Guide
What it really costs to import a car from China to Ghana
A price on a Chinese dealer's site is not what you pay. By the time the car is cleared at Tema it has picked up freight, Ghana import duty and taxes, and port and clearing charges. Here is what each part is, and real examples from cars we have in stock today.
The four parts of a landed cost
- 1
Vehicle price
The price of the car itself, bought in China and converted to cedis. This is the number most sites show you, and only the starting point.
- 2
Shipping to Tema
Moving the car to the Chinese port, export charges, ocean freight to Tema and marine insurance.
- 3
Import duty & taxes
Ghana import duty and the levies and VAT charged with it. It depends on the car's value including freight, its engine size, fuel type and age, so two cars at the same price can carry very different duty.
- 4
Clearing & handling
Shipping-line and terminal charges at Tema, the clearing agent, plates and registration paperwork, and a small allowance for the unexpected.
Real examples from our stock
Three cars for sale right now, from the lower, middle and upper end of our range. Each figure is the one quoted on the car's own page.
2020 Hyundai ix35 2.0L Automatic 2WD Zhiyong Enjoy Edition
View this car →- Vehicle price
- GH₵ 98,053 · 52%
- Shipping to Tema
- GH₵ 30,272 · 16%
- Import duty & taxes
- GH₵ 45,277 · 24%
- Clearing & handling
- GH₵ 13,425 · 7%
- Landed in Ghana, all in
- GH₵ 187,027
Getting it to you adds 91% on top of the car's own price.
2021 Changan UNI-T
View this car →- Vehicle price
- GH₵ 134,823 · 57%
- Shipping to Tema
- GH₵ 30,752 · 13%
- Import duty & taxes
- GH₵ 57,573 · 24%
- Clearing & handling
- GH₵ 13,873 · 6%
- Landed in Ghana, all in
- GH₵ 237,021
Getting it to you adds 76% on top of the car's own price.
2023 Chery Tiggo 9 2.0T Dual Clutch 2WD Premium Edition
View this car →- Vehicle price
- GH₵ 200,192 · 61%
- Shipping to Tema
- GH₵ 31,605 · 10%
- Import duty & taxes
- GH₵ 79,434 · 24%
- Clearing & handling
- GH₵ 14,668 · 5%
- Landed in Ghana, all in
- GH₵ 325,898
Getting it to you adds 63% on top of the car's own price.
For these cars, freight, duty and clearing add between 63% and 91% to the car's own price. A China price on its own tells you less than half the story.
Why we show the landed cost up front
Most import sites list the China price and leave you to work out the rest, or quote it once you ask. Every car on ELK Cargo carries its full landed cost in cedis, worked out the same way as the examples above.
Duty is ELK's estimate until Ghana Customs assesses the car at Tema. If the final figure differs, we tell you before the car is released.