From 2026, electric cars in Ukraine will become 30% more expensive: what will change

According to hvylya.net: Starting next year, Ukrainians intending to purchase an electric vehicle will lose the opportunity to take advantage of tax benefits. Experts predict that this will lead to a sharp increase in the import of electric cars in October-November, as people rush to take advantage of favorable conditions.

Currently, no VAT or customs duties are applied when importing electric vehicles. Additional costs are limited to a small excise duty - 1 euro per kWh of battery capacity, which rarely exceeds 100 euros in total.

After the abolition of benefits, a sharp increase in the price of electric vehicles is expected, with costs potentially rising by 30%. Even in the most optimistic scenario, the increase will be no less than 20% if manufacturers consider changes in legislation and offer additional discounts for the Ukrainian market.

'The task is to import the maximum number of electric vehicles for our market's needs in October-November, so there will be time for sales afterwards,' explained Oleg Nazarenko, the CEO of the All-Ukrainian Association of Automotive Importers and Dealers.

The experience of Romania, where tax benefits for electric vehicles have also been abolished, shows that electric car sales dropped by 30%. In Ukraine, the popularity of electric vehicles is increasing, with more than half of used cars being imported from abroad in this format.

Tax benefits for electric cars in Ukraine will cease to take effect from January 1, 2026. This may lead to a sharp increase in the cost of electric vehicles and improve the situation in the country's car market. Experts predict that after this, the number of imported electric cars will significantly decrease, but at the same time, the popularity of these vehicles in Ukraine will remain at a high level.