So when you buy a UK car you can be confident the car has had its annual service so you can see it has been maintained properly and that the mileage checks prove it is genuine. For example in the UK vehicles are regularly services and their service records are regularly maintained. One the beauties of importing a car is that the information on some imports is much more extensive than the information available on local cars. UK Retail Standards vs Japanese Auction Standardsĭocumentation and Service History Records: The controls and radio will not need to be modified and so there is less to worry about and less to interfere with. People who are buying higher end cars are more inclined to want to buy from Europe because they know they cars will be ready to drive when they arrive. Of course this adds cost to you purchase. Mileage: You will be more likely to find a lower mileage car from Japan as the average UK mileage is much higher than the Japanese average mileage.Ĭontrols and Radio: Japanese cars will have Japanese controls and radio which will need attention on arrival. However, big spec differences still exist and so it is crucial that you scrutinise the auction sheet and research the specification before making a commitment to buy a car. Today, some of the higher spec cars are also available in Japan (see the BMW X5 and the Range Rover Autobiography). So cloth seats were regularly available rather than leather and key features such as sunroofs weren't a given. Specification: Previously Japanese cars would be available in lower specifications. More recently there are a number of newer makes emerging as Electric rivals to the main manufacturers. The UK today has good availability of Diesel, Petrol, Electric and Hybrid engines in all the traditional makes and models. The differences in specifications and engines are less clear.ĭiesel vs Petrol engines: Previously the UK cars were predominantly diesel engines and Japanese cars were only petrol.

Whilst many obvious differences remain such as documentation and the car's controls. The traditional differences between the Japanese cars and UK cars have changed in recent years. Key differences between UK cars and Japanese cars

Uk jdm imports