How Import Tariffs Are Reshaping the EV Export Map
In short: From 5% in the Gulf to rising duties in Brazil, tariffs are the single biggest variable in landed cost. Where the smart volume is going.
The technology and the FOB price of Chinese EVs are increasingly similar across models. What really moves your landed cost — and therefore where importers focus — is import duty.
Low-duty magnets
The UAE and Saudi Arabia apply a flat 5% duty; Chile and Peru sit around 6%. These markets let the low FOB price flow through to a low landed price, which is why they attract steady volume.
Incentive-driven markets
Colombia and Israel use reduced EV-specific tariffs and taxes to actively pull in electric vehicles — effectively subsidising your landed cost versus a combustion car.
Rising-tariff markets
Brazil is ramping its EV import tariff on a published schedule, and CIS markets add recycling fees on top of duty. These markets are still large and viable, but the maths must be done carefully and confirmed per shipment.
Our landed-cost calculator bakes each country's duty into the estimate so you can compare destinations at a glance.