E-bikes and bicycle parts duty into Great Britain 4%–6%
Under the standard tariff, e-bikes and bicycle parts imported into Great Britain carry customs duty of between 4% and 6%, with most items at 4%, plus 20% import VAT, effective 1 January 2021. Preferential rates can apply when origin requirements are met. In Great Britain, consignments at or under £135.00 are relieved of duty, but VAT treatment must be checked separately, including tax collected at checkout.
178 origins qualify for a preferential rate below the 4% standard, all at 0%. On the £150.00 worked example, the best of them is worth £8.21. Claiming a preferential rate requires proof of origin at customs; without acceptable proof the standard rate applies.
- Route
- Any origin → Great Britain
- Standard customs duty
- 4%–6%, median 4%
- Import VAT
- 20%
- Duty assessed on
- Goods value plus freight and insurance (CIF)
- Low-value treatment
- Consignments at or under £135.00 are relieved of duty, but VAT treatment must be checked separately, including tax collected at checkout
- Typical clearance fee
- £8.00, charged by the carrier
- Commodity codes covered
- 4
- Source record date
- 23 August 2026
Rates by commodity code
| HS code | Description | Duty | In force since | Instrument |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8711.60 | Motorcycles (including mopeds) and cycles fitted with an auxiliary motor, with or without side-cars; side-cars, with electric motor for propulsion | 6% | S.I. 2020/1430 | |
| 8714.93 | Parts and accessories of vehicles of headings 8711 to 8713, hubs, other than coaster braking hubs and hub brakes, and free-wheel sprocket-wheels | 4% | S.I. 2020/1430 | |
| 8714.94 | Parts and accessories of vehicles of headings 8711 to 8713, brakes, including coaster braking hubs and hub brakes, and parts thereof | 4% | S.I. 2020/1430 | |
| 8714.95 | Parts and accessories of vehicles of headings 8711 to 8713 | 4% | S.I. 2020/1430 |
A worked example
A £150.00 order of parts and accessories of vehicles of headings 8711 to 8713 (HS 8714.95) with £21.00 shipping, imported into Great Britain, has a modelled total of £221.41. This includes £50.41 in estimated duty, VAT and carrier fees.
| Goods value | £150.00 |
|---|---|
| Shipping and insurance | £21.00 |
| Customs duty · 4% | £6.84 |
| Import VAT · 20% | £35.57 |
| Carrier clearance fee | £8.00 |
| Estimated taxes and fees | £50.41 |
| Total landed cost | £221.41 |
The model assumes import tax has not already been paid at checkout. It uses the standard tariff before preferential origin relief. This is not a prediction of the amount collected at delivery. Order value is an assumed figure converted from euros at an illustrative rate, for the sake of a realistic example. Use the calculator for your actual numbers.
Origins with a preferential rate
| Agreement | Preferential rate | vs standard | Saving on the example |
|---|---|---|---|
| CARIFORUM14 countriesAntigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago | 0% | -4.0pp | £8.21 |
| Central America6 countriesCosta Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama | 0% | -4.0pp | £8.21 |
| Channel Islands2 countriesGuernsey, Jersey | 0% | -4.0pp | £8.21 |
| CPTPP All Members excluding Canada2 countriesBrunei, Malaysia | 0% | -4.0pp | £8.21 |
| Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) - Comprehensive Preferences43 countriesAfghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo - Kinshasa, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia | 0% | -4.0pp | £8.21 |
| Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) - Enhanced Preferences17 countriesAlgeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville, Cook Islands, Kyrgyzstan, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Niue, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu | 0% | -4.0pp | £8.21 |
| Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) - Standard Preferences1 countryIndonesia | 0% | -4.0pp | £8.21 |
| Eastern and Southern Africa States4 countriesMadagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe | 0% | -4.0pp | £8.21 |
| European Union28 countriesAustria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden | 0% | -4.0pp | £8.21 |
| OCTs (Overseas Countries and Territories)11 countriesAnguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands, St Helena, Turks & Caicos Islands | 0% | -4.0pp | £8.21 |
| SADC EPA5 countriesBotswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia | 0% | -4.0pp | £8.21 |
| Best rate comes from different agreements by commodity code9 countriesAustralia, Chile, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam | 0% | -4.0pp | £8.21 |
| Named individually in the tariff36 countriesAlbania, Andorra, Cameroon, Canada, Ceuta, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Egypt, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Georgia, Ghana, Iceland, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Melilla, Moldova, Morocco, North Macedonia, Norway, Palestinian Territories, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine | 0% | -4.0pp | £8.21 |
Where Northern Ireland charges differently
Northern Ireland applies the EU Common External Tariff rather than the UK Global Tariff. On 3 of the 4 commodity codes compared here the two differ; on the rest they are identical.
