Vehicle import tax calculator
Bringing in or buying a freshly imported car, bike or EV? Work out the one-time customs duty, excise duty, 13% VAT and road fee on its CIF value, and the total landed cost, in one cascade.
Choose petrol/diesel by engine cc, or electric by motor power, and see every stage of the tax cascade stacked on the one before it. An indicative tool, computed entirely in your browser.
Vehicle & import value
Customs 80% + excise 55.0% for this band.
Cost + insurance + freight to the Nepal border, in NPR, as assessed by customs.
A flat, indicative % of CIF (commonly ~5% for private vehicles). Edit if your case differs.
Total landed cost
Rs 96,08,100
Total duty & tax ≈ 220.3% of the CIF value
Total tax
Rs 66,08,100
Customs duty
Rs 24,00,000
Excise duty
Rs 29,70,000
VAT @ 13%
Rs 10,88,100
Road fee
Rs 1,50,000
| Stage | Rate | Charged on | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIF value | - | - | Rs 30,00,000 |
| + Customs duty | 80% | Rs 30,00,000 | Rs 24,00,000 |
| = Value after duty | - | - | Rs 54,00,000 |
| + Excise duty | 55.0% | Rs 54,00,000 | Rs 29,70,000 |
| = Value after excise | - | - | Rs 83,70,000 |
| + VAT | 13% | Rs 83,70,000 | Rs 10,88,100 |
| + Road construction / infra fee | 5% | Rs 30,00,000 (CIF) | Rs 1,50,000 |
| Total landed cost (value after excise + VAT + road fee) | Rs 96,08,100 | ||
Each duty/tax is charged on the running total of the ones before it: customs duty on the CIF value, excise duty on CIF + customs duty, and 13% VAT on CIF + customs duty + excise duty. The cc/kW bands, customs and excise rates shown are indicative, as of FY 2083/84, and follow the general published structure (broadly flat customs duty with steeply progressive excise duty by engine size for petrol/diesel vehicles, much lower slabs for EVs by motor power). Actual rates are set by HS code in the yearly Customs Tariff and Finance Act and can change with each budget, confirm the current rate with the Department of Customs before relying on a figure. This excludes bluebook registration and the annual renewal tax, which are separate.
From CIF value to landed cost
Four stages, each charged on the running total of the ones before it, not each computed independently off the CIF value.
Customs duty
CIF value × the band's customs-duty rate. Broadly flat for petrol/diesel, far lower for EVs by motor power.
Excise duty
(CIF + customs duty) × the band's excise rate. Steeply progressive with engine size for petrol/diesel.
13% VAT
(CIF + customs duty + excise duty) × 13%, the standard Nepal VAT rate applied on imports.
Road fee & total
A flat, editable % of CIF is added for the road fee; the sum is the total landed cost.
Vehicle import tax, answered
Why are electric vehicles so much cheaper to import than petrol or diesel ones?+
Nepal deliberately taxes EVs far more lightly to encourage adoption and cut fuel-import dependence. A petrol/diesel car pays a broadly flat ~80% customs duty plus an excise duty that climbs steeply with engine size (30% for a small car up to 200%+ for a large one), while an EV of similar value is taxed on motor power in kW, starting as low as 10% customs and 0% excise for smaller motors. The gap narrows for high-powered EVs, whose customs and excise rates step up too.
What does "landed cost" include, and what does it leave out?+
Landed cost here is the CIF value plus customs duty, excise duty, 13% VAT and the road construction/infrastructure fee, i.e. everything it costs to legally bring the vehicle into Nepal and clear customs. It excludes bluebook registration, number-plate fees and the recurring annual vehicle (bluebook renewal) tax, which is a separate, ongoing charge, use the Vehicle Tax & Bluebook Renewal calculator for that.
Is this the same as the annual vehicle tax calculator on this site?+
No. This tool is the one-time import/purchase tax you pay when a vehicle first enters Nepal and clears customs, based on its CIF value. The separate Vehicle Tax & Bluebook Renewal calculator covers the annual tax you pay every year afterwards to keep your bluebook current, a much smaller, recurring, engine-cc-banded fee set by your province.
Why does each tax get charged on a bigger amount each time?+
Nepal's import taxes cascade: customs duty is charged on the CIF value, excise duty is then charged on CIF plus customs duty, and 13% VAT is charged on CIF plus customs duty plus excise duty. Because each stage's base already includes the tax before it, the effective total tax rate on the CIF value ends up noticeably higher than simply adding the headline customs, excise and VAT percentages together.
Do these customs and excise rates change often?+
Yes. Nepal's customs duty, excise duty and vehicle-tax slabs are set (and frequently revised) in the yearly Finance Act and Customs Tariff announced with each national budget, and can shift meaningfully year to year, especially for EVs as the government recalibrates incentives. The bands here reflect the general published structure as of FY 2083/84; always confirm your vehicle's exact HS code and rate with the Department of Customs or a licensed customs agent before finalising an import.
Is the 5% road fee always exactly 5%?+
No, the road construction/infrastructure fee is a flat, indicative percentage of CIF value that has commonly been around 5% for private vehicles, but the exact rate and its applicability can vary by vehicle category and year. It is editable in the calculator so you can plug in the current published rate for your case.
Sources & data note
Customs duty and excise duty on vehicles are set by HS code in the yearly Customs Tariff and Finance Act; the cc/kW bands and rates here follow the general published structure as of FY 2083/84 and are indicative. The road fee is a flat, editable estimate. All figures exclude bluebook registration and the separate annual renewal tax, and can change with each budget, confirm the current rate with the Department of Customs before relying on a figure.