China
Italy trade laneChinese brands now sell electric cars across Italy through their own networks, and dealers, fleet operators and specialist importers look at bringing EU-specification models in themselves. It is a legal trade with a heavy duty stack: since October 2024 the EU has applied countervailing duties to new battery-electric cars from China, on top of the normal 10% EU duty on cars, at a rate that depends on who built the car.
AGF's role is the logistics and the documents. Our Foshan office coordinates with the exporter, checks the vehicles and their papers before shipment and arranges the dangerous-goods booking. In Italy, discharge, customs clearance and handover for registration run through our WCA partner agents and licensed customs representatives; AGF has no office in Italy. We do not ship Chinese-domestic-specification cars for registration in Italy — the reasons are below.
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Shipping Electric Vehicles from China to Italy
New EVs reach Italy in two ways. Large volumes go on car carriers (RoRo) into Italian vehicle terminals such as Salerno, the route the manufacturers use themselves; smaller lots move in containers with several cars per 40ft, which suits dealers and specialist importers. Either way an electric car is a lithium-battery-powered vehicle under the IMDG Code — Class 9 dangerous goods — so the booking needs a DG declaration, battery data and the carrier's acceptance, and carriers add their own conditions on state of charge and on used or damaged vehicles.
Specification decides everything. A car built for the Chinese market is not an EU car: it lacks EU type approval, and its charging port is generally China's GB/T standard rather than the CCS2 standard used in Europe. Only EU-specification vehicles with an EU certificate of conformity register in Italy without an expensive individual approval, so we check the specification and papers before a car is loaded. Transit depends on routing via Suez or the Cape of Good Hope and is confirmed per booking.
- RoRo for volume; containers for dealer lots, with the number per box confirmed against the carrier's EV rules
- Class 9 dangerous-goods booking with battery data and carrier acceptance
- EU specification and certificate of conformity checked before loading
- Photo condition reports at loading, for insurance and for the buyer
What Drives the Cost
- EU countervailing duty — set per manufacturer, or replaced by an accepted minimum import price for some models
- The 10% EU duty on cars, and 22% Italian import IVA on the duty-inclusive value
- RoRo or container, and the carrier's dangerous-goods surcharges for EVs
- Specification — an EU certificate of conformity rather than an individual approval
- Port handling, storage and pre-delivery inspection in Italy
- Italian registration and plate costs
HS Codes and Duty Notes
Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Codes are confirmed with the licensed customs representative at destination before you ship.
| HS Code | Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8703.80 | New battery-electric passenger cars | 10% EU duty plus a countervailing duty set per Chinese manufacturer — from 7.8% to 35.3% under the October 2024 measure. Verify the current rate per manufacturer at quoting. |
| 8703.60 / 8703.70 | Plug-in hybrid passenger cars | Outside the countervailing duty on battery-electric cars; the normal EU car duty applies. Confirm the classification of range-extender designs before ordering. |
| 8507.60 | Spare traction batteries shipped on their own | UN3480 dangerous goods at sea, and EV batteries under the Battery Regulation, with battery passports from 18 February 2027. |
| 8708 | Parts and accessories for EVs | Classified on their own lines. Whether an unassembled kit counts as a car is a classification question to settle before shipping. |
Regulations and Compliance
EU countervailing duties on Chinese battery-electric cars
Since 30 October 2024 the EU has applied definitive countervailing duties to new battery-electric passenger cars from China for five years, on top of the 10% car duty. The rate is set per manufacturer — from 7.8% to 35.3% in the original measure, with the top rate for producers that did not cooperate with the investigation — and rates can be reviewed, so verify the current rate for your exact manufacturer before you price a car. Plug-in hybrids are outside the measure.
Minimum-price undertakings
In January 2026 the Commission published guidance on how Chinese exporters can offer price undertakings — a minimum import price per model — instead of paying the duty, and in February 2026 it accepted the first, for a China-built model from a European group. A car covered by an accepted undertaking enters without the countervailing duty only when it is sold at or above its minimum price and invoiced under the undertaking's conditions; if the paperwork does not match, the duty is due. Ask the exporter whether your model is covered before you rely on it.
EU type approval and registration in Italy
To register a new car in Italy you need EU whole-vehicle type approval, evidenced by the manufacturer's certificate of conformity. EU-specification Chinese models have it; Chinese-domestic versions do not and would need an individual approval, which rarely makes sense, not least because of the different charging standard. After clearance, registration runs through the Motorizzazione and the vehicle registry, with the customs document as proof that duty and IVA were paid.
China's export licence for electric cars
Since 1 January 2026 China has required an export licence for pure-electric passenger cars, issued through the Ministry of Commerce and valid for a year, aimed at unauthorised exports with no after-sales support. Buy from an exporter that holds the licence and the manufacturer's authorisation: a car without them may not leave China, and one that does may arrive without warranty or software support in Europe.
EVs as dangerous goods
Under the IMDG Code an EV is a lithium-battery-powered vehicle in Class 9. Carriers set their own acceptance rules on top — limits on state of charge, bans on damaged or recalled vehicles and, on some services, restrictions on used EVs in containers — so the vehicle data and condition must be declared accurately at booking. Spare traction batteries ship separately as UN3480.
22% IVA on top of both duties
Italian import IVA at 22% is charged on the customs value plus the 10% duty and any countervailing duty, so the countervailing duty raises the IVA bill as well. VAT-registered dealers recover the IVA; a private buyer bears it in full.
Door-to-Door Shipping Service
We start with the model list, the specification and the exporter: EU certificate of conformity, export-licence status and whether the model is covered by an accepted price undertaking. Our Foshan office coordinates with the exporter, checks the vehicles and their documents before shipment and arranges the dangerous-goods booking — RoRo or container — with condition photos at loading.
In Italy, our WCA partner agent coordinates discharge and a licensed customs representative clears the cars, applying the 10% duty, the countervailing duty for the manufacturer and 22% IVA. The cars are then released for pre-delivery inspection and registration by your dealership or registration agent.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the EU tariff on Chinese electric cars?
Can I import a Chinese electric car to Italy myself?
Do plug-in hybrids from China pay the EU anti-subsidy duty?
How are electric cars shipped from China to Italy?
Electric Vehicles is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.
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