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Importing a used car from China? Get the rules, the data and the prices — without the sales pitch.

Country-by-country import rules, monthly export statistics and model price comparisons, re-composed from primary Chinese industry sources and checked against official regulations.

Rule pages verified quarterly· Every figure carries its statistical scope and source.
Free tools Landed Cost Calculator Estimate duty, VAT and the total landed cost for your destination Eligibility Checker Known import-rule status: age, fuel, steering Exporter Verification Checklist Seven steps to verify before you pay Shipping Method Selector RoRo vs container for your vehicle and route

Browse import guides by country

Key numbers per country · verified quarterly

2026 China used-car export rules

Read the rules →
180-DAY RULE

Near-new vehicles

Registered less than 180 days at licence application? A manufacturer after-sales service confirmation is required — without it, no export licence.

EXPORT LICENCE

Licensed exporters only

Company eligibility, licence and vehicle data must all match before a licence is issued for the used-car channel.

INSPECTION

Third-party testing

Export vehicles need a product test report from a third-party body against China's used-vehicle export quality requirements.

AFTER-SALES

Quality responsibility

Exporters carry traceability duty: condition disclosure, mileage, repair history, testing, after-sales and parts support.

Buying from China? Start with the 7-step verification checklist

  1. Verify company

    Business licence, used-car export scope, and a bank account in the company's own name.

  2. Verify export eligibility

    The exporter holds a valid used-car export licence under the 2026 licence regime.

  3. Verify vehicle

    A condition report per unit: mileage evidence, accident and repair history.

  4. Verify VIN and documents

    VIN matches contract and invoice; deregistration and ownership paperwork all exist.

  5. Independent inspection

    Third-party inspection at the port before loading — the cheapest insurance in this trade.

  6. Safe payment structure

    Staged payments: deposit against documents, balance against the bill of lading.

  7. Confirm destination eligibility before shipping

    Duty, age limit and spec compliance for your country — checked before money moves.

Read the anti-fraud guide → Is importing a used car from China safe? Fraud prevention, step by step — plus the red flags buyers report most.

Latest: China used-car export monthly report

All reports →
September 2026 · monthly report

Bottom line: China’s used-car export map runs through three regions. On the latest full-year branch-series data (2024), the UAE, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Kazakhstan alone took about 65% of export value; in 2025 third-party counting named Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa as the main destination regions, while the Russia corridor turned…

Scope note: one statistical scope per series — dealer-association, customs and third-party figures are never mixed within one chart. See the report for the full methodology.

China Used Car Exports: Destination Markets in 2025-2026

Monthly Data Report · published 2026-09-05
Read the full report →

Model Watch — price abroad vs China

All comparisons →

Buyer FAQ — most asked

All questions →
Do Chinese Cars Have Warranty Coverage Overseas?
Short answer: it depends on the brand and, above all, on the channel the car went through. Cars sold new through an official destination-market distributor can carry that market’s warranty. Used cars exported through China’s used-car channel usually land outside the destination distributor’s new-car… Read the answer →
Are Accident or Flood-Damaged Cars Exported from China?
Short answer, stated plainly: yes — accident-repaired and flood-affected cars do exist in China’s domestic market, and some of them enter the export channel. The export regime is built to control this rather than pretend it away: the exporter is legally the quality-traceability responsible… Read the answer →
How Do I Check a Used EV’s Battery Health Before Buying from China?
Short answer: there is no public database where a foreign buyer can look up a Chinese EV’s battery state of health (SOH) — as of our 2026-09-05 check, no such lookup exists in any official English-language form. You build the picture from three evidence… Read the answer →