Zambia’s Removal Of Customs Duties On EV Imports Spurs Growth In EV Adoption

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About a year and a half ago, the Zambian government moved to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles by:

1. Removing customs duty on electric motorcycles, electric vehicles, electric buses, electric trucks, and attendant accessories such as charging systems
2. Reducing excise duty to 25% from 30% on hybrid vehicles designed for the transportation of persons

This welcome move seems to be having a significant impact on Zambia’s EV landscape. Lets look at the number of EVs registered in Zambia before and after Zambia removed customs duty on electric electric motorcycles, electric vehicles, electric buses, electric trucks, and attendant accessories such as charging systems.

According to Zambia’s Road transport and Safety Agency, as of July 2023, there were 62 electric vehicles registered in Zambia. These were as follows:

Total Number Of Electric Vehicles Registered In Zambia As Of July 2023 (Before Removal Of Import Duties)

Total Number Of Electric Vehicles Registered In Zambia As Of November 2023 (Just Before Removal Of Import Duties)

Now 2 years on from July 2023, as of the end of July 2025, there are now 269 electric vehicles registered in Zambia according to RTSA. We are still waiting for the breakdown of the registrations by vehicle type. Small numbers? Yes, but it is encouraging that there is now some growth in the number of electric vehicles registered in Zambia since removal of customs duties on electric motorcycles, electric vehicles, electric buses, electric trucks, and attendant accessories such as charging systems. The numbers are still low, but every EV that replaces the potential purchase of an ICE vehicle still makes a difference and the numbers all add up in the long term.

From the figures above, we can see that just over 200 electric vehicles were added over the past 2 years. That’s over 330% growth over that period. Impressive, even though it’s coming from a very small base. Let’s take a look at the overall Zambia vehicle market. According to the most recent available figures from the Zambia Road transport and Safety Agency’s 2023 Annual report, a total of 86,846 vehicles were registered in the period under review (2023) compared to 61,051 vehicles registered in 2022 and 45,277 in 2021 on the Electronic Zambian Transport Information System (E-ZamTIS). In 2023, a total of 122,775 motor vehicles were imported in 2023, up from 92,895 in 2022 and 64,256 imported in 2021. The report says the difference between the number of imported vehicles and the number that was registered in 2023 (35,929) was due to the lag time between imports and sales recorded by motor vehicle dealers. 

Overall, Zambia’s total vehicle population as of the end of 2023 was 823,703 across all vehicle classes and segments. The majority of vehicles imported into Zambia are used ICE vehicles from places such as Japan. These vehicles then land at prices that are more palatable for the level of buying power in the country for most consumers. As most electric vehicles have for a long time been priced above their ICE equivalents, it means for countries such as Zambia where most consumers already can’t afford a brand new ICE vehicle, brand new EVs were even more out of reach for the majority. The government’s noble move to remove customs duty on electric motorcycles, electric vehicles, electric buses, electric trucks, and attendant accessories such as charging systems was therefore a very welcome development to incentivize the adoption of electric vehicles. As this also applies to used EVs, the prices of used EV imports are now therefore more competitive with the prices of used ICE imports. That’s one barrier taken care off.

The next barrier to adoption was the availability of both new and used electric vehicles on the Zambian market. There are also positive developments on the new vehicle market as players such as BYD have entered the Zambian market in collaboration with local partners. BYD’s entry adds to the small but growing list of new BEVs that are now available on the Zambian market. Last year, Southern Cross, the official distributors of GWM’s brands of motor vehicles, launched the Ora 03 in the Zambian market. Several independent dealers are also adding a mix of new and used electric vehicles, including the 40 kWh and 62 kWh Nissan Leafs. These used vehicles are now at price points comparable with a number of used ICE models in this market, which will help a lot.

There are also a growing number of used EVs in the usual source markets for right-hand drive vehicles, which helps lower another barrier. There are several firms that are also installing charging infrastructure. This will help ease a lot of concerns around range anxiety. One concern that could be still lingering in people’s minds is the issue of electricity rationing, infamously known as load-shedding. Zambia’s electricity generation mix is dominated by hydro. Due to several years of lower than normal rainfall, Zambia’s hydropower plants have had to curtail electricity generation, leading to daily power rationing schedules. With basic planning, EV owners should be able to comfortably drive their EVs in Zambia even with this load-shedding, as we have seen in Zimbabwe.

One area that could help ease charging fears is the growing solar sector. Solar has been shown to be one of the fastest ways to add some good capacity to the energy mix, and it’s good to see Zambia is starting to develop more utility-scale solar plants. An example of this is the 100MW Chisamba solar plant which was commissioned recently. There are more utility-solar scale plants on the way in Zambia and these, along with other initiatives in Zambia’s power sector, will go a long way towards addressing the electricity generation shortfall. Of course, individual homes and businesses can generate their own electricity using rooftop solar to cushion themselves from the impacts of electricity rationing and if space allows, they could also install additional capacity to power EVs. EVs and solar make the perfect combination.

Many thanks to the Zambian Electric Mobility and Innovation Alliance (ZEMIA), for additional insights into the Zambian EV market. ZEMIA is a leading non-profit organization and is the first and only Civil Society in Zambia dedicated to supporting the adoption, development, and growth of the electric mobility (EV) ecosystem in Zambia.