Importing a car from China to France / EU: full landed-cost guide 2026

Importing a car from China to France: duties, TVA, malus, réception à titre isolé and immatriculation

A Chinese-market car can be imported into France by a private person or a company. It pays EU customs duty and TVA at the border, the CO₂ and weight malus at first registration and, if it is a new Chinese-built electric car, the EU countervailing duty. Without an EU certificate of conformity (COC) it must pass a réception à titre isolé (RTI) at the DREAL before a carte grise is issued.

Policy checked: 26 October 2026. Each rate and step links to its official source. Customs assessment, approval and registration are decided by the Douane, the DREAL and the ANTS; nothing here guarantees the outcome.

Who can import, and what the car must be

Individuals and companies may both import: a company declares with an EORI number, a private person through a transitaire. France drives on the right, so left-hand drive is not an issue. Per the DREAL, the approval file for a non-EU car without COC starts with a statement from the manufacturer's homologation department (partial conformity or non-conformity), and the DREAL may require corrections to tyres, lighting and other items.

Taxes and the landed cost

1. EU customs duty 10% on the customs value (car, freight, insurance), TARIC 8703 and the Douane's guide to buying a vehicle abroad.
2. Countervailing duty on new Chinese-built electric cars, Regulation (EU) 2024/2754: BYD 17.0%, Geely 18.8%, Tesla 7.8%, other cooperating producers in the Annex 20.7%, all others including SAIC 35.3%. A manufacturer's rate needs that manufacturer's invoice with the Article 1(3) declaration; otherwise 35.3%. Under CN note C/2025/330 a car is still new if registered 6 months or less or driven 6,000 km or less, so a used car must exceed both, with proof. Petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrids are not covered.
3. TVA 20% on the value plus duty and ancillary costs, paid to the Douane, which issues the certificat de dédouanement 846 A needed for registration.
4. Malus at first registration in France. The 2026 CO₂ malus starts at 108 g/km WLTP (€50) and is capped at €80,000 above 191 g/km; the weight malus starts at 1,500 kg at €10 to €30 per kilogram; together they cannot exceed €80,000. Electric cars are exempt from both; a car first registered abroad pays the CO₂ malus reduced by its age. The calculator uses a default 150 g/km when the model's value is not on file; the real figure can differ by thousands of euros.

Two petrol SUVs, calculated live by the same rules engine as this site's calculator. The malus row is an estimate, the weight malus is not counted because the mass is not on file, and the last two rows are an agent quote and an estimate, not official fees.

Landed charges come to about 72–76% of CIF, or 150–161% on top of the ex-works price. An electric car would pay no malus but, if new, the countervailing duty; run the calculator with the actual model. The customs assessment and the approval file prevail.

Réception à titre isolé and immatriculation

Without an EU COC, Service-Public states that a vehicle bought outside the EU must obtain a procès-verbal de réception à titre isolé from the DREAL of the owner's region (DRIEAT in Île-de-France). The ministry assigns individual approval, for new or used vehicles, to the DREAL network, with UTAC at Montlhéry as the designated laboratory. The DREAL PACA page adds the distinction that matters here: a vehicle already registered abroad goes through the RTI, a new, never-registered vehicle through the réception individuelle nationale (RIN). Items declared non-conforming (noise, mirrors, electromagnetic compatibility, braking, emissions) may need tests at UTAC, ordered only after the DREAL has examined the car.

French agents have quoted LandedCar about €2,000 to €4,000 including tests and modifications, over two to four months, for a car without COC. These are agents' quotes, not official fees, excluding the carte grise. Approval is the DREAL's decision; LandedCar does not guarantee registration. With the RTI report, the 846 A and the other documents, the carte grise is requested online through the ANTS. For a new car (or one registered under six months), an EU individual approval under Article 44 of Regulation (EU) 2018/858 from any member state must be accepted in France; a national approval (Article 45) is valid only where issued (Article 46).

Shipping and customs clearance

Cars ship from southern China by container or roll-on/roll-off to Le Havre or Marseille-Fos; the calculator uses the current reference freight and insurance. The seller provides the invoice, export declaration, bill of lading and the Chinese certificate of conformity with translation. LandedCar delivers to the port (FOB or CIF); clearance, duty and TVA, the 846 A, the RTI, the malus and the carte grise are handled in the importer's name by the importer or their transitaire, and the responsibility for each step must be written into the quotation and pro forma invoice.

Frequently asked questions

I am moving from China to France. Can I bring my own car duty-free? The Douane's residence-transfer rules, applying Regulation (EC) 1186/2009, relieve duty and TVA on a private car if you lived outside the EU for at least 12 months, owned and used the car for at least six months, declare it on the inventory and cerfa 10070, bring it in within 12 months of the move and do not sell or lend it for 12 months; the Douane then issues the 846 A. The RTI and the malus still apply; the Douane decides on the file.

Does a used Chinese electric car avoid the countervailing duty? Only if registered more than six months and driven more than 6,000 km, with proof of both.

Will the brand's French dealer honour the warranty? Do not assume so; ask the seller what warranty is included.

Sources, checked 26 October 2026: Douane: buying a vehicle abroad · Douane: transferring your residence to France · Certificat 846 A · Service-Public: registering a vehicle bought abroad · Ministry: vehicle homologation · DREAL PACA: imported vehicles · CO₂ malus 2026 · Weight malus 2026 · Reg. (EU) 2024/2754 · CN note C/2025/330 · Reg. (EU) 2018/858, Art. 44–46 · Reg. (EC) 1186/2009 · TARIC 8703. Agent fees and lead times are quotes received by LandedCar, not official charges. Rules change; the decisions of the Douane, the DREAL and the ANTS on the actual vehicle prevail.