European tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles have not stopped the trade. They have redirected it into a segment the tariff schedule never covered.
Sales of used Chinese electric cars to EU customers rose 280 per cent year on year in the first nine months of 2026, reaching 7,900 units, according to data published by China EV Marketplace.
https://robotbelt.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/13_0-3.pngWhy used cars move
Brussels currently applies duties of up to 45.3 per cent on new battery-electric vehicles imported from China and operates an import quota on plug-in hybrids. Used vehicles are exempt from both the additional BEV duty and the PHEV quota, which makes them the practical alternative for European and Canadian buyers who want the product without the penalty.
Jakub Geršl, the marketplace’s chief operating officer, said the tariffs have weakened European demand for new Chinese BEVs and that the hybrid import cap has weighed on new PHEV sales. Because used cars escape both instruments, the company has made them the core of its European business.
Inventory and pricing
The platform currently lists more than 2,600 used Chinese electric vehicles, covering BYD, Geely and Zeekr among other brands, with stock updated daily. Average pricing sits roughly 40 per cent below original manufacturer suggested retail price.
Geršl said his Shanghai team sources the vehicles and regularly finds cars with around 6,000 km on the odometer at that 40 per cent discount to Chinese list price.
The depreciation engine
Several forces push those prices down. Technology in Chinese EVs refreshes on a cycle measured in months. Manufacturers launch new and facelifted models at a pace that resets residuals. Domestic buyer preference runs hard toward the newest model.
The result is a steady flow of low-mileage, high-specification Chinese electric cars into Western markets at prices no European manufacturer can match on a like-for-like basis. The tariff raised the price of the new car and, in doing so, sharpened the appeal of the nearly new one.
Editor’s note: This is an adapted translation of the original Gasgoo report. It has been trimmed and restructured for readability for an international business audience. The full original (in Chinese) is at https://auto.gasgoo.com/news/202610/29I70475821C501.shtml.