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Import cars and trucks from China to Nigeria
Tongda Motors ships cars, pickups and trucks from China to Lagos: Apapa, Tin Can Island or Lekki. New, zero-mileage and used, left-hand drive as built, and inspected against the VIN with photos before you pay. CIF pricing fixes the ocean freight in the contract; cars from one unit.
- PORTS
- APAPA · TIN CAN · LEKKI
- TRANSIT
- ±30–40 DAYS
- DRIVE
- LHD
- TERMS
- FOB · CIF
WHY NIGERIA
A market importing more vehicles again.
Nigerian ports handled 103,375 imported vehicles from January to June 2026, 42.5% more than a year earlier, according to the Nigerian Ports Authority, which cited lower levies and transhipment at Tin Can Island. Nigeria drives on the right, so China-built left-hand-drive cars, pickups and trucks need no conversion.
Duty and levies are still a large part of the landed cost, which is why Nigerian buyers usually take CIF Lagos quotes: vehicles, documents and ocean freight in one fixed price, with duty, clearance and local charges on your side. Your clearing agent runs the duty calculation before you commit; the rules below show what goes into it.
WHAT TO SHIP
Affordable cars, pickups and trucks for Nigeria.
01
Compact sedans
Petrol sedans for dealer stock and taxi fleets: the China-built Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra, the Changan Eado and the Chery Arrizo 5. The Elantra and Arrizo 5 use a 1.5-litre engine, below the 2.0-litre line where Nigeria's green surcharge starts.
02
SUVs
Compact and mid-size petrol SUVs such as the Chery Tiggo 5x and Tiggo 7 Plus, the Changan CS35 Plus and CS55 Plus, the Haval H6 from Great Wall and the Toyota Corolla Cross. Engine size is stated per version on the quotation, so you can see which units the surcharge applies to.
03
Pickups
Work pickups from Great Wall, the Wingle 7 and the Pao (sold abroad as the Poer or Cannon), with petrol or diesel engines, and Changan's Lantuozhe with a 2.0-litre turbo petrol or diesel. Payload, cab, drive and fuel are stated per model on the quotation.
04
Trucks
Dump trucks (tippers), tractor units and cargo trucks from Sinotruk HOWO, Shacman, FAW Jiefang, Foton and Dongfeng, new or used. See trucks from China and dump trucks from China.
We do not rank models by price. China retail prices, for reference, are on each model page; export prices are quoted per version, volume and destination. For used units, see used cars from China.
IMPORT RULES · OCTOBER 2026
Nigeria's import rules, checked October 2026.
Used vehicles: 12 years from manufacture
Customs has applied a 12-year limit, counted from the year of manufacture, since it introduced VIN valuation in 2022, and 2026 guides give 2014 as the oldest year that can still be imported. Nigeria's trade portal still states 15 years, so confirm each unit with your clearing agent. Every used unit we quote is listed with its VIN, so the check can be done before you pay.
Passenger cars: duty and levy
The 2026 Fiscal Policy Measures, in a circular dated 1 April 2026, cut the total effective tariff on fully built cars, four-wheel drives and station wagons from 70% to 40%. From 1 July 2026 the National Automotive Council levy fell from 20% to 10% on new vehicles and from 15% to 5% on used ones. Press breakdowns from August 2026 list a 20% import duty on the CIF value, the levy, a 7% surcharge on the duty and 7.5% VAT. Confirm the current rates with your clearing agent before you order.
Green surcharge from 2.0 litres
Since 1 July 2026 a green tax surcharge adds 2% for engines of 2.0 to 3.9 litres and 4% for 4.0 litres and above. Passenger cars under 2,000 cc, electric vehicles and mass-transit buses are exempt.
Trucks and commercial vehicles
The Finance Act 2020 cut import duty on motor vehicles for the transport of goods from 35% to 10%, applied by Customs from February 2021. The 2026 measures published so far do not name trucks, so ask your clearing agent for the current duty and levy on the truck's exact HS code (8704 for goods vehicles) before you order.
Left-hand drive only
Nigeria has driven on the right since 1972 and requires imported vehicles to be left-hand drive. Every China-market car, pickup and truck is left-hand drive as built, so nothing needs converting.
Seaports only: Apapa, Tin Can Island, Lekki
Vehicles must enter Nigeria through its seaports: imports over land borders, for example from Cotonou, have been banned since 1 January 2017. In Lagos, Apapa and Tin Can Island have container terminals, and Tin Can Island also has the PTML RoRo terminal, owned by the Grimaldi Group. Lekki Deep Sea Port, in full commercial operation since April 2023, handles containers.
Form M, PAAR and B'Odogwu
Before the vehicles ship, your bank opens an electronic Form M for the order; every import into Nigeria needs one. Customs then issues the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), used for duty payment, from the Form M, the shipping documents and the conformity certificates. Since 2025 these steps run on B'Odogwu, the Nigeria Customs Service's platform that replaces NICIS II; in September 2026 the Customs Board cited its full deployment.
