Chinese car shipments to Algeria pass 2025 total in eight months

Chinese car exports to Algeria reached 190,045 vehicles from January to August 2026, which is more than the whole of 2025.

Algérie 360 reported the figure, which comes from Chinese data passed on by the press. The China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) says private buyers drive most of these imports.

Private buyers can use a scheme for used vehicles under three years old, which article 110 of the 2020 finance law lays down. A 2023 decree sets the rules for customs and conformity checks.

Who can use the scheme?

Only residents of Algeria can use it, and only once every three years.

The car must be no more than three years old between its first registration and its customs declaration.

It must run on petrol, a petrol-electric hybrid or electricity, so diesel cars are excluded.

The car must also be in good working order, with no major or critical fault. The buyer pays the duties and taxes due, using their own foreign currency.

The Ministry of Commerce said groups and companies cannot use this scheme. Algerians abroad who return to live in Algeria permanently have the change of residence scheme instead.

Can the car be resold?

Since the 2025 finance law, these cars cannot be resold for 36 months after they clear customs.

An early sale is possible, but the buyer must repay all or part of the tax benefit received. Repayment is total for a sale within 12 months. It falls to 66% between 12 and 24 months, and to 33% between 24 and 36 months.

How fast have imports grown?

The rise has been fast since 2023, when Algeria received about 20,000 Chinese vehicles.

ECG, a group of European car logistics professionals, put the figure at 30,000 in 2024 and about 180,000 in 2025.

In the first half of 2026, Algeria imported 143,012 vehicles from China, up 235.5% on a year earlier, CPCA data shows.

The Chinese export figures do not match Algerian import counts, because shipping and customs delays can cause gaps. Only Algerian customs data would show how many cars came from each country.

China's total vehicle exports reached 7.45 million units in the first eight months of 2026, up 51% on the same period of 2025.

Algeria ranks 10th among destinations for Chinese cars, behind Russia, Brazil, the United Kingdom and Australia.