A car on a US auction site looks cheap, but the winning bid is only the first line on the bill. After it come auction fees, three legs of shipping, customs clearance in Moldova, repairs and registration. Below we go through each step, then put real numbers on one example. All conversions use the official National Bank of Moldova (BNM) rate for 3 November 2026: $1 = 17.99 lei, €1 = 20.16 lei.
What the total cost is made of
- Winning bid: what you pay for the lot on Copart or IAAI.
- Auction fees: the buyer's fee plus several technical fees.
- US inland transport: a tow truck from the auction yard to the port.
- Ocean shipping: to a port in Europe.
- Delivery to Chisinau: by car carrier from the European port.
- Customs clearance: in 2026, for private individuals this is mostly excise duty.
- Repairs and registration: fixing the car, the registration certificate and plates.
The fee of the company handling your purchase comes on top. It's set out in your contract.
Copart bid and auction fees
Copart and IAAI mostly sell insurance lots: cars after accidents, floods or theft. Fees depend on the price and the title type (clean or salvage), and they grow with the bid. Here's a Copart example for a car with a non-clean title, a $5,000 bid, guaranteed payment and an online bid (fees as listed on 16 October 2026, carcheckervin.com):
- buyer's fee: $775;
- virtual bid fee: $125;
- gate fee (releasing the car from the yard): $95;
- environmental fee: $15.
That's $1,010 in total, around 20% on top of the bid. On cheaper lots, fees take an even bigger share.
Shipping a car from the USA: yard → port → Europe → Chisinau
Inside the US. The further the yard is from the port, the more the tow truck costs. So two lots with the same bid can end up at different totals, and the one close to the port wins.
Ocean. Cars travel either ro-ro (driven onto the ship) or in a container. A car that doesn't start is easier to ship in a container. For reference, here's the public price list of one US carrier to Constanța, Romania, updated in August 2026 (cfrclassic.com):
| From | Ro-ro | Shared container |
|---|---|---|
| US East Coast | $1,700 | $2,600 |
| US West Coast | $2,000 | $3,400 |
Transit takes 4–6 weeks. The East Coast is closer to Europe, so it's cheaper.
European port. Constanța in Romania is the closest EU port to Moldova. Odesa is closer on the map, but the route through Ukraine depends on the war situation. On the AUTOHUB schedule, cars from the US go by sea to Klaipėda (Lithuania) or Bremerhaven (Germany) and travel on to Chisinau from there.
Moldova car import customs in 2026
When a private individual imports a car, the main payment is excise duty. According to the Moldova Customs Service, import payments depend on the car's age, engine size and customs value, and excise rates come from Annex 2 to Title IV of the Tax Code. Age is counted from the year of manufacture, not the first registration. There's no age limit: any car can be imported regardless of its age.
For the petrol cars below, excise is charged per cubic centimetre, so engine size matters more than the price you paid. Rates from the AUTOHUB customs calculator for a petrol car aged 5–6 years:
- 1501–2000 cm³: 19.57 lei per cm³. A Honda Civic 2.0 (1,996 cm³) comes to about 39,060 lei.
- 2001–3000 cm³: 31.81 lei per cm³. A Toyota Camry 2.5 (2,487 cm³) of the same year comes to about 79,110 lei.
VAT on imported cars was planned from 1 January 2026, but in October 2025 it was postponed until Moldova joins the EU (NewsMaker). In January 2026, customs was still collecting excise on imported vehicles (customs.gov.md). On 8 September 2026, the government approved a tax policy that raises excise on petrol and diesel cars by 10% (Point.md). Parliament still has to review it. A car bought in November may arrive in 2027, so leave some margin. For more worked excise examples, see customs clearance examples.
Repairs and registration
Repairs are the most uncertain line. Auction photos show the impact, but not always what's behind it. Once the car arrives, AUTOHUB offers a full service cycle, including repairs and chip tuning, at our car service.
Registration is done at ASP, the Public Services Agency. The car is registered to the person named in the customs documents. You'll need an application, a proof of ownership, your ID, the final import customs document, a vehicle identification report (RIV) and payment receipts. The registration certificate costs 1,140 lei with a 20-working-day wait, or 2,790 lei same day. A set of two plates is 550 lei (asp.gov.md). RCA insurance and the technical inspection are paid separately.
Worked example: a 2021 Honda Civic from Copart
The car: 2021, petrol 2.0 (1,996 cm³), front-end damage, non-clean title, $5,000 bid. Logistics and repairs here are rough estimates for the example, not a price list. Your manager gives figures for a specific lot.
| Step | Amount | In lei |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Copart bid | $5,000 | 89,927 |
| 2. Copart fees | $1,010 | 18,165 |
| 3. Yard → US port (estimate) | $500 | 8,993 |
| 4. Ocean to Europe (estimate) | $2,000 | 35,971 |
| 5. Port → Chisinau (estimate) | $700 | 12,590 |
| Subtotal: car in Chisinau | $9,210 | 165,646 |
| 6. Excise: 19.57 × 1,996 cm³ | — | 39,062 |
| 7. Front-end repair (estimate) | €2,000 | 40,316 |
| 8. Certificate (20 days) + plates | — | 1,690 |
| Total, ready to drive | ≈ 246,700 lei ≈ €12,240 |
The car itself is only about €4,460 of that. The rest is getting it to Chisinau and on the road. Not included: the company fee, the RIV report, customs broker services, RCA and the technical inspection.
Three things move the total the most:
- engine size: with a 2.5 engine, excise is about 40,000 lei higher;
- actual repair work: it can easily come out at double the estimate;
- lot location: the West Coast and yards far from a port cost more.
How long it takes
AUTOHUB's timeline from sign-up to handover:
| Days | Stage |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sign-up on the website |
| 1–2 | Contract and deposit |
| 2–3 | Choosing a car at auctions |
| 3–4 | Online bidding together with you |
| 4–6 | Invoice and payment for the car |
| 6–10 | Transport to the US port |
| 10–50 | Ocean to Klaipėda or Bremerhaven |
| 50–55 | Delivery to Chisinau, customs, handover |
Shipping from the USA usually takes 30–60 days, and repairs come after that. If a car has no TITLE, it can wait up to 45 days in port for the document. That's what the auction rules allow, and without it the car can't clear customs.
Risks: damaged cars and VIN history
- Hidden damage. The auction is only responsible for a serious mismatch with the stated condition. Suspension damage, flood-hit electrics or deployed airbags may not show in the photos.
- No returns. After the sale, a lot goes back to the auction in one case only: you ordered a post-sale inspection (PSI) and it found major defects.
- VIN history. Before bidding, check past accidents, mileage, flood damage and title type. You can order Carfax and AutoCheck reports in our VIN report section.
- Exchange rates and law. About half the costs are in dollars, excise is in lei, and rates may go up from 2027. Budget a 10–15% buffer.
How to order a car from the USA through AUTOHUB
AUTOHUB handles the whole journey. We find the lot, check the photos, damage history and condition, and calculate the total with shipping and customs before you bid. We bid on your behalf on Copart, IAAI or European auctions within the budget you agree, and you follow the bidding online with us. A 10% prepayment is enough to take part in auctions. We handle customs clearance end to end and help you register the car. Send a request on our car import page or visit our office at 88 Zavodskaya Street in Chisinau. We'll price a specific lot before you bid, not after.