Official Cost of Clearing Cars in Nigeria
Cost of Clearing Cars in Nigeria – It is no longer news that Nigeria is not a manufacturing country, let alone one who manufacture cars. Although, there is the disputable case of Innoson who claims manufacture vehicles but sources his parts abroad while the vehicles are assembled in his plant. And then there is that of Proforce. However, those are talks for other days…in another post.
Cost of clearing vehicles in Nigeria vary and depend on a couple of factors we will list below. However, note that these prices are subject to change but at the time of compiling this, the content of the post is what is applicable.
Cost of Clearing Cars in Nigeria
This post will list out the current cost of clearing cars in Nigeria Tin can port, Cotonou (Seme Border), Apapa Port and other ports to deliver them to a client in Nigeria. Charges such as Nigerian custom duty charge on imported cars, port charges and clearing agent charges will also need to be paid for this to be successfully carried out.
As of last year, the system by which the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) charges for clearing cars changed. Instead of charging according to the year of manufacture, they now charge according to the cost of the car not the year of manufacture. Simply put, a particular brand of 2012 can be more expensive than another brand with a car manufactured in the same year.
The charge is 35% of whatever you paid for the vehicle and a levy of 35% making 70% of what you paid for the car. So assuming you bought a car for N2 million, you will spend N1.4 million to clear the car. The maths isn’t so hard so to figure…
These prices can be haggled, fairly if you can find a good clearing agent. The cost of clearing cars in Nigeria as seen below is supplied by agents who know their onions.
Estimated Cost of Clearing Cars in Nigeria.
Nissan Pathfinder 2001 – ₦350,000
Nissan Primera 2003 – ₦315,000
Toyota Rav4 2004 – ₦335,000
Kia Sorento 2004 – ₦360,000
Lexus RX 330 2004 – ₦370,000
Nissan Pathfinder 2005 – ₦400,000
Toyota Highlander 2005 – ₦450,000
Toyota Corolla 2005 – ₦300,000
Toyota Tundra 2005 – ₦400,000
Toyota Corolla 2006 – ₦300,000
Toyota 4Runner 2006 – ₦450,000
Lexus RX 350 2007 – ₦600,000
Lexus RX 350 2008 – ₦700,000
Toyota Highlander 2008 – ₦500,000
Lexus RX 350 2009 – 800,000
Lexus RX 350 2010 – ₦950,000
Toyota 4Runner 2011 – ₦900,000
Mercerdes-Benz ML350 2012 – ₦1,515,000
Toyota Venza 2013 – ₦1,400,000
Toyota Camry 2013 – ₦1,350,000
Toyota Camry 2015 – ₦1,500,000.
The table below shows some popular vehicle brands and their current clearing costs.
| Car model | Cost in Naira |
| Acura MDX 2007 | N700,000 |
| Acura MDX 2008 | N850,000 |
| Acura MDX 2009 | N980,000 |
| Acura TSX | N380,000 |
| Benz ML | N450,000 |
| Ford Edge 2007 | N900,000 |
| Ford Focus 2012 | N1,400,000 |
| Hyundai Elantra 2013 – 2016 | N1,300,000 |
| Hyundai Sonata | N350,000 |
| Kia Optima 2012 | N1,200,000 |
| Kia Spectra | N500,000 |
| Land Rover R/Sport 2006 | N1,500,000 |
| Lexus RX 300 | N420,000 |
| Mazda 3 SV | N2,000,000 |
| Mazda 6 2004 | N450,000 |
| Mitsubishi Carisma 2005 | N380,000 |
| Toyota 4 Runner 1994 | N450,000 |
| Toyota Camry 2003 | N270,000 |
| Toyota Camry 2007- 2008 | N600,000 |
| Toyota Camry Hybrid 2010 | N1,100,000 |
| Toyota Corolla 2003 | N350,000 |
| Toyota Corolla 2004 | N450,000 |
| Toyota Corolla 2005 | N500,000 |
| Toyota Corolla 2006 | N600,000 |
| Toyota Highlander | N450,000 |
| Toyota Sienna 2004 | N350,000 |
| Toyota Venza 2010 | N1,100,000 |
| Toyota Yaris 2000 | N200,000 |
| Volkswagen buses | N350,000 |
| Volkswagen CC 2011 | N1,200,000 |
| Volkswagen Passat | N380,000 |
Nigerian Customs Service Zonal Offices: Where to Clear Your Cars in Nigeria
The popular ports in Nigeria through which cars are brought in are Tin Can port and Apapa port. You will only clear at the Seme border if you are importing your car from Cotonou. The various fees to pay at this border includes the custom duty, the port charge and the clearing agent fee.
Verification of a car status can be done at any of the four zonal centers of the Nigerian Customs Service. It is at this place you pay the fees for your car’s uncleared status. The four zonal offices 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 method of verification is to call or send an SMS to the following NCS numbers alongside you C-number, the year you paid your duty and the port or location through which your car was brought into the country. The numbers to call are 094621597, 094621598 and 094621599. You should receive a customs clearance after some few minutes.
Note: Even though the process of ascertaining the status of your car can be tedious at times, it is better to do so as the law states that any car that hasn’t been duly cleared shall be tagged “a smuggled car” and can lead to fines or arrest of car owner or dealer by the law enforcement agencies that clear vehicles in Nigeria.