Homologating a car imported from China
Yes, a Chinese domestic-market EV like a BYD, Geely, or Nio model can be registered in the EU, but check the charging connector first: many China-market EVs ship with a GB/T connector instead of the CCS standard Europe uses, which is a genuine hardware issue, not paperwork.
China's domestic EV and PHEV market has grown fast enough that individual homologation of a China-market vehicle is now a real, priced service, not a novelty. The two things that actually differ from a Europe-market version of the same brand: the charging connector standard on EVs, and whether the specific trim already has an EU Certificate of Conformity or needs the full individual-approval route.
What's actually different
Electric vehicles built for China's domestic market often use the GB/T charging standard instead of Europe's CCS. This is a genuine connector/hardware difference, not a software or paperwork fix, and it matters even on a brand (like BYD) that also sells CCS-equipped EU-market versions.
Homologation services for a China-market EV commonly run in the region of a few thousand dollars per vehicle, on top of shipping and any required modifications; PHEV models often carry a modest additional fee on top of a pure-EV homologation.
A China-market vehicle without a valid EU whole-vehicle type-approval and EU Certificate of Conformity needs the individual-approval route in whichever country you're registering it, the same requirement covered on each of our country pages.
Frequently asked
No. Brands like BYD increasingly sell official, already-EU-type-approved versions of many models through their own European network. It's specifically a China-domestic-market trim, sourced outside that official channel, that needs the individual-approval route.
It depends on the vehicle's onboard charging hardware, not just the physical plug, so this needs a real technical check, not a guaranteed simple swap. We check this specifically as part of reviewing a China-market EV before quoting.
HomologateMyCar handles what happens once the car is in Europe. For the sourcing itself, our sister company DriveSino exports vehicles directly from China to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
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