Importing a car from China to Norway: full landed-cost guide 2026

Importing a car from China to Norway: VAT, one-off registration tax and individual approval

Norway is outside the EU customs union, so the EU countervailing duty on Chinese electric cars does not apply, and most goods enter duty-free. What decides the cost is VAT and the one-off registration tax (engangsavgift): an electric car is VAT-free up to NOK 300,000 in 2026 and pays only the weight component, while a petrol car pays full VAT plus weight, combustion-engine and CO₂ components. A car without EU type approval must be individually approved by Statens vegvesen.

Policy checked: 26 October 2026. Each rule links to the Norwegian Customs, Skatteetaten, Statens vegvesen or Lovdata page it comes from. Valuation, tax and approval are decided by those agencies on the actual vehicle; nothing here guarantees the outcome.

Read Norwegian Customs: importing a car.

Who can import, and what the car must be

Individuals and companies may both import; Norway drives on the right. Statens vegvesen states that every imported vehicle without EU type approval must be individually approved (enkeltgodkjenning), and warns that vehicles from outside Europe can be hard to approve. The technical data used for approval and tax must come from the manufacturer or a competent approved laboratory. A Chinese-market car without an EU certificate of conformity (COC) therefore depends on the manufacturer's documentation; approval is not guaranteed.

Taxes and the landed cost

1. Customs duty. Most goods are duty-free; the calculator applies 0% to cars. The EU customs union does not extend to Norway, so there is no EU countervailing duty.
2. VAT 25% on the customs value (price, freight, insurance) plus any duty and fees (Norwegian Customs). Electric cars worth up to NOK 300,000 are VAT-free, with 25% on the value above. The Storting has asked for the threshold to be cut by NOK 150,000 in each of the 2027 and 2028 budgets, subject to ESA approval.
3. One-off registration tax, 2026 rates (Storting resolution): NOK 12.71 per kg of kerb weight above 500 kg; for cars with a combustion engine, NOK 260 per kg above 1,200 kg; and CO₂ at NOK 800 per g/km up to 100, 1,600 from 101 to 150, 3,200 from 151 to 225 and 5,000 above. Skatteetaten confirms that the NOx component was removed from 1 January 2026, that the plug-in hybrid weight deduction ended in 2024, and that electric cars pay only the weight component.

Two petrol SUVs, calculated live by the same rules engine as this site's calculator. Kerb weight and CO₂ are defaults where certified values are not on file; enter the real figures to refine them. The approval and registration rows are estimates.

Landed charges come to about 185–190% of CIF, or 331–342% on top of the ex-works price. For a petrol SUV the registration tax can exceed the car's price; an electric car pays only the weight component and, up to the threshold, no VAT. Skatteetaten's assessment prevails.

Individual approval and registration

Book a control appointment at a Statens vegvesen traffic station. The fee for individual approval of a car up to 3,500 kg is NOK 1,750 from 1 February 2026, excluding any laboratory tests. Skatteetaten calculates the registration tax from the CoC or the individual-approval data, and the car is then registered. Approval and registration are Statens vegvesen's decision; LandedCar does not guarantee them.

Shipping and customs clearance

Cars ship from China to Oslo or Drammen, usually via a German or Dutch port; the calculator uses the current reference freight and insurance. According to Norwegian Customs, the importer declares the car and pays VAT to Tolletaten, pays the registration tax to Skatteetaten, and has the car approved and registered by Statens vegvesen. A customs representative declares electronically with the invoice and transport documents. LandedCar delivers to the port (FOB or CIF) and handles the Chinese export declaration; clearance, taxes, approval and registration are in the importer's name. The responsibility for each step must be written into the quotation and pro forma invoice.

Frequently asked questions

I am moving to Norway. Is my car exempt? No. Cars and other motor vehicles are not exempt from duties when you move.

Does a plug-in hybrid avoid the high tax? It has a combustion engine, so it pays the weight surcharge and the CO₂ component, and the former weight deduction no longer applies.

Will the electric-car VAT relief last? In 2026 it covers the first NOK 300,000; the Storting has asked for cuts in 2027 and 2028. Check the rate in force on the day of import.

Sources, checked 26 October 2026: Engangsavgift resolution 2026 · Skatteetaten circular 2026 · Skatteetaten: what is engangsavgift · Customs: electric vehicles · Storting: budget recommendation · Customs: car import · Customs: import guide · Customs: calculation · Statens vegvesen: individual approval · Statens vegvesen: how a vehicle is approved · Fee amendment 2026 · Customs: moving goods · European Commission: EEA agreement. Approval, clearance and registration estimates are not official fees. Rules change; the decisions of Customs, Skatteetaten and Statens vegvesen on the actual vehicle prevail.