Most "tokunbo" cars in Nigeria came from the United States, and many were bought at Copart or IAAI. Imports have jumped in 2026. Before you pay for a car, its shipping and its clearing, check by VIN what happened to it in America.
The 12-year limit is checked against the vehicle's year, and the tenth character of the VIN encodes the model year. A car advertised as newer than its VIN says will not clear. Check it before the car is shipped, not at the port.
Many US cars sold to Nigeria were insurance write-offs: accident, flood or hail. Repaired well, they are good value. Repaired badly, or flooded, they are not, and the paint does not tell you which. The auction photos show the car before the repair, and the title brand shows how the insurer judged it.
Clean, salvage, rebuilt, flood, junk. Issued by a US state, invisible in every European registry.
How it is checkedCopart and IAAI intake photos, damage codes and sale price, from every sale the car went through, not only the current lot.
How it is checkedReadings at US titles, registrations and inspections in date order. A reading below an earlier one is a rollback.
How it is checkedNo older than 12 years. The model year is encoded in the VIN, so check it before you buy.
Clearing guides cite 20% import duty plus a 7% surcharge, and the NAC levy was reported cut from 15% to 5% from 1 July 2026. Confirm the current figures with Nigeria Customs or your clearing agent.
No. It covers the US and Canadian history: titles, auctions with photos, accidents, theft and mileage.
Enter the VIN to see which US and Canadian records exist. The preview is free; the report is $19.99, once.