SONCAP and the new VehCAP
Vehicles fall under SONCAP, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria's pre-shipment conformity programme: a product certificate, plus a SONCAP certificate for each shipment. On 31 March 2026 SON and the National Automotive Design and Development Council launched VehCAP, under which all new and used vehicles need shipment certification before clearance; in the transition, vehicles arriving without it go to destination inspection at designated testing centres. Agree with your clearing agent who applies, before the vessel sails; our per-unit inspection reports and VIN list are available for it.
THE ROUTE
China to Lagos.
01
Loading
Vehicles are inspected and photographed per VIN, then consolidated at Nansha, Shekou or Guangzhou for container sailings. The port of loading is confirmed on each quotation.
02
Ocean freight
Racked containers to Apapa, Tin Can Island or Lekki, or RoRo for volume. Grimaldi's Far East–West Africa con-ro service, for example, sails every 15 days from Ningbo and Taicang–Shanghai via Durban to its PTML terminal in Lagos. We book space and issue the bill of lading.
03
Arrival & clearance
Direct container services from Nansha are scheduled at 32–34 days to Apapa and Tin Can Island and 37 days to Lekki, port to port; transhipment adds time. Original documents are couriered ahead so clearance can start before the vessel berths.
BEFORE YOU ORDER
What Nigerian buyers should know.
Budget the landed cost, not the FOB price
Duty, levy, surcharges, VAT and port charges are all paid in Nigeria, on the value Customs assesses. We quote CIF so the China-side number is fixed; run the full calculation with your clearing agent before ordering, not after.
The full document pack
Commercial invoice, packing list with VINs, bill of lading, certificate of origin, Chinese export declaration and per-unit inspection report with photos. See the document pack.
Electric vehicles and hybrids
Electric vehicles are exempt from the green surcharge introduced in July 2026. EVs ship with a battery state-of-health reading, the UN38.3 test summary and MSDS, and hybrids with a battery state-of-health reading. Check charging access where the vehicles will run; see electric cars from China.
QUESTIONS
Importing from China to Nigeria: what buyers ask.
What is the age limit for used cars imported into Nigeria?
In practice, 12 years from the year of manufacture: Customs has applied that limit since it introduced VIN valuation in 2022, and 2026 guides give 2014 as the oldest year that can still be imported. Nigeria's trade portal still states 15 years, so confirm with your clearing agent. Tongda Motors is approved by the Chinese authorities to export used vehicles, and every used unit is inspected against its VIN before you pay.
How much is import duty on cars in Nigeria in 2026?
The 2026 Fiscal Policy Measures cut the total effective tariff on fully built cars, four-wheel drives and station wagons from 70% to 40%. From 1 July 2026 the National Automotive Council levy is 10% on new and 5% on used vehicles, a green surcharge of 2% or 4% applies to engines of 2.0 litres and above, and VAT is 7.5%. The figure depends on the HS code and the value Customs assesses, so confirm the current rates with your clearing agent.
Which Lagos port should vehicles ship to?
For RoRo, the PTML terminal at Tin Can Island, which its owner Grimaldi describes as West Africa's largest RoRo facility. For containers, Apapa, Tin Can Island or Lekki Deep Sea Port. Vehicles cannot enter Nigeria over land borders, so routing through Cotonou is not an option. Choose the port with your clearing agent; we quote CIF to any of them.
How long does shipping from China to Nigeria take?
Direct container services from Nansha in South China are scheduled at about 32–37 days port to port to the Lagos ports, longer with transhipment. Grimaldi's RoRo service from Ningbo and Shanghai advertises 18 days to Durban plus 9 days to Lagos. Add loading time in China and clearance in Lagos; every CIF quotation comes with a timeline.
What documents do I need to import cars or trucks into Nigeria?
On your side: an electronic Form M opened through your bank, SONCAP certificates and, since March 2026, VehCAP shipment certification, then the PAAR that Customs issues before arrival. From us: commercial invoice, packing list with VINs, bill of lading, certificate of origin, Chinese export declaration and a per-unit inspection report with photos; EVs also carry a battery state-of-health reading, the UN38.3 summary and MSDS. Your clearing agent handles clearance on the Customs B'Odogwu platform.
What are the most affordable cars to import from China to Nigeria?
We do not rank models by price, because the landed cost depends on version, engine and duty. Petrol cars under 2.0 litres avoid the green surcharge, and used units pay a 5% levy instead of 10%, within the 12-year age limit. Good places to start comparing quotes are compact sedans such as the China-built Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra, the Changan Eado and the Chery Arrizo 5, and compact SUVs such as the Chery Tiggo 5x and Changan CS35 Plus. China retail prices are on the model pages; export prices are quoted per order.
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