Chinese electric car imports rise 122% in a year

October 22, 2025

Dear subscriber, If you want to know how fast Africa’s EV sector is growing, just ask China. Or apparently America! Shipping data suggests a surge in US vehicle imports.

Brian Ambani - Editor

African countries imported nearly 30,000 electric cars from China in the nine months to September, an increase of 122% from 13,403 cars in the same period last year. This includes 25,318 new and 4,404 used electric passenger cars, according to official Chinese data. During the whole of last year Africa imported 19,369 electric cars from China. 

  • Tracking import figures from China gives one of the best views of the African EV market. China is by far the largest source of EV imports, led by companies like BYD, Zeekr, Dongfeng, XPeng and Leapmotor.  

  • Four countries – Djibouti, Egypt, Nigeria and Ethiopia – account for 71.2% of demand. Djibouti is a major port of entry for Ethiopia. The latter is, together with Nigeria and Egypt, among the three most populous nations on the continent. 

  • Our take: China will grow its dominance of the EV market further through cheaper models… Read more (2 min)

BluEV has established over 120 battery swapping stations in Egypt, a major milestone in the country’s electric mobility transition. The stations have facilitated more than 205,000 battery swaps, reducing downtime for riders and fleet operators. The growth has been supported by strategic partnerships with major financiers and distribution companies.

  • BluEV’s new Pluto model is attracting strong demand due to its high performance and reliability on Egyptian roads.

  • The company’s strong financial backing positions it for further regional expansion. A $100 million investment plan in Morocco, announced in July, reflects a strategy to build an integrated North African EV ecosystem.

  • Our take: BluEV is on track to dominate Egypt’s electric motorcycle market… Read more (2 min)

US-based vehicle shipping firm Ship Overseas has reported a 37% jump in annual revenue, which it has attributed to a surge in demand for shipping of used EVs to Africa, noting a 19% rise in customer demand in the period. Ship Overseas has expanded its operations to serve Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa, four of Africa’s fastest-developing EV markets.

  • There were nearly 400,000 registered used EVs in the US in 2024. It is one of the world's biggest EV manufacturers and supplies both new and used EVs to global markets. 

  • The US is however unlikely to be a major or reliable source of used EVs for Africa. A removal of subsidies is expected to sharply increase prices, which could make existing owners hold on to their cars for longer. 

  • Our take: For Africa to catch up with its global peers, the availability of used EVs will play a critical role… Read more (2 min)

JET NEV Technical Coordinator Nick Brooks (second right) and his team visit GridCars offices in South Africa

Events

📅 Book a slot at the Auto Tech Expo in Egypt (Oct 24)

📅 Attend a webinar on Dakar’s electric public transport (Oct 28)

📆 Register for Automechanika Expo in South Africa (Oct 28)

Jobs

📝 Apply for Procurement Supervisor’s role at Zeekr International (South Africa)

🛠️ Join Dodai as an Assembly Technician (Ethiopia)

👩🏻‍💻 Become a Welfare Analyst at Max (Ghana)

Various 

❌ How SA missed the chance to launch its home-grown electric vehicle

🏍️ What it takes to build an EV company in Kenya from scratch

🤝🏻 India–Egypt strategic partnership boosts EV collaboration

Seen on LinkedIn 

Guillaume Remy, Co-founder & Director of Zeroca, says, “Carbon credits are a source of income, paid (typically annually) on the basis of actually delivered emission reductions. However, if you can make that new revenue line tangible enough to lenders through contracts etc. You can integrate it into your business plan and raise additional capital on the back of it.”