How much does it cost to import a Chinese electric car to the UAE including shipping?

Short answer

The total is the car's price in China, plus export-side costs, sea freight, UAE customs duty of 5% and VAT of 5%, plus UAE inspection and registration fees. UAE customs charges 5% duty on a car's assessed value [1], and the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) says import VAT is 5%, on a base that includes insurance, freight and customs fees [5]. We read that base as including the duty, which puts duty and VAT at about 10.25% of the car's assessed CIF value, before export-side costs, insurance, port charges and registration.

Cost components

1. Car price in China. Get it in writing with a trade term (FOB, CIF or DAP). A China retail price is not an export price.
2. Export side. This covers inland transport to the port, export customs clearance and, for pure electric cars, an export licence, required since 2026-01-01 [9]. Electric cars ship as UN 3556 Class 9 dangerous goods, mandatory from 2026-01-01 [10]. We found no public prices for these items, so they must appear in the exporter's written quote.
3. Sea freight. The indicative October 2026 band to Jebel Ali is US$3,992 to US$4,952 per 20-foot container and US$4,967 to US$6,953 per 40-foot container [2]. Gulf shipping is disrupted. Jebel Ali was attacked on 2026-03-01 [3], and in September 2026 Maersk reported an emergency rate of US$1,800 per 20-foot container for UAE cargo, plus US$1,000 for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz [4]. The freight page does not say whether such surcharges are inside its band. We found no public Ro-Ro price for China to the UAE, so ask for a written quote.
4. UAE customs duty and VAT. Dubai Customs states 5% duty on a car's value, assessed by its valuation department, so the figure can differ from your invoice [1]. The FTA's automotive VAT guide says import VAT is 5%, on a base that includes insurance, freight and customs fees, and that the taxpayer is the importer listed for customs clearance [5]. It does not use the word "duty", so adding the duty to the base is our reading. Your customs agent must confirm the final figures.
5. Arrival and registration. Clearance needs an invoice, packing list, Bill of Lading and a passport or Emirates ID copy [1]. UAE government guidance requires inspection at an authorised testing centre unless the car was produced in the last three years before registration [7]. In Dubai, the RTA limits its three-year exemption to first owners of new, zero-kilometre cars from an authorised dealer in the UAE, so a directly imported car should plan on inspection [8]. All electric cars sold in the UAE must obtain an Emirates conformity certificate from MoIAT [11]. The RTA says electric cars need no local authorised agent, only that certificate; China-built Volkswagen electric cars are the exception, because their registration on a customs certificate has been suspended since a decision of 2023-03-06 [8]. RTA fees: AED 400 registration for a light vehicle, AED 35 or AED 50 plates, AED 20 Knowledge and Innovation fee [8]. Gulf News reported Dh150 for inspection in March 2025 [12]; we did not find that figure on the RTA page. UAE authorities decide every registration, and nobody can promise the outcome.

Step-by-step import process →

How to work out your own total

Use the car price from your written quote. The arithmetic below follows [1] and [5], with duty in the VAT base as we read it.

For every US$10,000 of CIF value, duty is about US$500 and VAT about US$525. This leaves out export-side costs, cargo insurance, port and handling charges, customs agent fees, inspection, registration and the exporter's margin. The real total is higher.

Door delivery

Our standard quote is delivered to your door on DAP terms, with a local customs agent we recommend. It is not DDP: UAE customs assesses duty and VAT, and you pay them. We take no payment before a signed contract.