Data & methods
MethodologyHow the figures are made Data & citationsCite, embed charts or ask for data AboutPurpose, principles and contact
PortuguêsPortuguês
Theme
Theme

What it costs to import a car into France

Estimate the purchase, tax, transport and registration costs.

Route
→France

The purchase

As advertised, including any VAT.
Seller’s VAT status
Shown on the listing as “VAT deductible”, “MwSt. ausweisbar” or “IVA dedutível”. Not sure? Choose “Don’t know” to see both outcomes.
You are buying as

The car

Have a Dutch number plate? Fill in the vehicle details.From the official RDW register: first registration, fuel, CO₂ and engine size.

We use the plate only for this lookup.

First registration
First registration anywhere: it sets the car’s age for the tax tables.
On the registration certificate (field V.7) or the listing.
Maximum net power on the certificate of conformity (field 27) or the registration document (P.2). 1 hp ≈ 0.7355 kW.
Certificate of conformity field 13 (registration document: G). Includes 75 kg for the driver. Used for France’s weight malus on cars first registered from 2022.
Test cycle
Cars first registered from 2019 usually have WLTP values.

Registration

Tax tables and age reductions are taken on this date.
The carte grise regional tax per fiscal horsepower depends on your region. Overseas regions are not covered.

Transport

Transport
Leave it empty to use our estimate for this route, or enter a quote.

Registering the car in another EU country? Registration taxes and fees depend on the destination. Check its rules before you buy.

In short

France charges a used import the CO₂ malus of the year it was first registered (anywhere): the grid of that year, NEDC for cars first registered from 2015 to February 2020, WLTP after; nothing for cars first registered before 2015. The amount is then reduced by the car's age in months (3% in the first months, 43% from the 61st month, 100% from the 181st). For scale, the median dealer asking price for a used car in France on 3 Nov 2026 was €21,000, across 21,260 cars. Tax rules in force on 3 Nov 2026; an estimate, not a tax assessment.

How it works

Taxes on a car imported into France

Malus CO₂ and malus au poids; carte grise (taxe régionale)

France charges a used import the CO₂ malus of the year it was first registered (anywhere): the grid of that year, NEDC for cars first registered from 2015 to February 2020, WLTP after; nothing for cars first registered before 2015. The amount is then reduced by the car's age in months (3% in the first months, 43% from the 61st month, 100% from the 181st). Cars first registered from 2022 also pay the weight malus on their mass in running order above that year's threshold, with the same age reduction; together the two cannot exceed that year's maximum malus. Electric cars pay neither.

Then comes the carte grise: the regional tax (fiscal horsepower × the region's rate, €42 to €68.95 per CV in 2026, half rate from ten years), €11 fixed tax and €2.76 delivery. Fiscal horsepower for a car first registered in France is computed from its power in kW.

Official tools

Official sources

  1. CIBS L421-58, L421-71, L421-41 et L421-38: CO₂, weight, regional and fixed taxes
  2. CIBS L421-58 à L421-81, L421-7-2: CO₂ and weight malus, age reductions
  3. CIBS L421-41 à L421-49: regional tax and fiscal horsepower
  4. CIBS L421-38; Arrêté du 21 septembre 2015, art. 2: fixed tax and delivery fee

Questions about importing a car into France

Which taxes apply when importing a used car into France?

France charges a used import the CO₂ malus of the year it was first registered (anywhere): the grid of that year, NEDC for cars first registered from 2015 to February 2020, WLTP after; nothing for cars first registered before 2015. The amount is then reduced by the car's age in months (3% in the first months, 43% from the 61st month, 100% from the 181st). Cars first registered from 2022 also pay the weight malus on their mass in running order above that year's threshold, with the same age reduction; together the two cannot exceed that year's maximum malus. Electric cars pay neither.

Is VAT due in France on an imported used car?

A car that is used for VAT purposes, bought from a dealer under the margin scheme or from a private seller in another EU country, carries no VAT again in France. If VAT is shown separately, a VAT-registered buyer can buy without the origin country's VAT and account for VAT at the destination. For a used car under normal VAT rules, a private buyer collecting it abroad generally pays the seller-country VAT. Seller-arranged delivery can change the VAT treatment; confirm the invoice and delivery arrangements. A car first used six months ago or less, or driven 6,000 km or less, is a new means of transport for VAT and is taxed at 20% in the destination country, whoever buys it.

Is the result an official tax assessment?

The import calculator gives an estimate from published tax tables and the details you enter, with the legal basis for each tax line. The tax authority decides the amount due; official simulators are linked below where available.

Estimated cost in France