Today, vehicle updates are happening at an increasingly rapid pace, especially with the Chinese government actively promoting the development of new energy vehicles. A wide range of incentive policies have accelerated consumers' car replacement frequency, leading to rapid growth in the used car market. China’s used car market is characterized by a large inventory and affordable prices, making it an attractive choice for many buyers. For those with limited budgets, a used car with low mileage, no major issues, and high cost-performance is often a great option.
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However, the vast number of vehicles and inconsistent quality, combined with legal and tax complexities during transactions, make buying and selling a challenge with many potential pitfalls. As a result, the used car market is often seen as unreliable or “luck-based,” especially when it comes to importing used vehicles.
To help you navigate this, we’re sharing practical tips and key reminders for purchasing used cars from Chinese ports — providing valuable insights for your buying journey.
Before diving into the detailed process, let’s first explore why more and more consumers and dealers are choosing to import cars from China. Here are four key advantages:
Chinese cars are known for their excellent value. Prices are typically 20%–30% lower than comparable models from Europe or the U.S. For instance, a Toyota Corolla may cost around $13,000, while you can easily find similar configurations from BYD, AION, or Geely for under $9,000 — significantly reducing purchase costs.
In addition, our company provides used car offers on select models, and consultations are free. Feel free to contact us!
Although Chinese cars once faced skepticism regarding reliability, this perception is rapidly changing. Brands such as BYD, Zeekr, Xiaomi, AITO, and Lixiang have earned global recognition thanks to advanced manufacturing processes and intelligent technologies. Their growing sales and strong customer feedback—along with numerous international awards—prove that Chinese car quality now meets global standards.
Chinese automakers are leading the way in EV technology, especially in driving range and fast-charging capabilities. In April, BYD introduced the Han L and Tang L models equipped with megawatt-level fast-charging tech — claiming charging speeds comparable to gasoline refueling. This greatly eases range anxiety and charging delays.
More importantly, despite technological breakthroughs, prices remain stable. With high cost-effectiveness and advanced innovation, Chinese EVs are now overtaking global competitors. Whether importing a new vehicle or choosing a used car export, China remains the most cost-efficient option.
Although importing vehicles from China may seem complicated, in reality, China is one of the most convenient countries for automobile exports. As an export-driven economy, China prioritizes efficiency and service in its global trade. From policy support to logistics infrastructure, the process is often more streamlined and cost-effective than importing from Western countries.
In short, whether you're focused on price, quality, technology, or logistics, Chinese vehicles offer a compelling combination of advantages and are a trustworthy source for imports.
Importing from China is not as complicated as it seems. Follow these 8 steps to bring home the vehicle you want:
The first step is finding a trustworthy car supplier. Before committing, conduct thorough market research and verify the company’s reputation and credentials. Once a reliable partner is identified, the import cars process becomes much smoother.
TOPEV is a dependable used auto sale partner in China. We can serve as your local supplier and handle all the heavy lifting. If you're planning a used car export, contact our sales team — we’ll take care of everything for you.
Next, choose a car that fits your needs. If the price is high, you can negotiate. Be sure to check the mileage, damage history, part replacements, original paint status, and whether the car is allowed to be imported into your country.
At TOPEV, we handle used vehicle check with strict standards. We provide free official inspection reports, guaranteeing the accuracy of vehicle specifications and information. Our one-stop service removes the guesswork from the process.
Before leaving China, the vehicle must undergo local registration, quality inspection, and compliance certification to ensure it meets necessary standards and protects your rights as a buyer.
Before starting the import process, you must apply for an import license and prepare the required customs documents, including:
These can be processed by yourself or through a professional import service agency.
Importing a car involves various expenses. It's recommended to request a quote from your supplier and be aware of the following cost items:
Vehicle invoice price
VAT or GST
Modification costs (to meet local standards)
Export service fees (within China)
Shipping and insurance
Customs, storage, and delivery fees in the destination country
Registration and insurance costs
Logistics is crucial to ensure your vehicle arrives safely and on time. Choose an experienced and reputable logistics partner and finalize details like:
Shipping method (RoRo, FCL, or shared container)
Port of origin and destination
Transit time
Total cost
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After the vehicle arrives at your local port, it must go through customs clearance. Authorities will verify the documents and calculate applicable import duties and taxes. The vehicle will also undergo compliance testing and a general inspection to ensure it’s not stolen and meets road safety standards.
