Insights September 21, 2026

Uzbekistan: When the Duty Schedule Picks the Powertrain for You

Uzbekistan taxes petrol imports at a rate that makes electric the only sensible lane. What a Tashkent dealer should source from China in 2026, how the landed math works, and the three checks before quoting.

The number that decides everything

Uzbekistan applies customs duty plus excise to imported petrol cars that, on the figures reported to us by Tashkent brokers this year, run between 120 and 150 percent of the vehicle’s value. Electric vehicles enter without duty and without excise.

Put the same $14,000 EXW car through both schedules:

  • Petrol: $14,000 plus 120 to 150 percent lands at $31,000 to $35,000 before freight.
  • Electric: $14,000 lands at roughly $14,000 before freight.

That is not a preference. It is the entire commercial case. A dealer sourcing petrol into Uzbekistan is competing against his own customs office.

What we source for Tashkent

Three-to-five-year-old Chinese-market EVs, because that supply exists at a scale no other market can match:

  • BYD Qin Plus EV, Yuan Plus, Seal, Dolphin
  • Leapmotor C01, B01
  • Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, China-built
  • Geely Geometry and Zeekr units where the price fits

Typical EXW for a 2022 to 2024 unit with 30,000 to 80,000 km sits between $10,000 and $18,000.

Where dealers get caught

Battery, not badge. In a market where every competitor imports the same EVs, the battery report is what separates a dealer from a chancer. We attach the state of health read from the BMS, cell balance and fault codes, dated and with the VIN on every page, before any deposit.

Charging standard. China-market EVs use the GB/T port. Uzbekistan’s public network is a mix of GB/T and CCS. Confirm what your customers can charge on before you order, and put the port type on the invoice.

Rates move. The 120 to 150 percent figure is what brokers report this quarter. Confirm with the customs post before you quote landed.

Three checks before quoting a Tashkent buyer

  1. Confirm this quarter’s duty and excise rates with your broker.
  2. Quote landed, not EXW. The EXW number is where the conversation starts.
  3. Confirm charger compatibility and write the port type on the proforma.

Sourcing EVs for Uzbekistan? Send the models and your volume and we reply with EXW quotes and a sample battery report: WhatsApp UCarsea · ucarsea.com