In the first half of 2025, Brazil imported electric and hybrid cars worth $2.7 billion, a 20.6% decrease from the same period in 2024, according to data provided by the External Trade Statistics System (Comex Stat) under the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services. Within the total import amount, the import value of pure electric cars was $572.7 million, a significant 57.7% decrease year-on-year, while the import value of hybrid cars was $2.15 billion, a 2.7% increase year-on-year. The import quantity of pure electric and hybrid vehicles also declined.

It is understood that during the first six months of 2025, Brazil imported a total of 141,884 hybrid and pure electric cars, compared to 148,959 in the same period of 2024, marking a 4.7% decrease. This decline comes after Brazil gradually resumed levying import taxes on these two types of vehicles. Currently, the import duty rates for pure electric and hybrid models fluctuate between 25% and 30% depending on the engine type. This duty had been zero since 2015 but was reinstated in 2024 and is set to fully return to the original rate by July 2026, reaching a unified import tariff rate of 35% for electric and hybrid cars.

In terms of vehicle types, the number of hybrid models imported in the first half of 2025 reached 103,800, a 29% increase from the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, the import quantity of fuel-powered cars was 74,315, and pure electric cars stood at 38,067. China remains the primary source country for Brazil's imports of electric and hybrid cars.

In the first half of 2025, the total number of various types of cars imported from China was 134,582, accounting for 62.1% of Brazil's total imports. This represents a 3.6% increase compared to the same period in 2024 when 129,933 cars were imported. Even after the reinstatement of import duties on pure electric and hybrid cars, China remains the primary source country for these two vehicle types imported into Brazil. However, the trend indicates that the tariffs on electric and hybrid cars are mainly suppressing the import of pure electric vehicles, with a 44.4% decrease in imported quantity in 2025 compared to 2024.