R-Rak Vehicle Shipping From The UK

R-Rak is a patented steel racking system that fits inside a standard 40ft high-cube shipping container and holds up to four vehicles in a stacked, lashed configuration. By doubling or tripling the usable vehicle capacity of a single container, R-Rak dramatically reduces the freight cost per vehicle — making it the cheapest enclosed vehicle export option from the UK.

R-Rak systems allow multiple vehicles to be loaded safely within one container, making them ideal for routes to Cyprus, South Africa and New Zealand, where individual car containers are otherwise costly and dedicated RoRo services may be infrequent.

Cost — splitting one container's freight cost across four vehicles typically reduces per-car cost by 25–45% compared to single-car containers. Safety — vehicles travel enclosed and sealed, protected from salt spray, weather, theft and dockside handling damage that RoRo cargo is exposed to.

Flexibility — you can book a single rack position and share the container with three other customers, or fill all four positions with your own multi-car export. Insurance and tracking — full marine cover and Bill of Lading tracking are available on every R-Rak booking, the same as standard container shipments. For background reading see our R-Rak vehicle shipping guide.

Vehicles are driven into our consolidation depot, inspected, photographed and prepared for loading. Each car is then driven onto the R-Rak frame, secured with industrial wheel straps, blocked and chocked. Cars are stacked two-low or three-high depending on the rack configuration, with motorcycles or boxed cargo filling any remaining floor space — see shared container shipping for how mixed loads work.

A full four-car R-Rak takes around 4–6 hours to load and inspect. The container is sealed in front of CCTV, weighed, and dispatched to the export port for the next available sailing. Background guides: shared car shipping and shared motorcycle shipping.

R-Rak runs on most major UK export lanes. The biggest volumes are Mediterranean and African — Cyprus, Malta, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.

The Middle East is also strong — Dubai (Jebel Ali) and Saudi Arabia (Jeddah, Dammam) — and long-haul lanes to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA all run R-Rak regularly. We confirm rack availability for your sailing window before you book.

Most cars, SUVs, light 4x4s and small vans fit on R-Rak racking. The maximum vehicle weight per rack position is typically 2,500 kg, with a maximum height of around 1.85 m for stacked positions and 2.10 m for the floor position. Luxury 4x4s, large pickups and vans may exceed these limits and require a dedicated container or RoRo.

Cars must be drivable, drained to 1/4 fuel tank, have a working handbrake and clean exterior. Personal effects are not permitted inside the vehicle unless declared and itemised. Destination duty depends on age, emissions and engine size — we advise on lane-specific compliance before booking.

R-Rak rack position rates start from £550 to Cyprus, £750 to Dubai, £950 to Nigeria, £1,150 to Kenya, £1,400 to South Africa, £1,650 to Australia and £1,100 to the USA. Pricing includes UK consolidation, lashing, container freight, BAF and Bill of Lading. Destination handling, customs and onward delivery are paid on arrival.

For an instant per-vehicle estimate, use the cost calculator (select Car or SUV cargo type). Compare to single-car and RoRo benchmarks in our shared container costs guide.

Confirm rack availability for your sailing window in minutes — request a quote through the cost calculator or contact our team for multi-vehicle or door-to-door bookings. A specialist will reply within the hour with a confirmed rate and sailing schedule.