BIMTA - About BIMTA

About BIMTA

The British Independent Motor Trade Association (BIMTA) is the only official UK trade body established solely to represent the independent vehicle import industry. Our Members bring thousands of vehicles across each year from Japan.

We are recognised by the Government and agencies, including the DVLA, the Department for Transport and HM Revenue & Customs, as the definitive 'voice' of the independent sector, and are the ONLY body in the UK to offer money-back guarantees on vehicle checks. And we do this in partnership with the Automobile Association (New Zealand) which is the leading motoring organisation in the world when it comes to background checks on Japanese imports..

Buy with Confidence

Our Members include a national network of around 100 non-franchised vehicle dealerships and supporting services - all of whom sign up to a code of professional conduct which means you can buy from them with confidence.

BIMTA Members also provide full after-sales and follow-up care for import owners. Always look for the BIMTA logo when choosing your import.

Read our Code of Professional Conduct

Winning for Consumers

We famously led the campaign to equalise car prices between the UK and mainland Europe, and have been instrumental in working for Government legislation and regulation designed to protect the consumer from unscrupulous vehicle dealers.

Our services for vehicle buyers (both trade and private) include exhaustive checks on newly imported vehicles - which are backed up by a money-back guarantee, providing peace of mind when buying an import.

Our money-back guarantee covers vehicles where the odometer reading at the point of sale in Japan has been confirmed by BIMTA. If evidence is later produced proving that the reading was inaccurate, then BIMTA will reimburse the claimant for the market value of the vehicle at the time the claim was made.