EU plans tariffs on Chinese plug-in hybrids

Anti-competition tariffs The EU Plans Tariffs on China's "Plug-in Hybrid" Cars

2026-06-19 Source: dpa | Translated by KI 1 min Reading Time

Reportedly, the increasing competitive pressure from Chinese automakers is prompting the EU's move toward tariffs...

The Chinese are clever! After the EU introduced countervailing duties on electric cars, they quickly realized that plug-in hybrids, like the Sealing 6 Touring from BYD, were not affected. However, the EU Commission now wants to block these loopholes...(Image: BYD) — The Chinese are clever! After the EU introduced countervailing duties on electric cars, they quickly realized that plug-in hybrids, like the Sealing 6 Touring from BYD, were not affected. However, the EU Commission now wants to block these loopholes...
(Image: BYD)

The European Union, in response to rising competition from Chinese automakers, plans to introduce import tariffs on "plug-in hybrids," according to a press report. An investigation has already been prepared, as reported by Handelsblatt, citing high-ranking EU officials and industry sources. The EU Commission could therefore quickly impose tariffs as soon as a majority of EU member states agree. The goal is to implement additional anti-dumping tariffs on vehicles such as those brought to the market by BYD, Chery, and SAIC (MG). It is also apparently intended to close a loophole, as some suspect. Since mid-2024, the EU has been imposing anti-dumping tariffs on subsidized Chinese fully electric vehicles (BEVs). Since then, many Chinese manufacturers have shifted to exporting hybrid cars to the EU to avoid these tariffs. The idea of new tariffs is also welcomed by Europe's industry, as this gateway for cheaper competition from Asia could now become narrower or disappear entirely.

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