Pakistan’s car import bill rose sharply in July and August 2026. The country brought in $81.4 million worth of new and used cars, up from $59 million a year earlier. That’s a 36% jump, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data.
Kits for Local Assembly Grew Too, But Slower
Imports of car kits used for local assembly also rose during this period. These kits, known as CKD, cost around $355 million. That’s up from $305 million a year ago, a rise of 16%.
The CKD bill is still bigger overall than the bill for built-up cars. But built-up car imports grew more than twice as fast. That gap is why the numbers are drawing attention.
Why Built-Up Car Imports Are Rising
More Chinese carmakers are launching new models in Pakistan. Almost all of their electric models come in fully built, not assembled here.
Lower customs duty and sales tax on imported electric cars make this the cheaper route for these companies. New entrants are also being pushed to bring in more electric vehicles, as part of a wider push to cut Pakistan’s oil import bill. Chinese firms brought in between 1,500 and 2,000 new-energy vehicles a month during July and August.
Used Cars Add to the Bill
Used car imports played a part too. Pakistan brought in 1,938 used vehicles in July and 1,445 in August, a combined 3,383 units. Most of these came in under the gift scheme.
The government ended the personal baggage import scheme in January 2026. It also added mandatory pre-shipment checks for cars entering under the gift and transfer-of-residence schemes. Even with these changes, gift-scheme imports kept climbing. Only 48 used cars arrived in May. That number jumped to 843 in June, then to 1,938 in July.
For the full financial year 2026, used vehicle imports fell to around 38,000 units, down from 42,000 units in FY25. The drop is mainly linked to the end of the baggage scheme.
