What is the tax on electric cars in Russia

The difference between electric vehicles

Initially, vehicles with electric drive were created with the aim of reducing the amount of harmful gases emitted into the atmosphere during the operation of diesel engines. But today, such cars are also considered much more economical than conventional cars. After all, for a full charge of the battery, the owner of an environmentally friendly vehicle will have to pay only 200-300 rubles, while for a tank of gasoline filled to the brim, the car owner will be required to pay from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles.

However, this is where the advantages of electric cars end. But the disadvantages of such a vehicle should be emphasized:

• High cost;
• Problematic maintenance (not all technical stations undertake the repair of Leaf, Tesla and other similar cars, since they contain heavy electronics, which require special stands);
• Limited mileage (a full battery charge is enough for 250-300 km of travel. Well, specialized gas stations with environmentally friendly fuel do not exist in every city).

At the same time, customs clearance of electric vehicles has become preferential quite recently. Until 2021, the demand for this type of vehicle reached its minimum level.

Previous duties on electric vehicles in Russia

Earlier, the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission, which includes Russia, decided to make a number of amendments to the legislation on the registration of imported electric vehicles.

Then the rate on electric passenger cars was 17%, and in 2014 it dropped to 0. Duty-free import of cars did not apply to vehicles with hybrid engines.

For electric trucks, the duty rate dropped from 15% to 5%. Such measures contributed to an increase in the number of environmentally friendly vehicles on Russian roads. The country has seen an increase in the number of imported electric vehicles.

At the beginning of 2021, 650 electric vehicles of six models were registered in the Russian Federation. Reduced import duties encouraged motorists to buy electric cars and contribute to protecting the environment from exhaust gases.

What is the cost of customs clearance?

Calculating the cost of customs clearance of an electric car in Russia, according to the 2021 calculator, will consist of five main components:

1. Payment for the work of checkpoint employees (this includes: paperwork, checking the vehicle and entering it into the traffic police database);
2. Unified state duty (only disabled people of groups 1 and 2, labor veterans, military officers, parents of large families and pensioners are exempt from this payment);
3. Tax on importing a car into Russia (the amount depends on the amount of horsepower);
4. Excise tax (levied exclusively on legal entities);
5. Recycling fee.

It is important to know! According to the rules of the border checkpoint, customs clearance of Tesla, Leaf and other electric vehicles occurs in the same way as registration of gasoline cars. This limitation is due to the fact that environmental transport also requires a Russian vehicle vehicle.

Main settings

The largest duty for importing any car into the Russian Federation is the horsepower tax, which is calculated at several rates. The amount of this tax depends on the following criteria:

• Vehicle age;
• Its original cost (calculated from the purchase/sale certificate);
• Social status of the vehicle owner (as mentioned earlier, some categories of citizens receive benefits during customs clearance of a car).

What tariffs exist today and how duties on electric vehicles in Russia in 2021 differ from them, we will consider below.

Rates

You can calculate the cost of customs control for a car with a gasoline or diesel engine using the table below:

It is important to know! But when clearing an electric car through customs, the same duty will be calculated at different rates. You need to calculate the full amount to pay before arriving at the border, since checkpoint employees do not provide such services.

Is a transport tax on electric cars introduced in Russia in 2021?

Is there a transport tax on electric cars in Russia in 2021? Many of our compatriots are interested. Indeed, in many countries, in order to increase the demand for electric cars, the government motivates potential buyers in various ways, for example, provides subsidies to automakers to reduce the final cost of an electric car, compensates for part of the costs of its purchase, and reduces the amount of transport tax.

But, unfortunately, today the answer to the question of whether there is a road tax on electric vehicles in Russia is positive. Although attempts to abolish this fee have been ongoing since 2015, they have so far been unsuccessful. The last of them was adopted in May 2021, when a group of LDPR deputies proposed to consider a bill that would exempt owners of electric cars from paying taxes for 5 years, from 2021 to 2024. Therefore, owners of electric cars, as well as those wishing to purchase them, can only wait.

