What about models built in two countries at once?

That is a common case, and it is exactly where the VIN becomes essential. Two Sprinter cars from the same model year can carry different rates, 0% and 10%, because they came off lines on different continents.

Can I check a car before the auction ends?

Yes, and that is the point of doing it. Enter the VIN from the lot while bidding is still open, read the assembly plant, and you know whether to count on 0% or 10% before you set the highest figure you are willing to go to.

Does a Sprinter get zero duty?

It depends on the car. The preference covers cars finally assembled in the States, and the Sprinter is also produced outside the USA. Type in the VIN and we read the country and city of the assembly plant, so you see whether this car meets the 0% condition.

Is a VIN prefix enough to establish the rate?

No. The first three characters point to the manufacturer and the country, but one prefix can cover several plants. The rate needs the country of final assembly tied to the full number, and that is exactly the reading you get after entering a VIN.

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter from the Charleston plant and 0% duty

Q: Where is the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter assembled?

We read plants from the production data of cars that have passed through our database, so the list shows the real origin of individual cars rather than a manufacturer's plan. One model can have plants on two continents, which is why the country is checked for a specific VIN.

EU–US Agreement on Reciprocal Trade has applied since 2026-07-01 and cuts duty to 0% for cars finally assembled in the States. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter meets that condition only in the cars genuinely built at an American plant; the rest clear at 10%. Verification runs on the VIN, not on the version name.

Where is the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter assembled?

Production of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is often spread across continents, which is why the question of where it is built has several answers at once. For duty, only the country of the plant your car came off matters: the States mean 0%, any other country 10%. Model history and target market change nothing.

Plant	Country	VIN prefix	Cars in our database	Duty
Dusseldorf	Germany	WD3, WD4, WDA, WDZ	2,195	10%
Charleston	United States	W1W, W1X, W1Y, W1Z, WD3, WD4, WDZ	1,603	0% duty
Düsseldorf	Germany	W1W, W1X, W1Y, W1Z	152	10%
Buenos Aires	Argentina	8BN, 8BR, 8BT	64	10%
Ludwigsfelde	Germany	W1X, WDA	21	10%

Made in USA • Tax 0%

How do you check a specific car?

Enter the VIN and compare the result: if you see the Charleston plant, that Sprinter came off an American line and qualifies for the 0% rate. Another plant means 10%, with no exceptions for version, equipment or model year. The check is free and needs no account.

How much will you save?

Run it down both routes, because the Sprinter exists on both: a car from an American line at 0% duty, a car from a plant outside the USA at 10%. The rest of the bill is identical — excise by engine size and 23% VAT. The calculator shows both versions from the same inputs.

Work out the import cost

What the import cost is made of

Three tax lines and one variable. Duty follows the assembly country of your Sprinter: 0% for an American line, 10% for any other. Excise goes by engine size — 3.1% or 18.6%. VAT at 23% is worked out last, on customs value with duty and excise added.

Component	Rate
Duty — car assembled in the USA	0%
Duty — everything else	10%
Excise	3.1% up to 2.0 l, 18.6% above 3.5 l
VAT	23%

Rates, not amounts — the calculator works the sum out on current data.

Zero-duty paperwork — our job

You put nothing together yourself. We check the origin of the car by VIN, prepare the papers and run the clearance; if the production data points to assembly outside the USA, we declare it at 10% so the bill does not change when you come to collect.

What to watch for when buying at auction

An auction description talks about damage, not about origin, and the other way round. A Sprinter with a wrecked front can be assembled in the USA and come in at 0%, while an untouched car from the same sale comes from Mexico and pays 10%. Check both separately.

Damage	Cars in our database
Front end	574
Normal wear	250
Side	189

From the USA or from Europe?

Europe hands you a car ready to register; the States hand you a wider choice of versions and of damaged cars. On a Sprinter origin joins the list: a car assembled in the USA clears at 0%, one from outside the preference at 10%. That is the first thing to check when you compare offers.

See current listings: Mercedes-Benz Sprinter