How Car Transport to the Isle of Man Works

Based just forty minutes from the Heysham terminal ourselves, getting a vehicle there is second nature to us, whatever the collection point. Whether your account with the Steam Packet is a long-standing open booking, or you book an open sailing per vehicle and get given a reference number, just let us know and we’ll sort the rest. We get the car to Heysham in good time either way, with no fixed crossing to hit and no missed-boat risk at our end.

A Regular Arrangement, Not a One-Off

This isn’t new to us. We already deliver vehicles to the Isle of Man Steam Packet on a regular basis for a dealer customer on the Island, who’s happy to give a reference to anyone considering the same.

Where We Collect From

Our regular patch is the North West and the North, and we are up into Scotland often enough that it is nothing out of the ordinary. Further afield we do collect from the Midlands and the South too, and those runs work best with a bit of notice so they can be planned in properly rather than done at a day’s notice. Franchised dealers, auction houses, storage compounds, private addresses, it makes no odds to us. Tell us where the car is and we will tell you straight whether it is a job for us.

It Works the Other Way Too

The same applies coming off the boat. If you’ve sold a car to a mainland buyer, or you’re sending one over for work, we can collect it from Heysham once it lands and deliver it wherever it needs to go, anywhere in the UK.

Bought a Car on the Mainland Yourself?

Most of this work is for dealers, but it is exactly the same job if you live on the Island and have bought a car privately or from a mainland dealer. There is no need to fly over and drive it back yourself, take a day out of your week, or ask the seller to meet you halfway. We collect it from wherever it is and deliver it to the Steam Packet terminal at Heysham. All you arrange is the crossing.

Fully Insured, and Run by the Owner

Over forty years in the motor trade, twenty of them as a Master Technician with Peugeot, and the business is run by its owner rather than handed to a driver you will never meet. Every vehicle is covered for the mainland leg, and we can supply a broker’s letter covering all of our policies rather than a certificate on its own, which is what most trade buyers would rather see. As an Island customer is that bit further away, we keep in touch by WhatsApp throughout, so you’re never left wondering where things stand. There’s more on how to check who is actually moving your vehicle if it’s useful.

Common Questions

Do you only collect from Lancashire? No. We collect trade vehicles from anywhere in the UK and bring them to Heysham for the Isle of Man crossing, not just locally. Our Areas We Cover page has the full picture.

Can you work with either type of Steam Packet account? Yes. A long-standing open booking, or an open sailing booked per vehicle with a reference. Just let us know which applies.

Is the vehicle insured throughout? Yes, fully insured for the whole of the mainland journey.

How much does it cost to transport a car to the Isle of Man? It depends on three things: where the car is being collected from, its size, and how quickly you need it there. Our price covers the mainland leg, the crossing itself stays with your own Steam Packet arrangement. Tell us where the car is and we will give you a figure.

How much notice do you need? A few days is usually plenty. Get in touch as soon as you know the car is yours and we will fit it in.

Do you book the ferry as well? No. The crossing is booked by you, under whatever arrangement you have with the Steam Packet. We do the mainland side, which is getting the car to the terminal at Heysham in one piece.

Can you collect a car that has just come off the boat? Yes. We pick up from Heysham and deliver anywhere in the UK, so it works in both directions.