Car Import Duty in Pakistan: How It's Calculated (With Examples)
Import duty on a car in Pakistan is not one number — it's five levies applied in sequence on the CIF value, and the rates climb sharply with engine size.
Pakistan applies five levies on an imported car, in order: Customs Duty and Regulatory Duty on the CIF value, then 17% Sales Tax and Federal Excise Duty on the duty-inclusive total, then Withholding Tax on the running total. Rates rise with engine CC — total duty ranges from roughly 75% of CIF on a small car to over 100% above 1300cc.
What CIF value means
Every levy is calculated on the CIF value — Cost + Insurance + Freight, i.e. the total landed value at the Pakistani port. For a car bought at auction in Japan, that's the auction price plus agent commission, shipping and marine insurance. Customs can revise the CIF upward if your declared value is below their assessed database rate.
The five levies, in order
Total duty = CD + RD + ST + FED + WHT
- CD
- — Customs Duty = CIF × CD rate
- RD
- — Regulatory Duty = CIF × RD rate
- ST
- — Sales Tax = (CIF + CD + RD) × 17%
- FED
- — Federal Excise Duty = (CIF + CD + RD) × FED rate
- WHT
- — Withholding Tax = (CIF + CD + RD + ST + FED) × WHT rate
Rate brackets by engine CC (FY2025)
| Engine CC | Customs Duty | Regulatory Duty | FED | Withholding Tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 800cc | 50% | 0% | 0% | 1% |
| 801–1000cc | 50% | 0% | 0% | 1% |
| 1001–1300cc | 50% | 15% | 5% | 1% |
| 1301–1500cc | 75% | 15% | 10% | 1% |
| 1501–1800cc | 100% | 25% | 15% | 1% |
| 1801–2000cc | 125% | 25% | 20% | 1% |
| Above 2000cc | 150%+ | 25% | 25%+ | 2% |
Worked examples
660cc kei car, CIF Rs. 1,800,000
A small used Japanese car. Engines up to 800cc pay no Regulatory Duty and no FED.
- Customs Duty (50% of CIF)
- Rs. 900,000
- Regulatory Duty (0%)
- Rs. 0
- Sales Tax (17% of CIF + CD)
- Rs. 459,000
- Federal Excise Duty (0%)
- Rs. 0
- Withholding Tax (1%)
- Rs. 31,590
- Total duty & taxes
- Rs. 1,390,590
Total landed cost ≈ Rs. 3,190,590 — duty adds about 77% to CIF.
1300cc sedan, CIF Rs. 3,000,000
The 1001–1300cc bracket adds 15% Regulatory Duty and 5% FED.
- Customs Duty (50% of CIF)
- Rs. 1,500,000
- Regulatory Duty (15% of CIF)
- Rs. 450,000
- Sales Tax (17% of CIF + CD + RD)
- Rs. 841,500
- Federal Excise Duty (5%)
- Rs. 247,500
- Withholding Tax (1%)
- Rs. 60,390
- Total duty & taxes
- Rs. 3,099,390
Total landed cost ≈ Rs. 6,099,390 — duty roughly doubles the CIF (about 103%).
Above 1300cc the rates rise further, which is why imported 1.8L+ cars often cost two to three times their overseas price.
Common mistakes
- Calculating duty on the purchase price instead of CIF — shipping and insurance add 10–20%.
- Not allowing for Customs' assessed minimum value, which can be higher than your invoice.
- Assuming EVs and hybrids follow the same table — they have reduced Customs Duty and FED.
- Forgetting that Sales Tax and FED are charged on the duty-inclusive base, not the bare CIF.
Calculate the duty on a specific car
Enter the CIF value and engine CC to get a full layer-by-layer breakdown and the total landed cost in PKR.
Open the Car Import Duty calculatorFrequently asked questions
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