| Commodity code | This page | Northern Ireland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 871493Parts and accessories of vehicles of headings 8711 to 8713, hubs, other than coaster braking hubs and hub brakes, and free-wheel sprocket-wheels | 4% | 4.7% | +0.7pp |
| 871494Parts and accessories of vehicles of headings 8711 to 8713, brakes, including coaster braking hubs and hub brakes, and parts thereof | 4% | 4.7% | +0.7pp |
| 871495Parts and accessories of vehicles of headings 8711 to 8713 | 4% | 4.7% | +0.7pp |
Duty rates only. Northern Ireland follows EU customs rules on low-value consignments and UK rules on VAT, so the total charge on a parcel is not simply this page’s figure with the rate swapped. Goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland are a separate regime again.
Editor's note
For an e-bike, collect the model specification, rated motor power and list of included components. For a spare part, identify what the part is and whether it is imported alone.
Check additional trade-remedy duties before relying on the ordinary rate. HMRC’s bicycle-parts guidance describes conditions and authorisations for relevant Chinese-origin parts. Tollmark therefore withholds total estimates for affected Great Britain codes. Confirm manufacturing origin and any claimed exemption with the seller; the dispatch country alone is insufficient. A tariff code also does not confirm that a bike is legal to ride on public roads.
Check your own order
One goods type, ordinary tariff and destination currency. No trade-agreement relief, trade-remedy duties, excise, gifts, returns or deductions for tax paid at checkout. Enter prices before tax; we do not convert currencies.
Common questions
How much is customs duty on e-bikes and bicycle parts imported into Great Britain?
Standard tariff before any preferential origin relief: Between 4% and 6% depending on the exact commodity code, with a median of 4%, effective 1 January 2021.
Is there a threshold below which I pay nothing on a parcel to Great Britain?
Consignments at or under £135.00 are relieved of duty, but VAT treatment must be checked separately, including tax collected at checkout.
Is import VAT charged on top of the duty in Great Britain?
Where import VAT is due, the stored rates are 20%, calculated on the customs value plus the customs duty itself. Tax collected at checkout must be checked before estimating an additional payment.
What does the worked example estimate?
A £150.00 order with £21.00 shipping gives £50.41 in estimated duty, VAT and carrier fees, for a modelled total of £221.41. The model assumes import tax has not already been paid at checkout. It uses the standard tariff before preferential origin relief. This is not a prediction of the amount collected at delivery.
Classification notes
A complete electric bicycle and a separately imported component need different classification checks. HMRC distinguishes e-bikes under subheading 8711 60 from parts under 8714. Power, pedal assistance and the components presented together matter.
Identify the exact model or part before using a rate. The category title is not confirmation that a complete pedal bicycle or every conversion kit is covered.
Some Great Britain e-bike and part codes are excluded from Tollmark’s total-cost calculator pending a separate trade-remedy assessment.
48 further sanctions and trade-control notices apply to these commodity codes. They govern whether the goods may be traded, not what they cost, and are listed at the source rather than repeated here.
Sources
- S.I. 2020/1430 — effective
- S.I. 2020/1430 — effective
- S.I. 2020/1430 — effective
- S.I. 2020/1430 — effective
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