Features of calculation for electric vehicles

By taxation

VAT and Unified Tax, cars with gasoline and diesel engines are no different from electric cars. But the horsepower rate for the second type of vehicle is completely different, and its total amount cannot exceed 8,500 euros, which does not apply to standard vehicles. These are the numbers stated in Art. 164 Tax Code of the Russian Federation. As for the customs code, it evaluates environmentally friendly cars somewhat differently.

Main settings

Despite the fact that they require less money for customs clearance of electric vehicles in Russia, a single rate is calculated for them according to the same criteria as for other types of vehicles. Namely:

• Year of issue;
• Actual cost (indicated in the purchase/sale document);
• Driver status (disabled person, pensioner, or breadwinner with many children).

But when calculating the cost through an online calculator, the listed indicators will be multiplied by a reduced rate, which will ultimately affect the reduction in the amount of tax for customs clearance.

Rates

The coefficient for the fee for registration of an environmental vehicle on the territory of the Russian Federation is calculated based on the following parameters:

• Motor power up to 90 hp. – duty-free border passage;
• From 90 to 150 horsepower - the cost of each hp. will be 37 rubles;
• Over 150 horses – excise tax price per 1 hp. will rise to 365 rubles.

At the same time, until 2021, no import tax was collected from drivers for the import of electric vehicles into Russia. But today it is no longer possible to clear customs of this kind of vehicle for free, which not all car enthusiasts know about.

Is there a tax on electric cars in Russia?

Skeptics may wonder why this topic is even being brought up? After all, an electric car is the same type of transport as other cars. Consequently, owners are obliged to pay transport tax on the same basis. On the one hand, yes. But on the other hand, the benefits of using this vehicle for the environment and society as a whole are obvious, therefore, it is necessary to encourage those who want to purchase an electric machine. This is exactly what they do, at least, in European countries. There the tax has been eliminated for this type of transport or there are benefits.

In Russia, the issue is periodically raised and discussed among experts and officials, but so far such initiatives have not brought any results. At the moment, car owners pay transport tax. It is a fact.

Stages of customs clearance

When crossing the border on environmental transport, a single algorithm is provided for all individuals and legal entities, which consists of four simple steps:

1. Payment of a deposit (this fee is charged as a kind of guarantee that the citizen will go through all subsequent procedures, and it must be paid not at the border itself, but by bank transfer, a few days before the car is imported into the Russian Federation);
2. Passing the checkpoint (upon arrival at the border post, customs officers conduct a thorough inspection of the vehicle and related documents);
3. Vehicle registration (at this stage, the owner of the electric car provides all the necessary papers and certificates to calculate the total cost of the tax and enter his vehicle into the traffic police database. He is given no more than 2 weeks for this procedure. If during this time he does not have time to pay all the duties, the stages of customs clearance will have to be completed anew. Therefore, you need to calculate the exact amount to pay and collect a package of documents even before you buy a car);
4. Obtaining a Russian-style PTS (when registering a car, the State Traffic Inspectorate issues the driver a new certificate, which also indicates the presence of his vehicle in the traffic police database. This is the final procedure that does not require any financial costs).

Based on this, it follows that the import of an electric vehicle into Russia (2021) follows the same rules as for conventional gasoline or diesel units. The only privilege provided for owners of environmentally friendly transport is a reduced customs duty rate.

What types of electric vehicles exist, what is it?

The purpose of using an electric car is simple - less harm to the environment, non-renewable oil, etc. There are supporters and opponents of these machines. Some people say that an electric car will never replace a standard car in terms of functionality; others consider it inconvenient to use such cars over long distances, where there is no way to recharge the battery. But global trends indicate that every year the demand for such vehicles will grow. And, in principle, this should become one of the tasks of every state.

In the world of automotive technology, there are now five types of electric vehicles:

1. a hybrid vehicle that uses both fuel and electricity;
2. plan-hybrid cars that also use both fuel and electricity. The difference is that preference is given to electric traction. This vehicle can be used to travel on electric power over long distances;
3. electric cars with a generator, which already have higher power;
4. an absolute electric vehicle that operates solely on battery power;
5. FCEV or fuel cell vehicle.

