Geely's 18.8% Countervailing Duty: What It Means for Zeekr, Lynk & Co, and Galaxy Buyers - EV Hub
Geely Group pays an 18.8% countervailing duty — more than BYD's 17%, far less than SAIC's 35.3%. Full tariff-stack math, worked Galaxy E5 example, and a 13-model landed-cost comparison across Zeekr, Lynk & Co and Galaxy.
TL;DR
Geely Group sits in the middle of the EU’s Chinese-EV tariff table: an 18.8% countervailing duty on top of the standard 10% import duty — a 28.8% combined rate before VAT. That’s 1.8 points above BYD’s 17%, and 16.5 points below the 35.3% ceiling that hits SAIC.
The catch for buyers is which brands carry the 18.8%. It’s not just budget Geely sedans — it’s the whole group, including the premium Zeekr line and Lynk & Co, a brand with real Volvo DNA. A Zeekr 001 that costs $38,000 in China lands in Germany at $65,694 (+73%). A $6,590 Geely Galaxy LC — the group’s cheapest EV — lands at $16,848, a +156% premium.
In practical terms, Geely’s tariff burden is close to BYD’s: the two groups’ rates differ by less than two percentage points. What separates them is the mix of cars — Geely’s portfolio leans more toward premium EVs where a 28.8% tariff on a higher base price produces a larger absolute duty bill.
Key statistics
- Geely Group countervailing duty: 18.8% (on top of 10% standard duty = 28.8% total)
- Applies to: Geely, Geely Galaxy, Zeekr, Lynk & Co (and the wider Geely Group entities)
- BYD: 17.0% · SAIC/MG: 35.3% · Tesla (Shanghai): 7.8% · Other cooperating: 20.7%
- In force since: 31 October 2024, for 5 years (EU Implementing Regulation 2024/2754)
- Worked example: Geely Galaxy E5, $15,460 China → $30,642 landed in Germany (+98.2%)
Why Geely pays 18.8% — and why it covers premium brands too
Like BYD and SAIC, Geely was one of the three producers individually sampled in the Commission’s anti-subsidy investigation, and its 18.8% rate reflects its assessed subsidy margin — higher than BYD’s, far lower than SAIC’s. But the rate is assigned to the group, not to a single badge. The regulation lists the Geely Group as a set of legal entities, and the 18.8% duty travels with every battery-electric vehicle those entities export.
That group includes four of the most recognizable names in Chinese EVs:
- Geely — the core brand
- Geely Galaxy — the volume EV sub-brand
- Zeekr — the premium EV marque
- Lynk & Co — the Geely–Volvo joint-venture brand
The Lynk & Co angle is the most counterintuitive part. Lynk & Co cars share platforms and engineering with Volvo, but they are manufactured in China by a Geely entity — so for tariff purposes they are Chinese imports and carry the full 18.8% countervailing duty, not Volvo’s European treatment. Premium badge, Chinese tariff.
The full tariff stack, worked example: Geely Galaxy E5 → Germany
Here is the itemized math for a Geely Galaxy E5 (base $15,460 ex-factory China) imported into Germany, using the same landed-cost methodology as the rest of our catalog:
| Cost item | Amount | How it’s calculated |
|---|---|---|
| Base price (CIF) | $15,460 | Galaxy E5, China MSRP |
| Standard import duty | $1,546 | 10% of CIF |
| Countervailing duty | $3,197 | 18.8% of (CIF + duty) |
| VAT | $3,839 | 19% of (CIF + duty + CVD) |
| RoRo freight | $2,000 | — |
| Customs clearance | $350 | — |
| Certification | $3,250 | Homologation |
| Registration | $500 | — |
| Inland transport | $500 | — |
| Total landed | $30,642 | +98.2% over base |
The countervailing duty ($3,197) is more than double the standard duty ($1,546) and is 20.7% of the base price on its own. The pattern from the other articles holds: on a mid-priced car the CVD is the largest single tariff line, but the $6,600 of flat import costs still explain a big chunk of the premium.
Compare the same math on the group’s cheapest car, the $6,590 Galaxy LC: its CVD is only $1,363, but the $6,600 fixed stack plus 28.8% tariffs on a tiny base push the landed premium to +156%. Tariff math punishes cheap cars everywhere — Geely included.
