Get your price — 24/7, in minutes
Not one truck with one price — your job goes to the nearest of our 3,000 vetted drivers nationwide, so you get a keen price for your actual job, back in minutes.
Prefer to talk? Call 07301 118118
London to Dover: The Last 80 Miles Before a Car Leaves the Country
Dover is the final UK stop for a huge number of cars sold to overseas buyers, and London to Dover — around 80 miles via the M20 or the A2, typically an hour and a half to two hours — is one of the routes K9 books most often purely for that reason. A car sold to a buyer in France, Belgium or further afield still has to get from a London seller’s address to the Eastern Docks before it can go anywhere near a ferry.
Traffic management around the port varies week to week, and drivers on this route treat the final approach as the least predictable part of the whole job.
📞 Call now: 07301 118118
Operation Brock and the Final Approach
When Channel crossings are running at high volume, Operation Brock’s contraflow on the M20 and the Traffic Access Permit scheme for HGVs can both add time to the last stretch into Dover, even though neither applies directly to a car transporter carrying a single vehicle. K9’s drivers check the Brock status on the morning of delivery rather than assume a clear run down from London.
Timing a Delivery Against a Ferry Booking
A car booked onto a specific sailing needs to reach the port with enough margin for the buyer or their agent to complete paperwork before boarding, so K9 always builds in a delivery window ahead of the sailing time itself rather than aiming for the same afternoon.
Collecting From Across London
London collections on this route range from central addresses, where the driver will usually arrange a nearby loading point given parking restrictions, to outer boroughs closer to the M25 and M20 where a driveway collection is more straightforward.
What Travels This Route
- Private sales to overseas buyers collected across London and delivered to Dover’s port area.
- Trade and dealer stock destined for export via the same crossing.
- Occasional classics booked onto enclosed transport for the final leg before shipping.
Why Booking Early Matters on This Route
Export sales often have a fixed sailing date that cannot move, unlike a private domestic sale where a day either way makes little difference — so K9 would rather have as much notice as possible on a Dover export job, giving the 3,000-driver fleet the best chance of finding a driver who can guarantee the date.
Insurance for High-Value Export Vehicles
Cars heading for export are sometimes worth considerably more than the UK average, and every vehicle on this route travels under K9’s full insurance cover regardless of value.
Booking an Export Delivery
The auction car transport page covers collection if the car was bought at auction before its export sale, and London-based journeys generally are covered on the London vehicle transport page. Every other corridor K9 runs, including longer routes into Kent from further round the country, sits on the vehicle transport hub.
A 24/7 Line for Sailing Deadlines
Ferry bookings do not always get confirmed during office hours, so K9 runs a 24/7 line for arranging delivery to Dover, backed by a 4.9-out-of-5 rating from more than 200 Google reviews across export and domestic bookings alike.
Vetted Drivers for High-Value Loads
Every driver we send on a London to Dover export job has already been vetted by K9, giving sellers and buyers confidence on a route where the car is often changing hands for the last time before it leaves the country.
Call 07301 118118 to get a delivery booked ahead of a ferry sailing.
What our customers say
“Broke down on the M25 in the third lane with my wife and kids. Andrew pulled up and got us to safety fast. Cannot thank him enough.”
— Jonathan
“Great service, quick arrival within the hour and a good rate compared to most.”
— Ibrahim Suleman
“Excellent service from the emergency call to the lads who picked me up. Professional and respectful.”
— Andrew Chambers
London to Dover Export Transport: FAQs
How far ahead of my ferry booking should I arrange transport?
As early as possible once the sailing date is fixed, since export jobs work best with a firm date rather than a short-notice booking.
Can K9 collect from central London addresses with restricted parking?
Yes, though the driver will typically agree a nearby loading point in advance rather than attempt a restricted street directly.
Does Operation Brock change how delivery times are quoted?
Yes, K9 gives a delivery window rather than an exact time on this route specifically because of variable congestion approaching the port.
Other Export and Southern Routes
See also London to Portsmouth, London to Southampton and Bristol to Dover.