Chinese carmakers registered a record share of 11% of the EU’s plus UK’s electric car market in June, as they rushed to import as many EVs as possible before July 5th, the date the European Commission fixed for preliminary import taxes on Chinese cars. The figures come from market analysis by the German automotive data specialist Dataforce.

State-owned SAIC Motor Corp., the parent company of electric car brand MG, has imported the lion’s share (+40%) ahead of the highest tariff expected to be paid, recently reduced by the Commission with 0.5 % to 37.6%. Some 13,366 MGs were imported—primarily by importers and dealers—compared to 3,958 by BYD. For BYD, the EU import tariff is only 17%.

On top of 10% regular import duty

Electric cars from other Chinese manufacturers cooperating with the EU’s investigation will be subject to a special duty of 20.8%. For companies that have not cooperated, the rate will be corrected to 37.6%, similar to SAIC’s.

The particular duties, whether manufacturer-specific or in one of the two groups, are calculated in addition to the 10% import duty that applies anyway. Thus, the final customs duty is ten percentage points higher and amounts to a maximum of 47.6%.

23,000 Chinese EVs registered

To beat those tariffs as much as possible, 23,000 battery electric vehicles were registered in June, up 72% from the previous month. The MG4 was the most imported Chinese EV, but dealers mostly registered it to keep it in stock, says Dataforce.

In the first six months, MG sold 44,542 cars in Europe, according to figures from Jato Dynamics. BYD is second, with 17,048 EVs, followed on a distance by Great Wall (563), Xpeng (412), Honqi (162), NIO (142), and Zeekr (122).

According to DataForce, Germany, the UK, and France are the major European markets for Chinese EVs, followed by Norway, Belgium, and Italy. Germany remains the biggest importer of Chinese EVs, with 43,400 units sold, down 18% month after month due to dropped incentives and a general cooling down of EV uptake.

Belgium among top-five

Belgium has moved into the top five of ‘EV-ready’ European countries, following Norway, the Netherlands, and Finland, according to an analysis by leasing giant Ayvens, the merged company of ALD-Automove and LeasePlan.

It is primarily driven in Belgium by the professional market, where 67% of new car registrations are (mostly leased) company cars. And as only fully electric cars are 100% tax deductible from 2026 and ICE or PHEV are excluded from that moment on, the percentage of BEVs is high.

Rush on EV subsidies

According to the same data, EV readiness is much lower in Italy, ranking only 14th. Still, sales were boosted by about €200 million in subsidies for new EVs, which ran out within nine hours of their announcement.

According to the Chinese trade analysis website Soapbox, the EU and the UK now account for nearly half of China’s electric car exports, 36% and 12%, respectively. The US, with substantial import walls to protect its car industry against Chinese imports, accounts for only 1%. And those are primarily European brands manufactured in China.