Who deals with customs clearance?

We do. We put together the proof of origin, prepare the customs declaration and keep contact with the agency. For a Grand Highlander that qualifies on its VIN we apply for the 0% rate, and the customs office decides on the documents.

What about models built in two countries at once?

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

Does a Grand Highlander get zero duty?

It depends on the car. The preference covers cars finally assembled in the States, and the Grand Highlander 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.

Does a Toyota Grand Highlander qualify for zero duty

Q: Where is the Toyota Grand Highlander 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.

American assembly covers 99% of the Grand Highlander cars in our database, and their numbers open with 5TD. That helps you sift listings, but the 0% rate cannot be pinned to a model — only the plant read for one specific VIN says whether the car meets the origin condition.

Where is the Toyota Grand Highlander assembled?

Grand Highlander cars off American lines carry the VIN prefixes 5TD in our database. A prefix shows the manufacturer and the country, but the 0% rate is decided by the final assembly plant read for the specific number. The table shows how many cars from each plant have passed through us.

Plant	Country	VIN prefix	Cars in our database	Duty
Princeton	United States	5TD	2,848	0% duty

UPD 01.09

No customs agency currently clears cars at the 0% duty rate due to strict guidance from EU customs authorities. We keep pressing for the correct rate to be applied and will announce any change in a separate message.

Made in USA • Tax 0%

How do you check a specific car?

The VIN settles the matter in seconds. Grand Highlander cars from plants in the USA carry the prefixes 5TD here, but we look deeper — at the final assembly plant tied to the whole number. Only that answers the question of 0% or 10%.

How much will you save?

The gap is 10% of customs value, plus a side effect: 23% VAT is charged on the value with duty added, so a zero rate also lowers the tax base. On a Grand Highlander assembled outside the USA neither effect fires. Work the result out in the calculator — the rates are fixed, the customs value is not.

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 Grand Highlander: 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

Our customs agency handles the formalities. We gather the assembly data for the Toyota Grand Highlander, prepare the declaration and see the clearance through. The rate finally granted is the customs office's decision, taken on the documents submitted.

What to watch for when buying at auction

Cars end up at sales in the States mostly after damage, so the condition report matters more than the odometer. Check whether the damage touches structural parts or only panels, and price the repair before you bid. The duty rate ignores condition — a damaged Grand Highlander clears exactly like an intact one.

Damage	Cars in our database
Front end	1,422
Side	518
Rear end	397

From the USA or from Europe?

You go to the States for choice and for versions never sold in Europe. On that side of the bill you add transport, clearance and post-damage repair; pulling the other way is 0% duty on Grand Highlander cars from American lines. Decide after the VIN check, not before it.

See current listings: Toyota Grand Highlander