“Foreign buyers are falling in love with Chinese brand used cars, which are now going global.

  • WTO Car
  • 2026-04-25

This year, driven by policies promoting scrapping and replacing old cars with new ones, the automobile consumer market has been further stimulated, and the used car market has also shown a significant recovery.Transaction volume increased both year-on-year and month-on-month.Reporters learned that besides the domestic market dominating the used car market, there is also...Some of the traded-in used cars were then sold on the international market.

Used car exports have become a new highlight of my country's foreign trade.

The reporter visited Guangzhou's largest used car market and saw many international faces. Staff told the reporter that foreign buyers were very interested in Chinese cars, especially new energy vehicles, and placed orders decisively.

Liu Hongbo, Deputy General Manager of Guangzhou Baolijie Used Car Trading Market:Many high-quality used cars have entered the used car market. Chinese used cars are exported overseas, including the same model.The price abroad is almost twice the price in China.

A used car dealer in Guangzhou:“The "trade-in" subsidy has made our vehicle supply more abundant. The same quality new energy vehicle that costs about 70,000 yuan in China can sell for more than 36,000 US dollars abroad.

Currently, my country's used car exports have moved from pilot programs to full liberalization.Rapid growth is evident in all regions.

  • Jiangsu Province exported over 3,500 vehicles in the first half of 2024, with an export value of approximately US$80 million.
  • Tianjin's exports reached nearly 4 billion yuan, a 2.3-fold increase;
  • In the first three quarters, Inner Mongolia exported a total of 6,251 used cars, with an export value exceeding US$100 million.

Wang Du, Vice President of China Automobile Dealers Association:The used car export market is currently a bright spot, with export volumes expanding year by year. The country...Used car exports have reached more than 160 countries and regions.Chinese brands exported to other countries have gradually established a certain brand image in the used car market.

Five years ago, my country piloted the export of used cars in 10 cities.

  • In its initial year of 2019, only 3,036 vehicles were exported;
  • Within the next two years, the number of vehicles exceeded 10,000.
  • By 2022, this figure had jumped to 69,000 vehicles, representing a year-on-year increase of over 3,501 TP3T.

According to the latest data from the China Automobile Dealers Association,Used car exports reached 270,000 units in 2023, and are expected to reach 400,000 units in 2024.

Multiple regions are building platforms to expand large-scale exports.

In February of this year, five departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, issued an announcement to launch the used car export business nationwide. Meanwhile, various regions are actively building platforms to promote the industry's gradual scaling up.

A few days ago,The Shanghai Port Used Car Export Comprehensive Service Center was officially completed and put into use.As the first used car export inspection point within a port area nationwide, the "Service Center" provides one-stop vehicle registration and comprehensive port logistics services for used car export companies in Shanghai and surrounding provinces, reducing the risks and transportation costs associated with multiple moves of exported vehicles.Significantly accelerate the efficiency of used car inspection and export.

An employee of a used car export company in Shanghai:On average, each vehicle can be reduced by 600 to 800 yuan. The overall operational efficiency can be improved by about 10 days, which will greatly help the turnover rate of the entire enterprise.

As a major automotive industry base in my country, Chongqing is also vigorously promoting the "Chongqing Cars Going Global" action plan. Data shows that in the first half of this year, Chongqing exported 223,000 vehicles, including 12,796 used cars.Exports amounted to US$360 million, covering 42 countries and regions worldwide.This has become a new growth point for foreign trade exports. During interviews, reporters learned that Chongqing's used car exports have also expanded into the mid-to-high-end market.

An employee of a used car export company in Chongqing:Currently, some domestically produced mid-to-high-end models are very popular with overseas customers. Our business has expanded to the Middle East, Dubai, and parts of Europe, where there is a great demand for our Chinese new energy vehicle brands.

Furthermore, Tianjin has continuously expanded its export business in recent years by establishing an export model of "used car export + bonded warehouse + China-Europe freight train," encompassing engineering vehicles, commercial vehicles, traditional energy vehicles, and new energy passenger vehicles. From January to October this year, it has exported over 8,000 used cars. Not long ago, it even...Innovative launch of cross-border warranty service for used car exportsThis allows overseas consumers to contact customer service immediately when their vehicles malfunction, thus receiving effective after-sales warranty guidance and contributing to the healthy development of the industry.

Multiple policies support further accelerate the export of used cars

In recent years, various regions have successively introduced support policies to provide support and guidance to used car export enterprises. A number of replicable and scalable experiences have been formed.

ShanghaiRecently, Shanghai issued "Several Measures to Promote the Export of Used Cars," which clearly proposes to set up a "quota for special license plates for used car exports," promote the construction of a domestic used car trading system, and boost the scale of used car exports.

ZhejiangThe province also recently issued the "Opinions on Further Promoting the Export of Used Cars in Zhejiang Province (Trial Implementation)," which encourages used car export companies to invest in building their own roll-on/roll-off fleets to improve the efficiency of maritime exports. Furthermore, by opening a "green channel," the government has clearly limited the processing time for the declaration of dangerous goods in containers of used cars that meet the requirements to within 24 hours.

As a major production and sales provinceGuangdongThe focus is on strengthening the construction of the used car export service system, supporting leading enterprises to build used car export bases in major ports, and supporting the establishment of a used car export enterprise alliance to promote resource docking between OEMs and export enterprises.

It is understood that various policies have been introduced across the country to provide a better business environment for used car export companies. These include...Paperless license application, nationwide integrated customs clearance, and transfer of goods awaiting export.These convenient measures have significantly reduced operating costs for businesses and improved business efficiency. In the future, under more comprehensive policy guidance, China's used car industry should not only "go global" but also "go global," establishing a good reputation overseas and developing better business models.