Kyrgyzstan has almost exhausted its 2026 quota for duty-free electric vehicle (EV) imports under the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), showing rapid growth in EV demand and re-export activity in the region.
As of this week, 14,014 of the 15,000 vehicles allowed under this year’s quota had already been imported, leaving just 986 duty-free slots available, customs data showed.
Kyrgyzstan, a member of the EAEU, benefits from an annual quota allowing duty-free imports of electric vehicles alongside fellow member states Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia.
The State Customs Service operates a real-time online counter showing quota use, which is updated automatically when EVs are cleared under the exemption scheme.
Officials warned that once the quota is fully used, imported electric vehicles will face a 15% customs duty under the EAEU’s common external tariff.
In 2025, Kyrgyzstan’s quota was set at 10,000 vehicles and was fully exhausted by September.
The number of electric vehicles in Kyrgyzstan has risen steadily, supported by a separate value-added tax exemption. Official data show that more than 200 EVs are imported into the country each day.
Even so, electric vehicles still account for only about 0.8% of Kyrgyzstan’s total vehicle fleet, or roughly 15,200 cars, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision.
China remains the main supplier of EVs to Kyrgyzstan. However, industry analysts say many Chinese-made vehicles imported into Kyrgyzstan are later re-exported to Russia.
According to Sergey Tselikov, head of the Russian automotive analytics agency Autostat, Kyrgyzstan remains Russia’s second-largest channel for new passenger car imports after China.
Tselikov said 84% of vehicles imported into Russia via Kyrgyzstan were manufactured in China, including Chinese, European, and Japanese brands.
Autostat data show Kyrgyzstan was the largest supplier of new passenger cars to Russia among EAEU member states in 2025, with 53,600 vehicles, compared with 17,100 from Belarus, 11,000 from Kazakhstan, and 344 from Armenia.
The figures show Kyrgyzstan’s growing role as a regional trade hub for Chinese-made vehicles entering the wider Eurasian market.
