New or nearly new: exporting a Chinese EV (2026)

CRAVEUO EV Export · Sources last checked 2026-10-31 · General information, not legal advice. Nothing here is a promise or a quote.

Quick answer

A new car leaves China unregistered, as a new car. A nearly-new car was registered in China first, then sold to an export company and declared as a used car. So it can fail your country's definition of "new", even with almost no mileage, and it has already changed owner, which can end first-owner warranty terms. Check your country's rule before you choose. The papers show which car you are buying.

The two routes side by side

What China's rules say

The dates below come from the official texts.

• 1 Mar 2024: used-car export rules. They set out the used-car route: transfer, licence, inspection, customs, deregistration.
• 26 Sep 2025: Announcement No. 54 of 2025. Four authorities put pure-electric passenger cars (customs code 8703801090) under export licensing from 1 January 2026. Company conditions follow the 2012 car-export rules.
• 11 Nov 2025: notice Shangmaohan (2025) No. 648. Its first aim is to stop new cars being exported in the name of used cars. From 1 January 2026, a car applying for export within 180 days of registration, day 180 included, needs an after-sales confirmation stamped by the maker. It names the destination country, the car and the service points. Without it, no licence is issued. Cars already transferred for export before the notice could finish their contracts.
• 26 Dec 2025: Announcement No. 85 of 2025. MOFCOM published the 2026 list of companies that qualify. Its annex pairs each carmaker with export companies. A company on the list is qualified to apply. That doesn't prove it will perform, as our buying guide explains.

Note what the notice does not do. It does not define "new", and it does not ban nearly-new cars. It uses the registration date as the test. A car past 180 days does not need the maker's letter, which is why the cars offered for export have mostly been registered for about 6 months or more. The maker decides whether to sign a letter, so a car registered more recently depends on its maker. We found no public record of how often makers sign.

Xiaomi shows the limit of the new-car route. Xiaomi has not authorised any exporter, so the only route is nearly new, covered in our Xiaomi guide.

Where nearly-new cars come from

Independent exporters buy cars in China and register them first, then export them as second-hand (CarNewsChina, 2024). The official process then runs like this:

1. The car has a Chinese registration, in a first owner's name.
2. It is transferred to the export company. The registration certificate is marked "transfer pending export". Temporary plates last up to 60 days.
3. The car can't be resold inside China after that.
4. A third-party inspection is done to the used-car standard (WM/T 8-2022), and the exporter applies for a licence that lists the VIN.
5. Customs clears the car. It can't be returned to China after clearance.
6. Within 2 months, the exporter applies to cancel the Chinese registration, using the export declaration.

Two things follow. The first owner's name matters: ask who it was, and whether it was a dealer, a company or a person. And since the car can't come back, your checks must happen before customs clearance.

"New" abroad: three definitions

China's status doesn't decide this. Your country's law does. A nearly-new car can fail on model year, distance or registration history. Here are three real definitions from our country guides.

Time works against a nearly-new car. Waiting out 180 days and then shipping can use up the model-year window, so check the year on the day your declaration will be accepted, not the day you order.

Some countries also restrict or ban used imports. Don't assume a low-mileage car escapes that. Check your own country's rule first, with your authority or a licensed customs broker. The rules for Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay are in those guides.

Warranty: where the routes differ

Neither route gives you a maker's warranty abroad by default. CRAVEUO does not promise one; the terms are in your contract with the exporter, and we send them in writing before you pay. The China terms by brand are in our warranty guide. A nearly-new car has extra problems:

• The first-owner terms may be gone. NIO's lifetime terms end when the car changes owner. Lynk & Co's list includes a change of owner too. Yangwang's lifetime cover is for the first owner in private use. Export means a transfer.
• The clock started in China. NIO counts from the day it handed the car over. A car registered 7 months ago has used 7 months.
• The maker's letter is not your warranty. It is a paper for the licence. Ask for a copy, and read which service points it names.

For Xiaomi cars in the UAE, compare both routes in our UAE guide.

Papers to ask for

Ask for these before the balance, or by the stage shown. Check that the VIN matches on every one.

If a seller offers a "new" car and the papers show a registration, you are buying a used car. If a seller offers a car registered 180 days or less with no maker's letter, ask how it will get a licence.

Ask your broker which of these your customs wants, and whether it needs originals or translations. Compare the export models we track first.

Send your country, model and version through the inquiry form. We tell you whether we can supply that car before any contract. Nothing is paid before it is signed, and payment goes only to the company account on the invoice.