Buying guideUpdated Oct 30, 2026
How to import a Chinese electric car into Kenya (2026)
CRAVEUO EV Export · Sources last checked 2026-10-30 · General information, not legal advice. We do not clear customs in Kenya. Nothing here is a promise or a quote.
Quick answer
We have no confirmed right-hand-drive supply for this market, so a price shown elsewhere on this site for this market is a list estimate, not an offer. Kenya prohibits the import and registration of left-hand-drive cars, and China-market cars are left-hand drive. Pure-electric cars pay 10% excise and 16% VAT. Official sources disagree on the customs duty, 35% or 25%, and on the import declaration fee, 2.5% or 3.5%, so get these in writing before you rely on them.
Key facts
Steering
Left-hand-drive import and registration prohibited under KS 1515:2000 (KEBS notice, June 2025). The KRA page also requires right-hand drive. That KEBS notice has an exception for special-purpose vehicles
Customs duty
Sources disagree: see below
Excise, pure electric
Excise, plug-in hybrid
25% (KRA)
VAT
16% (KRA). We found no relief for electric passenger cars
Import declaration fee (IDF)
Sources disagree: see below
Railway development levy
2% (KRA)
Used cars
Right-hand drive, first registered from 1 Jan 2019 (press report of a KEBS notice; official notice not opened)
Plugs
The EPRA charging guidelines list CCS, CHAdeMO and Type 2 for stations, not GB/T. This is a station table, not a rule for imported cars
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Steering | Left-hand-drive import and registration prohibited under KS 1515:2000 (KEBS notice, June 2025). The KRA page also requires right-hand drive. That KEBS notice has an exception for special-purpose vehicles |
| Customs duty | Sources disagree: see below |
| Excise, pure electric | 10% (Excise Duty Act, 2021 revision; KRA) |
| Excise, plug-in hybrid | 25% (KRA) |
| VAT | 16% (KRA). We found no relief for electric passenger cars |
| Import declaration fee (IDF) | Sources disagree: see below |
| Railway development levy | 2% (KRA) |
| Used cars | Right-hand drive, first registered from 1 Jan 2019 (press report of a KEBS notice; official notice not opened) |
| Plugs | The EPRA charging guidelines list CCS, CHAdeMO and Type 2 for stations, not GB/T. This is a station table, not a rule for imported cars |
Where the sources disagree
Customs duty
EAC Gazette, 30 Jun 2026, LN 160, item 214
35% on heading 8703 for Kenya, for one year
KRA import page, undated
25%
| Source | Rate |
|---|---|
| EAC Gazette, 30 Jun 2026, LN 160, item 214 | 35% on heading 8703 for Kenya, for one year |
| KRA import page, undated | 25% |
The gazette is dated and official. The KRA page has no date and may be out of date. The gazette's electric-car relief on 8703.80.90 that we saw covers Rwanda and Burundi, not Kenya. Ask a clearing agent or KRA in writing.
Import declaration fee
KRA import page, undated
3.5%
Search summaries on the Finance Act 2023, not opened
2.5%
| Source | Rate |
|---|---|
| KRA import page, undated | 3.5% |
| Search summaries on the Finance Act 2023, not opened | 2.5% |
We also saw a summary saying an appeal court ruled that Act unconstitutional in 2024. We did not check what happened next, so we cannot say which rate applies today.
Inspection and private import
KEBS's 2023 notice names the general public among importers of used cars. It requires a certificate of roadworthiness for used cars from Japan, the UAE, the UK, Thailand, Singapore and South Africa. China is not on that list. We could not open a May 2026 notice on the inspection company.
We did not find inspection rules for new cars, or a rule for private import of new cars.
Models
We have no model list for Kenya. A car page on this site may say a model has a right-hand-drive version. That means the maker sells one in some market. It is not supply we have confirmed.
How an order works
- Check the rules above with a Kenyan clearing agent, and get the duty and IDF rates in writing.
- Ask us whether we have right-hand-drive supply yet. Send your city, model and version through the inquiry form. We tell you whether we can supply that car before any contract.
Common questions
Can I import a left-hand-drive electric car into Kenya?
Do you have right-hand-drive cars for Kenya?
What is the excise on electric cars?
Is the customs duty 25% or 35%?
How old can a used car be?
Want one of these cars shipped to your country?
Tell us your country and the version; we reply within one working day with an FOB reference price and the export route.
Sources (checked 2026-10-30)
- KEBS notice on special-purpose vehicles, June 2025, read from an archived image copy
- KEBS notice on used vehicles, 2023, read from an archived image copy
- KRA: motor vehicle import procedure, undated
- EAC Gazette Vol. AT 1 No. 16, 2026-06-30
- Excise Duty Act 2015, revised 2021
- EPRA e-mobility charging guidelines
- Kenyans.co.ke: KEBS 2019 cut-off, press
This guide is not legal or customs advice; the destination's customs and a licensed broker decide.