China vehicles arriving in EU. Credit: CEVM
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As tariffs on Chinese battery electric vehicles (BEVs) rose up to 45.3% in 2024, European customers who wanted to import a car from China shifted to new plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and used BEVs over the last two years, which were not subject to countervailing duties, according to the China EV Marketplace (CEVM).
But that is shifting again. As the European Union introduced a new 350k cap on imports of hybrid vehicles from China, customers switch to used cars, which don’t face the 45.3% countervailing duty or the hybrid import cap.
According to data shared by CEVM, pre-owned vehicle sales to EU customers grew 280% year over year in January–September 2026 to 7,900 units, while new vehicle sales fell 44%.
“Tariffs have already weakened demand for new Chinese BEVs among our European customers. We expect the hybrid import cap to put pressure on new PHEV sales too,” says Jakub Geršl, COO of China EV Marketplace. “Pre-owned cars are exempt from the additional BEV tariffs and from the new hybrid (PHEV) quota. That is why we are making pre-owned vehicles the main focus of our European business.”
The company now offers over 2,600 used EVs on its website, updated daily from brands such as Xiaomi, BYD, iCar, Denza, Lynk&Co, Avatr, and others. According to CEVM, prices are well below the original price (MSRP) due to intense competition in China.
“Lower new-car prices put pressure on pre-owned prices as well,” Geršl adds. “Our Shanghai-based team searches for those opportunities. We regularly find cars with around 6,000 km on the clock priced 40% below their original Chinese list price.”
In China, CADA tracks used-car value retention and publishes a monthly report. Some models lose far more than 40% in three years; some brands retain value much better.
Here are the top 15 used EVs by three-year value retention in China.
Pre-owned EV value retention in China – leaderboard
Battery electric vehicles only · Three-year value retention · September 2026
China EV Marketplace also announced a delivery center in Prague, with an initial batch of 20 EVs, for customers who want to pick up a car immediately rather than waiting 3 months to import directly from China.
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