Exporting a Ram 1500 TRX to Australia: 2026 Cost & RHD Guide
The 702-horsepower Ram 1500 TRX is the last supercharged-Hemi muscle truck Detroit ever built, and getting one into an Australian driveway means duty, GST, Luxury Car Tax, and a full right-hand-drive rebuild.
The TRX is the last of the supercharged-Hemi pickups: 702 horsepower, a Hellcat-derived heart, and a production run that ended for good in 2024. That finite supply is exactly why enthusiasts abroad now chase one.
Australia has a deep appetite for full-size American trucks, and the TRX sits at the top of that food chain. With no factory-fast local rival, importing one is the only way to park a genuine desert-runner in a Sydney or Perth garage.
The TRX landed in 2021 as Ram's answer to the Ford F-150 Raptor, but it went nuclear: a 6.2-litre supercharged Hemi V8 borrowed from the Hellcat, wound down only slightly to 702 horsepower. It could fling a two-and-a-half-tonne truck to 100km/h in the low-four-second range while soaking up desert whoops on 35-inch tyres and Bilstein adaptive dampers. Ram retired it after the 2024 Final Edition when the supercharged Hemi was axed, instantly making the TRX a future collectible.
Values have stayed firm because supply is fixed and the engine is gone for good, with low-mileage Launch Edition and Final Edition trucks commanding the strongest money. When buying to export, look hard for signs of abuse: cracked skid plates, bent suspension arms, and gaps in the supercharger service history. Confirm the truck has never carried a salvage or flood title, which can stall an Australian import approval. A documented, unmodified example clears the process far more smoothly.
The single biggest reality of sending a TRX to Australia is that it cannot stay left-hand drive. Unless you buy new through Ram Trucks Australia, a private import must pass through a registered workshop that remanufactures the truck to right-hand drive, a months-long and costly job. Secure your Vehicle Import Approval before the truck sails, budget for mandatory biosecurity steam-cleaning at the dock, and remember the TRX's value drops it squarely into Luxury Car Tax territory. Rushing the paperwork is the most common and expensive mistake.
The full cost breakdown
Every line below is a researched 2026 estimate in USD. We start from the $95,000 purchase price, add marine insurance at about 1.5% and ocean freight, then 5% duty and 10% VAT/GST on the duty-inclusive (CIF) value, and the broker, compliance and registration fees. Change the purchase price and everything else scales only modestly.
| Vehicle (purchase price) | $95,000 |
| Seller-side export documentation | $150 |
| Ocean freight | $3,200 |
| Marine insurance (~1.5%) | $1,425 |
| Australian duty is around 5% (subject to thresholds and FTA rules) | $4,981 |
| 10% GST applies on the customs value plus duty and freight | $10,461 |
| Customs broker & port handling | $830 |
| Type-approval / inspection | $2,500 |
| Inland transport & registration | $1,500 |
| Estimated all-in landed cost | $120,047 |
On this Ram 1500 TRX, destination taxes are the real story: roughly $4,981 in import duty plus $10,461 in import VAT/GST — about $15,442 together, frequently more than the $3,200 of ocean freight and every handling fee combined. All in, budget around $25,047 on top of the $95,000 purchase price (about 26%) before the car is registered in Australia.
Step by step: how exporting this car works
- Agree the purchase and secure the title/export paperwork in USA.
- Book ocean freight — roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) is cheapest, a sole-use container is safest for a high-value car.
- Confirm the exact model is eligible under the SEVS register before you commit.
- Clear customs (roughly 5% duty plus 10% GST on the customs value, and Luxury Car Tax above the threshold).
- Complete RAWS compliance through a Registered Automotive Workshop; left-hand-drive cars usually need remanufacturing to RHD.
- Register in your state or territory once compliance is signed off.
Compliance & the fine print
Vehicles imported into Australia attract a 5% customs duty and 10% GST, and because the TRX's value sits well above the Luxury Car Tax threshold (around the low-$80,000s for non-fuel-efficient vehicles), LCT of 33% applies to the portion above that line. Australia has no US-style 25-year exemption; a used TRX must instead enter the Register of Approved Vehicles through a Registered Automotive Workshop, which remanufactures it to right-hand drive. A Vehicle Import Approval must be granted before the truck ships, and a biosecurity inspection on arrival is mandatory.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my Ram 1500 TRX left-hand drive in Australia?+
Generally no. Modern vehicles must be right-hand drive to register in most states, so a privately imported TRX has to be remanufactured to RHD by a registered workshop, unless you buy a factory-converted example new through Ram Trucks Australia.
Does the US 25-year rule apply when importing a TRX to Australia?+
No, that is a United States regulation. Australia uses its own framework, so a near-new TRX qualifies through the Registered Automotive Workshop pathway rather than any age exemption, but it must gain Vehicle Import Approval before it leaves the US.
What is the total estimated cost to export a Ram 1500 TRX?+
About $120,047 all-in for a $95,000 example — the purchase price plus roughly $25,047 in freight, insurance, duty, VAT/GST, compliance and registration. Your figure shifts with the exact price, route and exchange rate.
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