EU to cap Chinese hybrid car imports at 350,000 a year
From 2027, the European Union will limit hybrid car imports from China to 350,000 units a year for four years. That is less than half of the exports projected for 2026.
The European Union will cap imports of hybrid cars from China at 350,000 units a year, a senior EU official announced on Monday. Hybrids have become one of the main routes through which Chinese manufacturers are entering the EU market.
The official said the cap would cut current exports to the bloc by more than half. According to EU estimates, those exports would most likely reach 800,000 vehicles in 2026.
How the cap will work
The measure will apply from 2027 and remain in force for four years. Starting from the second year, the limit will rise by 6% annually. The EU will use a safeguard measure, a tool that allows the bloc to restrict imports in order to stop a surge of certain products into Europe.
Earlier steps
In 2024, the EU had already imposed substantial additional tariffs on Chinese electric cars, arguing that their makers benefit from unfair state subsidies.
Brussels and Beijing agreed last week to limit exports of Chinese hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars, but the details of the deal were not made public at once. China's Ministry of Commerce said on Monday that the EU imported 302,000 hybrid cars last year and that last week's agreement would be based on that level.