Once the car is cleared by customs, it must be registered in your country. Although procedures vary by region, typical steps include:
Submitting documents
Passing a safety inspection
Meeting emissions standards
Purchasing insurance
Paying registration and road taxes
Characteristics
1. The vast majority of used cars are sold or trade-in by individual car user, unlike in the US, many come from financial leasing fleet.
2. The Car Rental market in China is also underdeveloped, and its contribution to the used car market is limited.
3. User pays a purchase tax on new cars, which is 10% of the price of vehicles. Therefore, the price of used cars in China seems to be higher than that of new car, because the actual purchase cost of new cars is 110% of the sale price.
4. China's emission requirements for automobiles have been raised rapidly. At present, China has entered the Ⅵ emission requirements, and will be upgraded to the Ⅶ emission in the next year, which will make more high-quality young-age cars become used cars.
5. China has a large territory and uneven regional economic development, which enriches the abundant characteristics in the used car market in China.
(a) In developed coastal areas, private cars have a short change cycle, good condition. With long change cycle, inland undeveloped areas can accommodate many high-quality used cars from developed areas;
(b) Vehicles with young-age & long-mileage and old-age & short-mileage are common in the market, because there are great differences in the way they use cars, some of them commute to work, some only travel on weekends, and some use cars to do business similar to Uber;
(c) In cities in developed regions, the Uberized car service has been in operation for more than 4 years, and in the past two years, the proportion of EV models in Uberized fleet has gradually increased. At present, a lot of gasoline Uberized car has entered used car market, and in the future, a lot of EV models will come.
6. China still has a large number of commercial vehicles in car parc, but most of them are unable to enter the used car market because of the problem of mandatory scrapping years. With the policy support and promotion of the application of new energy commercial vehicles, many urban buses and small/medium-sized truck will enter used car market.
Brands in Used Car
1. China's automobile market contains the largest number of automobile brands and models in the world, but with the rapid growth of China's automobile market slowing down, the maturity of Chinese automobile consumption, some brands have gradually weakened;
2. In China, German Volkswagen is the absolute king, because they came to China very early, which is the reference for the first time when Chinese people established their knowledge of automobiles. Therefore, the price of new cars and used cars of Volkswagen brand are strong in China.
3. The performance of Japanese brands in China, with the improvement of Chinese people's awareness of automobiles year by year, the sales volume is stable, the discount of new car is low, and the used car residual value ( UC RV ) is constantly rising;
4. American brands, GM and Ford, although their sales volume in China are good, their profit margin and UC RV are not good.
5. The sales volume, profit margin and the UC RV of French and Korean brands in China are not good either.
6. Local brands, Geely on cars and SUVs, Great Wall on SUV models, have achieved significant technical and sales improvements in recent years. French and Korean brands, under the situation of insufficient brand power, have been greatly impacted. UC RV of local brand models are still low.
7. High-level brands, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi are the mainstream in China, Lexus, Volvo and Cadillac are following. In the used car market, Volvo and Cadillac models have the lowest UC RV, the higher are BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, and Lexus is the highest.
Advantages
1. New cars sold domestically enjoy a " 三包 (Three offers)" period (2 years/50,000 kilometers) mandatory by the government. During this period, when problems arise due to vehicle quality to a certain condition, the manufacturer needs to provide a change or return service.
2. Most of the mainstream brands sold in China have extended the warranty period of vehicles to 4 years/80,000 kilometers; vehicles for normal private use enjoy a 6-year annual inspection exemption period. These reflect that the reliability of manufacturing technology and quality of automobile products in China has improved a lot.
3. With the rise of China's automobile market, the automobile spare parts manufacturing industry has developed rapidly. There are many brands and models sold in China, and the spare parts market has different prices choices. Especially in China, the so-called "sub-factory parts" with the same specifications are manufactured by suppliers who also supply the parts to the automobile manufacturers. The self-selling parts circulated in the system are of high quality and low price, which are very suitable for the use of used car in after-sale repair or refurbishment.
4. The Chinese Government expressly stipulates that the export of used cars must be more than one year away from mandatory scrapping year. Violators are fined and their qualifications for used-car export are revoked.
5. Trading volume and sales volume of used cars in China are steadily increasing (new car sales growth period in the past 10 years brought about by the number of car parc gradually entered the used car market), for foreign used car dealers demand the same type of vehicles sufficient supply, China's used car market is completely supportable;
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