The European Commission is reportedly evaluating an expansion of its existing tariffs on Chinese battery electric vehicles (BEVs) to include hybrid models, according to a recent report by Euractiv. Under current measures, BEVs imported from China face duties of up to 35.3 percent. If adopted, the same rate would apply to vehicles combining internal combustion engines with electric motors.
Discussions have been ongoing among EU officials, with one senior source noting that a French vice-president of the Commission has repeatedly questioned why hybrids are not already covered. He argued that hybrids are manufactured under similar conditions as BEVs and that extending tariffs would ensure European automakers compete on a level playing field.
Chinese hybrid exports to the EU surged by 155 percent last year, while BEV shipments rose by 12 percent, highlighting a fast-growing segment that European producers wish to protect. This development follows an anti-subsidy investigation launched on October 4, 2023, which concluded in October 2025 with the imposition of additional duties on Chinese BEVs for a period of five years. These supplementary tariffs were layered on top of an existing 10 percent rate, resulting in varied duty levels for different manufacturers, capped at 35.3 percent.
Since the investigation’s conclusion, the EU and China have been negotiating price undertakings, under which Chinese exporters agree to sell BEVs at or above specified minimum prices in order to avoid extra duties. On Monday, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced that both sides reached a consensus on these price undertakings, marking progress toward a potential replacement of the current tariffs with a pricing agreement.
Source: CNEVPost
