What the rule actually says

A passenger car registered in China and held for less than 180 days normally cannot leave the country through the used-vehicle channel. It has to go out as a new vehicle, with the manufacturer's own export paperwork and price. Once the 180-day mark has passed, the car becomes eligible for the used-car route — cheaper, faster to arrange, and far more flexible when you are ordering one or two units.

How the clock is counted

The clock starts on the date printed on the vehicle registration certificate, not the invoice date and not the day the car arrived at the dealer. If the car has changed hands inside China, the clock does not reset; it runs from first registration.

That is why the same model can be available on one order and blocked on the next, purely because of a few weeks in the registration date. We check the date before we quote, not after you have paid a deposit.

Documents that prove the date

• Vehicle registration certificate, on the page showing the first registration date
• Transfer-of-ownership records for every previous owner inside China
• The exporter's used-car export licence
• Cancellation of registration (deregistration) issued at the port of export

What to do before you pay

Ask for a clear photo of the registration certificate with the date legible, and check the vehicle identification number against the number in your inspection report. If the car is still inside the window you have two clean options: wait for the date to pass, or switch the order to a factory-new unit. What you should not accept is a promise that the paperwork can be arranged.

The headline numbers

Chinese used-vehicle exports have grown at a double-digit rate for several years in a row, and the order book for the coming quarters points the same way. Growth is no longer only about the cheapest sedans: mid-size SUVs and electric crossovers now take a steadily larger share of the volume.

Which body types are moving

• Compact and mid-size sedans — still the volume leader on price
• Compact SUVs — the fastest-growing segment in West Africa
• Battery-electric crossovers — strongest in Central Asia and the Gulf
• Pickups and vans — steady demand from commercial buyers

Price bands that clear fastest

The 8,000 to 20,000 US dollar FOB band is where most orders sit, because it balances age, mileage and specification. Cars below 6,000 dollars move quickly but carry thinner margins and more inspection risk, while anything above 30,000 dollars usually sells on documentation and photographs rather than on price alone.

What it means for your next order

Supply is competitive, so the scarce item is not cars — it is clean, verified stock. Working with an exporter who inspects, photographs and documents before loading is what keeps a shipment profitable when it arrives.

Why the compact class leads

• Lower entry price per unit
• Enough range for city and intercity use
• Service and parts networks are filling in
• Smaller batteries mean cheaper shipping and simpler customs treatment

Range: what the sticker does not say

A quoted CLTC range is measured in mild conditions, at moderate speed, with the climate control off. In a hot market with the air conditioning running and a full load, expect a reduction of roughly 20 to 30 per cent. Size your order against the realistic figure, not the brochure figure.

Battery warranty and who honours it

Most Chinese makers warrant the traction battery for eight years or a fixed mileage, but that warranty is normally written for the first owner in the domestic market. Ask the exporter what documentation of battery condition travels with the car, and confirm what your own market requires before a vehicle can be registered.

Before you order

• Confirm the battery chemistry and capacity
• Ask for a capacity or state-of-health report
• Check which charging connector standard your market uses
• Confirm spare parts availability for air conditioning and charging components

RoRo: the default for one car

Roll-on/roll-off is normally the cheapest way to move a single running vehicle, because the car drives on and off under its own power and no packing is needed. The limits are practical: the destination port must handle RoRo, sailings on your lane may be fortnightly rather than weekly, and you cannot ship personal effects or spare parts inside the car.

Container: for volume and for cargo

A 40-foot container holds two or three cars depending on size, and stowing them properly often brings the cost per unit below the RoRo rate. A container also lets you send spare parts, accessories and personal effects with the car, and it is the only option when the vehicle does not run.

Which one for your case

• One car, main port, flexible dates — RoRo
• Two or more cars — container
• Inland destination far from a RoRo port — container
• Non-running or damaged vehicle — container
• Hard deadline — whichever sailing departs first

Do not forget the destination costs

The FOB price is only the beginning. Port charges, terminal handling, customs clearing and inland trucking at the destination can add a substantial share of the total. Compare quotes on a landed basis, and ask what is included before you decide which sailing is cheaper.

