Tesla has become cheaper around the world, but prices for its models still vary significantly from region to region. For example, they can be purchased in China a third cheaper than in the Czech Republic. However, individual car importation from the Middle Kingdom is not just that.
While in Europe electric cars have the stamp of unattainable luxury, looking at the Chinese market it is clear that there is room for their discount. This is also true in the case of Teslas, where prices have recently fallen so low that it has sparked protests among their owners. Those who bought at the “old” prices feel cheated. In the subsequent sale, they will receive significantly less money for their car than they originally calculated.
How much the Czech price list differs from the Chinese one is demonstrated by the example of the best-selling Model 3: While in our country Tesla asks for it at least 1,099,990 crowns, in China it is 229,900 yuan. According to the current exchange rate, exactly 740,280 CZK.
At first glance, it is possible to save about a third of the price of the Model 3, but a closer examination corrects the expectation of big savings a little: 10% customs duty + 21% VAT must be added to the car imported from China, which is also calculated from the total price of the car including transport. And here comes the first hitch: The price for transporting a car can be several tens of thousands of crowns, but also a quarter of a million. It depends on the current workload of the transport companies, which has been undergoing extreme fluctuations since the covid times. However, with a bit of luck, you can still save a lot of money, especially if we subtract the 13% VAT there from the Chinese price.
The car has already arrived, now the license plate
However, it is not at all easy to register a car originally intended for the Chinese market in the Czech Republic. This also applies to Tesla, which looks exactly the same all over the world. However, as Petr Říha from the DEKRA testing facility points out, individual imports from so-called third countries can only exceptionally be done without complications. “I would start by asking the manufacturer or authorized importer whether the car I’m looking for complies with European homologation and can issue me a COC certificate for it. If so, there shouldn’t be any obstacles to registering. But I’m almost certain that won’t be the case.” says an expert who has been involved in approving vehicles in Dekra for many years.
Petr Říha remembers only one case when a car manufacturer confirmed the conformity of a car imported from an exotic country with a European design. It was a car that was only produced in tens of units, and the local specifications would not have paid off for the manufacturer.
However, this is almost certainly not the case for Tesla. The Chinese one differs only in that it uses a different charging connector. “The authorized importer can easily find out what a particular car does or does not do in the car manufacturer’s system after entering the VIN,” explains Říha. However, if there are no documents for the car, all homologation tests must be carried out again. And that is certainly not worth it when importing individually.
While internal combustion cars from third countries usually do not pass emission tests, electric cars fail in terms of electrical safety. “I would look for an answer to the question of why cars are so cheap in China,” thinks Petr Říha. According to him, manufacturers strictly adhere only to local regulations. And if they are more benevolent, they will immediately take advantage of it. “Perhaps cars from India tend to have single-circuit brakes,” says Říha as an example.
Volkswagen does not want gray imports
Volkswagen also recently warned against individual imports of cars from China. In Europe, some entrepreneurs offer ID models cheaper and immediately, while the official European version has to wait even a year.
“The hardware and software configurations of these cars cannot be approved in Europe,” cites Volkswagen spokesperson Automobilwoche weekly. This applies, for example, to the eCall emergency call system, which has a different form in China.
“Volkswagen’s aim is to protect dealers and customers from buying vehicles that cannot be registered,” the spokesperson continues. “Vehicles produced in China by Volkswagen joint ventures are intended exclusively for the Chinese market and in some cases the ASEAN market. They are therefore homologated in accordance with the legal requirements of the countries there and are not intended for further export.”
According to information from Automobilwoche, Volkswagen is sending out a warning to authorized dealers not to help gray importers with the legalization of cars imported from China. “You may not buy or sell these vehicles at a contractually authorized Volkswagen dealership, and you may not adapt them to local market conditions with your help,” Automobilwoche quotes from the automaker’s letter to dealers. “Volkswagen AG would like to emphasize that any form of breach may constitute conduct that is in breach of the contract and that Volkswagen AG will not tolerate such conduct,” the letter continued.
Unlike Tesla, the electric Volkswagens intended for the Chinese market are not visually identical to the European ones. For example, the ID.4 exists in China in two versions with different body lengths, while the ID.6 is intended exclusively for the Chinese market. Even so, the carmaker reportedly noticed that gray importers were offering it to interested parties in Europe.
