them in the comment section below and we’ll try our best to provide answers to them in no time.