Geely Group model by model: the landed-cost spread
All 13 Geely-group BEV models in our catalog, base vs. landed in Germany:
| Model | Brand | Base (China) | Landed (Germany) | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy LC | Geely Galaxy | $6,590 | $16,848 | +156% |
| Galaxy Xingyuan | Geely Galaxy | $9,660 | $21,622 | +124% |
| Galaxy E5 | Geely Galaxy | $15,460 | $30,642 | +98% |
| Lynk & Co 02 | Lynk & Co | $16,870 | $32,834 | +95% |
| Emgrand EV | Geely | $20,680 | $38,759 | +87% |
| Galaxy E8 | Geely Galaxy | $21,100 | $39,412 | +87% |
| Zeekr X | Zeekr | $21,940 | $40,719 | +86% |
| Zeekr 007 | Zeekr | $29,560 | $52,569 | +78% |
| Zeekr 001 | Zeekr | $38,000 | $65,694 | +73% |
| Zeekr MIX | Zeekr | $39,420 | $67,902 | +72% |
| Zeekr 009 | Zeekr | $61,830 | $102,751 | +66% |
The spread runs from +156% on the $6,590 Galaxy LC to +66% on the $61,830 Zeekr 009 — the same inverse relationship between price and premium percentage we see across the whole catalog.
The absolute-dollar story is what matters for premium buyers: the Zeekr 009 carries a countervailing duty of roughly $12,800 (18.8% on its customs value) — about three-quarters of the entire landed cost of a Galaxy LC. A percentage tariff scales with price — so Geely’s premium EVs are where the 18.8% generates the largest dollar bills, even though the percentage premium looks smaller.
Same car, different market: where the 18.8% disappears
The countervailing duty is an EU measure. The same Geely Galaxy E5 lands very differently outside the bloc:
| Market | Region | Galaxy E5 landed cost | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | EU | $30,642 | +98% |
| United Arab Emirates | Middle East | $21,495 | +39% |
A $9,000 difference on a $15,460 car, almost entirely the 18.8% countervailing duty plus EU VAT. The UAE’s 5% duty and 5% VAT with no CVD collapse the premium from +98% to +39%. If your buyer isn’t in the EU, Geely’s tariff problem largely evaporates.
What buyers should ask before importing a Geely-group EV
- “Which group does this brand actually belong to?” — Zeekr, Lynk & Co, and Geely Galaxy all carry 18.8%. A premium badge does not mean a lower tariff.
- “Is this a BEV or a PHEV?” — the 18.8% applies to BEVs. Geely PHEVs currently pay only the 10% standard duty, though EU PHEV tariffs are being prepared.
- “What’s the absolute duty bill, not just the rate?” — 18.8% on a $61,830 Zeekr 009 is ~$12,800. Always ask for the dollar figure, not the percentage.
- “Am I registering in the EU?” — if not, the 18.8% may not apply. Get the landed cost for your actual destination.
- “How does this compare to BYD at the same price point?” — Geely’s 18.8% vs BYD’s 17% is only a 1.8-point gap. On most models the practical difference is modest; don’t over-weight the rate difference when comparing cars.
Frequently asked questions
Is Geely’s 18.8% higher than BYD’s 17%? Yes, by 1.8 percentage points. On a $20,000 car that’s about $380 of extra duty — real but modest. The bigger driver of landed-cost differences between Geely and BYD models is usually the vehicle’s base price and specification, not the 1.8-point tariff gap.
Does the 18.8% apply to Zeekr and Lynk & Co? Yes. Both are Geely Group entities in the regulation, so their BEVs carry the full 18.8% countervailing duty despite their premium positioning and (for Lynk & Co) Volvo platform DNA.
Why is a cheap Geely’s premium higher than a Zeekr’s? Fixed import costs — freight, certification, clearance, registration, inland — are flat amounts. A $6,600 fixed stack is 100% of a $6,590 Galaxy LC but only 11% of a $61,830 Zeekr 009. Cheap cars absorb a proportionally larger hit.
Will the rate change? The definitive duties run for five years from 31 October 2024, subject to review and possible negotiated undertakings. The bigger near-term change is the EU’s expected extension of tariffs to PHEVs.
Related reading
- BYD’s 17% Countervailing Duty
- Why MG/SAIC Pays 35.3%
- Why the Sticker Price Is Never the Landed Price
Sources
- European Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2754 — definitive countervailing duties on Chinese BEVs
- 新华网 (Xinhua) — 反补贴税终裁（吉利 18.8%），2024-10-30
- EU Commission press release, 29 October 2024
- Reuters factbox on EU tariffs on China-made EVs (February 2026)
- EV Hub landed-cost records: 13 Geely-group BEV models × 7 markets, itemized