If you really want to import a Chinese EV to the United States, there’s a way to do it

There are virtually no Chinese EVs legally sold in the United States, but there is a way to have them imported.

It’s not an easy process by any stretch, nor is it a cheap one.

Basically, you’ll have to really want a Chinese EV in order to get one because it’s no casual trip down to the dealership.

But there are ways you can get ahold of a BYD or a Li Auto.

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Getting a Chinese EV into the United States

You may have noticed that Chinese EVs have been increasing in popularity recently.

This guy drove the BYD Seal for a week to see how it compared to Tesla and was pleasantly surprised.

Elsewhere, a BYD Yangwang U7 managed to guide a ball through a maze on its roof.

In short, these cars are impressive and are catching the attention of many western drivers.

Is it any wonder BYD has been building a gigantic megafactory in China to meet demand?

And that’s not forgetting Li Auto, which left some Americans convinced it would ‘cook’ Tesla.

But at any rate, these EVs aren’t set to dominate the US market anytime soon.

Getting these Chinese cars imported into the US is very pricey, thanks to a whole raft of tariffs – some more recent than others.

Last year, the Biden administration placed a 100 percent tariff on EVs coming in from China.

The current Trump administration has put additional tariffs into place, including a 25 percent tariff on all imported cars.

Most recently, the United States government placed a new tariff on Chinese goods – previously at a 20 percent levy, and now at 54 percent.

You don’t have to be a financial expert to know what this means – prices go up.

Not a cheap hobby

Getting a Chinese EV into the US legally will come with a lot of compromises and restrictions.

As reported by Wired, some cars come in under softer safety regulations if they’re low and medium speed vehicles.

Admittedly, these are ones that don’t go on the highway, and would tend to be golf carts or farm vehicles.

Non-Americans can also bring in foreign vehicles temporarily without getting an American number plate – but it has to leave the country within a year and not change hands in that time.

Cao Yang, the owner of CDM Import, told Wired ‘you can drive around with a Chinese license plate. They will print out a certificate of temporary importation, which you just need to stick to the windshield’.

But there’s a ton of paper work that needs to be done before bringing a foreign car into the country.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the owner must make arrangements to have it procressed through them.

Documentation will need to be drawn up to get clearance through this government agency, including the shipper’s or carrier’s original bill of sale, and foreign registration.

Usually you would need to fill out EPA forms confirming that the imported car meets US emission standards, but EVs don’t have this problem.

Another way to get a EV into the country would be to go straight to the manufacturer, who could bring it in for the sake of research, road tests, and display.

BYD and Li Auto have operations in the US, so can legally do this.

So as you can tell, it’s not easy, but there are ways to do it if you’re really keen to try out the latest Chinese EV like Ford CEO Jim Farley who’s been driving around in the Xiaomi SU7.

Whether more restrictions will follow on from the most recent tariffs remains to be seen.

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