Landed Cost Methodology

Why we publish this

Most Chinese EV listings show only the factory or FOB price. A car advertised at $14,000 can land in Germany at over $28,000 once duties, VAT, freight, and certification are applied. That gap is the single biggest surprise for first-time importers — and the reason EV Hub exists.

Every landed-cost figure on EV Hub is produced from a single, documented formula using public tariff schedules, national tax rates, and industry freight benchmarks. This page is that documentation.

The formula

landed_price = base_price × (1 + std_duty) × (1 + countervailing_duty) × (1 + VAT)
    + RoRo freight + customs clearance + certification + registration + inland transport

Duties compound in this order: the standard duty is assessed on the ex-factory base price, the countervailing duty on top of that (base + standard duty), and VAT is charged last on the duty-inclusive total. Freight and insurance are itemised as separate fixed costs rather than compounded into the dutiable value — see the note on CIF valuation below.

1. Standard import duty — 10%

All passenger EVs imported into the EU are subject to a 10% most-favoured-nation (MFN) import duty. In this estimate the duty is assessed on the ex-factory base price; under strict EU customs rules the dutiable value is the CIF value (car price + insurance + freight), so our figures are a conservative simplification. [Source: EU Common Customs Tariff, TARIC]

2. Countervailing duty — 7.8% to 35.3%

Since 2024, the EU applies anti-subsidy (countervailing) duties to Chinese battery-electric vehicles, on top of the standard 10%. Rates are set per producer:

[Source: EU Commission Implementing Regulation on countervailing duties for BEVs from China]

3. VAT, 19% to 23% by destination

[Source: national tax authorities]

4. Freight & fixed costs

• RoRo ocean freight: $1,500 – $2,500 per vehicle (China → North Europe main ports). We use $2,000 as the central estimate.
• Customs clearance: ~$350 per vehicle.
• Certification / homologation: $1,500 – $5,000 (ECWVTA or Small Series approval). We use $3,250 central.
• Registration: $400 – $500 (Germany ~$500).
• Inland transport: ~$500 from port to dealer/registrant.

[Source: industry freight and homologation benchmarks]

Assumptions & limits

These are B2B import estimates, not retail quotes. Actual landed cost varies with trim, port of entry, volume, currency, and homologation route. Figures are refreshed when tariff schedules or tax rates change, and every estimate on the site carries its data date.

Excluded from every figure: insurance (the "I" in CIF), foreign-exchange movement, financing and dealer margin, port demurrage/storage, and destination-specific taxes such as Turkey's special consumption tax (SCT), Singapore's ARF and COE, Indonesia's PPnBM luxury tax, Brazil's IPI/ICMS, and Malaysia's excise duty. These can be material in those markets — confirm the full stack with a local broker before committing.