EU Votes to Impose Tariffs on Electric Cars Made in China

The extra duties are intended to address the ’substantial unfair competitive advantage' that Chinese automakers have due to state subsidy schemes.

Employees work on an electric vehicle production line at the Leapmotor factory in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, China, on Sept. 18, 2024. Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images

The European Union has decided to impose hefty customs duties on electric vehicles made in China, in its highest-profile trade measure against the country in more than a decade.

The European Commission said on Oct. 4 that it received the “necessary support” to adopt its tariff proposals. This means it can now proceed with imposing definitive tariffs of up to 36.6 percent—on top of the current 10 percent—on EVs shipped from China.