Regardless of the type of electric machine, the transport fee will be charged in any case. In Russia there are no benefits for any of the specified types of cars.

Will the transport tax on electric cars be abolished?

Many drivers are discussing the issue of abolishing duties on the import of eco-friendly cars into the Russian Federation. But where does this information come from if this type of vehicle is subject to mandatory taxation? The answer is quite simple: exemption from customs duties is provided only for countries of the Eurasian Economic Commission, which include:

• Armenia;
• Belarus;
• Russia;
• Kazakhstan;
• Kyrgyzstan.

Attention! But when buying a car on the American or European market, such privileges will not apply to citizens. But not everyone knows about this nuance. Therefore, there is often a rumor among car enthusiasts about the complete exemption of eco-cars from taxes.

We found out what duty on electric vehicles in 2021 is imposed on people importing vehicles from neighboring countries, and on those who bought environmentally friendly vehicles far beyond its borders. In conclusion, it is worth adding that the customs code, like the legislation of the Russian Federation, tends to constantly change. Therefore, the above information may become irrelevant in a few years.

How is transport tax paid on an electric car by region of Russia?

Regarding the payment of transport tax, it must be noted that the taxation of electric cars has a legislative basis.

Therefore, you need to focus on Article 357 of the Tax Code of our country, which considers as taxpayers those persons in whose name an electric car is registered. And the first paragraph of Article 358 of the same document confirms that electric cars are subject to taxation, like other vehicles.

At the same time, at this time there is no differentiated rate specifically for electric vehicles, although the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation put forward a similar issue for consideration back in 2015, but did not receive approval. Therefore, the tax on electric cars is paid at exactly the same rates as for cars with an internal combustion engine - each region has its own rates.

One should not lose sight of the fact that tariffs are set not on the basis of federal legislation, but in accordance with the municipal regulatory framework. There is only a single tax rate, to which regional coefficients are applied.

It is necessary to take into account that the specified amount of money is paid for each kW of vehicle power. Therefore, if the car’s electric motor has characteristics of 100 kW, then the owner will pay 3.5 rubles for each of them.

Will the tax on electric cars be canceled or will it be canceled in the near future?

Theoretically, they could cancel it. If we take into account the fact that the Government of the Russian Federation has set a course for a significant increase in electric cars among the population. In order to somehow popularize this type of car among citizens, it is necessary to provide them with some benefits. But for now, this issue has remained in the phase of permanent discussion since 2015. No decisions on it are made at the legislative level. There were initiatives that proposed, if not abolishing this tax, then at least making it more differentiated and accessible for passenger electric vehicles. At the moment, the initiatives have not been adopted, therefore, the tax for 2021 will need to be paid in 2021. If we assume that something changes in 2021, then these changes will be noticeable for taxpayers only in 2022. For now all that remains is to pay.

Cancellation of transport tax on electric cars

Currently, a bill is being considered to amend the Tax Code of the Russian Federation in terms of exempting owners of electric vehicles from transport tax from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2024 to encourage citizens to give preference to electric cars to improve the overall environmental situation in the country, explains Alexander Zakharov, head of the department for work with key clients of the AutoSpetsCenter Group of Companies. However, until a decision has been made, it is possible that the transport tax will simply be replaced by an environmental tax, the funds from which will be used to develop infrastructure for electric cars in Russia.

The abolition of the transport tax on electric cars has been discussed since 2018, but in 2021 it is calculated according to the old scheme. This year, owners of engines with a capacity of 400-500 hp. With. it will be necessary to pay 1,354 rubles for each “horsepower” (in 2021 this figure was 1,260 rubles); accordingly, the same changes affected kilowatt cars.

At the same time, in several regions of the Russian Federation the transport tax on electric vehicles has been abolished. So, for example, in the Kaluga and Moscow regions, the tax on electric cars has been canceled completely, this measure has been in effect since January 1, 2021, in the Tyumen region and St. Petersburg it has been canceled for one vehicle with a capacity of up to 150 kilowatts from January 1, 2021 to January 1, 2020