Importing guide · China to UK
Importing electric bicycles from China to the UK
E-bikes combine a bicycle, a motor and a lithium battery, so they bring battery shipping rules, product safety rules and, for some models, anti-dumping and countervailing duties.
Rates checked against the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026. Your exact product may fall under a different code: check it before you order.
What to watch
- To be ridden as a bicycle in Great Britain, an e-bike’s motor must be no more than 250 watts continuous rated power and must stop assisting above 15.5 mph (GOV.UK electric bike rules).
- Check the exemptions on the duty below: whether a model is covered can depend on its design.
- Get the UN 38.3 test summary for the battery before booking freight: forwarders ask for it.
Not covered by the duty
- The following goods imported from China are exempt from the anti-dumping and countervailing duties: electrical bicycles that are not foldable.
The UK rules
General Product Safety Regulations 2005
General product safety
- Supply only products that are safe in normal and foreseeable use.
- Give users the warnings and instructions they need, in English.
- Act if a product turns out to be unsafe, including telling the authorities.
Product Safety and Metrology (Amendment) Regulations 2024 and the product rules below
Your duties as importer of UKCA or CE marked goods
- Check the manufacturer carried out the right conformity assessment, drew up the technical documentation and affixed the marking.
- Put your name, trade name or trademark and postal address on the product (or its packaging or documents where that isn’t possible).
- Keep the technical documentation available, typically for 10 years after each product is placed on the market.
- Co-operate with market surveillance authorities.
- If you sell it under your own brand, or change it, you take on the manufacturer’s duties.
Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market) Regulations 2008 and producer responsibility
Batteries
- Register as a battery producer with the environmental regulator and record the tonnage and chemistry each year.
- Portable batteries: over 1 tonne a year, join a battery compliance scheme; smaller producers register directly (there is an annual charge).
GOV.UK: batteries regulations · GOV.UK: waste batteries producer responsibility · IATA: shipping lithium batteries
Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008
Machinery safety
- Check the manufacturer holds the technical file, and that the machine carries the marking and comes with instructions in English.
Work it out for your order
- Landed-cost calculatorSet up for code 8711 60 10 00: add your price, quantity and freight.
- Price checkIs a quote too cheap? Compare it with what UK importers declare per kilo.
- Product rules checkerThe rules above, with a checklist to print and send to the supplier.
- Quote comparerCompare suppliers by landed cost, each with its own anti-dumping rate.
- Spec sheet and AQLPut the quality standard in writing, with the inspection sample size.
Questions about importing electric bicycles
What is the import duty on electric bicycles from China?
Goods from China under commodity code 8711 60 10 00 pay 6% customs duty, plus anti-dumping and countervailing duty of 79.3% for most exporters (from 18.8% for named exporters with the right paperwork), and 20% import VAT on top. Checked against the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026.
What rules apply to electric bicycles imported into the UK?
General product safety, Your duties as importer of UKCA or CE marked goods, Batteries, Machinery safety. As the importer you are responsible for making sure the electric bicycles meet them before they go on sale.
How much does the UK import from China under this code?
£47.9m in the 12 months to July 2026, under the 8-digit code 87116010 (bicycles, tricycles and quadricycles, with pedal assistance, with an auxiliary electric motor with a continuous rated power <= 250 w), according to HMRC’s overseas trade statistics.
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