Sourcing electric vans and light trucks from China
Electric vans and trucks from China pay 10% UK duty, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty; new diesel goods vehicles pay the same 10%. A new van needs GB type approval, small series approval or individual approval under the Road Vehicles (Approval) Regulations 2020 before registration, so approval and right-hand drive come first. Cambridge China Bridge sources electric vans for fleets.
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Duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, goods vehicles with only an electric motor carried 10% duty on goods from China, as did new diesel goods vehicles in the lighter weight bands. No line carried an anti-dumping or countervailing measure. Import VAT is charged on top, on the value including duty. For diesel alternatives, see our diesel panel van sourcing guide.
Work out the customs value and the landed price per vehicle, including shipping, insurance and the approval costs.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goods vehicles with only an electric motor | 8704 60 00 00 | 10% | None |
| New diesel goods vehicles up to 5 tonnes, over 2,500 cm3 | 8704 21 31 00 | 10% | None |
| New diesel goods vehicles up to 5 tonnes, up to 2,500 cm3 | 8704 21 91 00 | 10% | None |
Approval and right-hand drive
The Road Vehicles (Approval) Regulations 2020 cover goods vehicle categories as well as cars, with GB type approval, small series approval and individual approval. A fleet programme will normally rely on a manufacturer that holds or will apply for GB approval for a right-hand-drive UK specification; a one-off vehicle goes through individual approval.
Ask who holds the approval, whether the UK version has the charging connector UK public chargers use, and what the payload is at the UK specification, because a heavier battery takes payload from the vehicle. The electric cars guide covers shipping vehicles with batteries, and the EV charger guide the depot equipment.
Range, payload and conversion
For a working van, the numbers that matter are the range at a stated load and temperature, the payload, the load space and the charging time on the depot charger. Ask for each at the UK specification and test them on a sample vehicle before a fleet order.
Many vans are converted after delivery, into refrigerated, shelved or tipper bodies. Agree with the manufacturer what the chassis will accept and whether a conversion affects the approval or the warranty. For other specialist vehicles, see our guide to truck cranes and concrete pump trucks. For refrigerated vehicles, see our refrigerated truck sourcing guide. For off-highway dumping vehicles, see our off-highway dump truck sourcing guide.
Worked duty example
Take a hypothetical order of 20 electric panel vans, entered under 8704 60 00 00: £400,000 free on board plus £30,000 of freight and insurance gives a customs value of £430,000. The 10% duty on electric goods vehicles comes to £43,000, and import VAT is 20% of £473,000, which is £94,600. If you are VAT-registered you normally reclaim the £94,600, leaving £43,000 as the real cost at the border. Freight assumes roll-on roll-off shipping, and approval costs come on top of these taxes. Step by step: UK import duty and VAT.
Inspection checklist
Charging: run an AC charge through the Type 2 inlet and a DC charge through the CCS2 inlet to IEC 62196 on each sampled vehicle, record the peak charging power against the specification, and check the on-board charger rating on the plate.
High-voltage safety and EMC: ask for the UN Regulation 100 approval for the electric powertrain and the UN Regulation 10 electromagnetic compatibility approval for the model, and check high-voltage cabling is orange, labelled and covered on sampled vehicles.
Shipping and tyres: confirm the traction battery has a UN 38.3 test summary and the vehicles are declared as UN 3171 battery-powered vehicles for sea freight, and check tyre size, load index and date codes against the approval documents on every vehicle.
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What goes wrong
Electric vans fail on approval, specification and the battery. Vehicles arrive with no GB approval matching their identification numbers, headlamps dipped for right-hand traffic, speedometers without miles per hour, or a charging inlet that does not suit UK public chargers. The 12-volt battery drains flat on the voyage, the traction battery has lost capacity since production, underbody corrosion protection is thin, and the payload at UK specification falls short of the brochure.
Before shipment, check each identification number against the approval certificate, confirm UK-pattern headlamps and a miles per hour speedometer, run a charging session on a CCS2 charger, get a battery state-of-health report per vehicle, weigh a sample to confirm payload, inspect underbody protection, and agree the state of charge and 12-volt battery isolation for the voyage.
Parts and warranty
Fleet uptime depends on parts. Agree who stocks spare parts in the UK, the delivery time, how software updates reach the vehicles, and who honours the battery warranty and on what terms.
Cambridge China Bridge sources electric vans and light trucks for fleets and dealers, with the approval route, UK specification, pre-shipment inspection and parts plan agreed with the manufacturer. See how our sourcing service works.
Related guides: Sourcing electric buses and coaches from China.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on electric vans from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, goods vehicles with only an electric motor carried 10% duty from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty. Import VAT is added.
Do Chinese electric vans need UK approval?
Yes. A new van needs GB type approval, small series approval or individual approval under the Road Vehicles (Approval) Regulations 2020 before registration.
What should be tested before a fleet order?
Range at a stated load and temperature, payload at the UK specification, load space and charging time on your depot charger, on a sample vehicle.
Can a Chinese electric van be converted after import?
Often, but agree with the manufacturer what the chassis accepts and whether the conversion affects the approval or warranty.