European Markets
EU Import Guide - EV Hub Docs
The complete tariff and certification stack for importing a Chinese EV into the European Union, including standard duty, countervailing duties by producer, VAT, and homologation.
EU Import Guide: The Full Tariff Stack
The European Union is the most structured — and most expensive — destination for a Chinese EV. It is also the market with the clearest rules. If you understand the EU stack, every other market is a variation on the same theme.
Three layers of tax, compounded
The cost of bringing a Chinese EV into the EU is not one tax. It is three, applied in sequence.
1. Standard import duty — 10%
Every passenger EV entering the EU pays a 10% most-favoured-nation (MFN) import duty, assessed on the CIF value (car price + insurance + freight). This is non-negotiable and applies to all Chinese EVs.
2. Countervailing duty (CVD) — 7.8% to 35.3%
Since October 2024, the EU applies an anti-subsidy (countervailing) duty to Chinese battery-electric vehicles, on top of the standard 10%. The rate is producer-specific:
| Producer | CVD rate |
|---|---|
| Tesla (Shanghai) | 7.8% |
| BYD | 17.0% |
| Geely (incl. Zeekr, Polestar) | 18.8% |
| SAIC (MG, Roewe, Maxus) | 35.3% |
| Other cooperating producers | ~20.8% |
| Non-cooperating producers | 35.3% |
These duties run for five years from 31 October 2024, under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2754.
3. VAT — 19% to 23%
VAT is charged last, on the duty-inclusive total. Rates vary by member state:
| Country | VAT |
|---|---|
| Germany | 19% |
| France | 20% |
| Netherlands | 21% |
| Italy | 22% |
| Spain | 21% |
| Portugal | 23% |
Important: VAT is recoverable if you are VAT-registered as a business. For B2B importers, this materially changes the effective cost — the duty and CVD are a permanent cost, but VAT is often a cash-flow item, not a final cost.
The compounding matters
You do not add 10 + 35.3 + 19. You compound them. A car’s standard duty is assessed on CIF, the CVD is assessed on top of that, and VAT is charged on the whole stack. This is the single most expensive misunderstanding we see in the industry.
The full worked formula is in Landed Cost Methodology.
Certification: EU type approval
Beyond taxation, a Chinese EV must be certified to be road-legal in the EU. The relevant route depends on volume:
- EU Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA) — for manufacturers planning series imports.
- Small Series Type Approval — for annual volumes under the relevant limit.
- National single-vehicle approval (e.g., Germany’s §21 StVZO) — for individual vehicles.
Details are in EU Homologation. Budget $1,500–$5,000 and 2–6 weeks for certification on a small-volume import.
A note on CLTC vs WLTP
Chinese EVs are rated under CLTC, which typically runs 15–30% higher than the real-world WLTP figures European buyers expect. A car quoted at “600 km” may deliver closer to 450–500 km in European conditions. Build this into your range expectations and your buyers’ expectations.
Related
- Germany Import — the specific registration and cost reality in the EU’s largest EV market.
- UK Import — how Brexit changed the picture for the UK as a separate market.