What a legal exporter holds

• Business licence showing export inside the registered scope
• Used-car export licence issued under the national pilot scheme
• Customs registration record
• Agreement with an approved inspection institution

How to verify

Ask for scans before you send money, then check three things: the company name on the licence matches the name on the invoice, the licence is still within its validity period, and the bank account you are paying into belongs to that same company. This single check stops most of the fraud buyers run into.

Red flags that usually mean walk away

• The account holder differs from the invoicing company
• A price far below every other quote for the same car and year
• Pressure to pay by transfer to a personal account
• No inspection report until after payment
• Documents offered only as photographs, never as scans or originals

Keep a paper trail

Whichever supplier you use, keep the contract, invoice, bill of lading, inspection report and a copy of the export licence together. Your own customs authority will ask for them, and having them ready turns a delay at the port into a routine clearance.

West Africa

Ports such as Lagos, Tema and Cotonou absorb a steady flow of used sedans and compact SUVs, and demand is driven by parts availability as much as by price. Models with a strong local repair network hold their value best, and buyers there usually prefer petrol engines, robust suspension and a full-size spare wheel.

Central Asia

Overland routes through Khorgos and Alashankou make delivery fast and predictable, which suits buyers who restock frequently. This is also one of the strongest regions for electric vehicles: charging at home is common, distances between cities are manageable, and running costs matter more than badge prestige.

The Gulf

Jebel Ali and the surrounding ports serve a market that wants high specification: full option packages, larger engines, strong air conditioning and light interiors. Heat is the main engineering constraint, so cooling system condition, and battery health where the car is electric, are the first things to document.

How to choose your market

• Parts availability for the model you plan to import
• Fuel price and fuel quality
• Climate and cooling requirements
• Import age limits and homologation rules
• Currency, payment terms and how quickly you get paid

Why PHEVs travel well

A plug-in hybrid runs on electricity for daily city driving and on petrol between cities. For a buyer whose market has thin charging coverage but expensive fuel, that combination removes the two objections that block a pure electric order: range anxiety and dependence on public charging.

Battery health is the whole deal

In an electric car the value sits in one system. In a PHEV it sits in two, and while the petrol side can be inspected in the usual way, the electrical side cannot. Ask for a state-of-health reading and a full charge and discharge test, and treat a missing report as a reason to look at another car.

Shipping rules to expect

• State of charge at loading is limited, commonly around 30 to 50 per cent
• Some carriers require a signed battery declaration
• Vehicles with damaged or repaired battery packs are refused
• Documentation of battery type and capacity is needed for the booking

What to check before you buy

• Battery state of health, not just the mileage
• Whether the car charges on both AC and DC
• Service history covering engine and high-voltage systems
• Where the high-voltage components sit, for repair access

Why space disappears

In the weeks before Chinese New Year, factories rush to clear finished goods and every exporter books at the same time. RoRo decks fill, container space is allocated early, and for two to three weeks around the holiday itself ports run with a reduced workforce. Miss the window and your car can sit on the dock until well into February.

A workable timeline

• 8 to 10 weeks before the holiday — confirm the car and book space
• 6 weeks — complete inspection and export documentation
• 4 weeks — settle payment and arrange trucking to the port
• 2 to 3 weeks — load and collect the bill of lading
• Holiday period — expect reduced port and customs operations

Alternatives when space is gone

If your lane is fully booked there are still options: an earlier sailing from a different port, break-bulk or a flat rack for a non-running unit, or holding the car in a bonded warehouse until the next available vessel. None of them are free, so it is worth comparing them against simply moving the order to the next month.

Budget for the peak

Freight rates rise in the peak, and trucking to the port gets more expensive as hauliers run out of capacity. Quotes issued in the quiet months are usually held for a limited period, so confirm the validity date and re-check it before you commit.