Uzbekistan lifts environmental certificate requirement for hybrid EV imports

Previously, Uzbekistan had introduced a requirement for imported hybrid vehicles to have an environmental certificate confirming compliance with at least the Euro-4 emission standard.

This move sparked active debate across social media platforms in recent days.

According to the Autodeklarant Telegram channel, this requirement has now been canceled.

“Customs officials have stated that hybrid vehicles being registered as electric vehicles are no longer required to obtain environmental certificates. In other words, the policy has reverted to its previous state, where such certification was not required. Registration without an environmental certificate has resumed,” wrote the channel’s author.

For reference, Uzbekistan mainly imports electric and hybrid vehicles from China. Since 2018, all vehicles manufactured in China must comply with the China-5 emission standard, which is roughly equivalent to Euro-5. These requirements were further tightened, with China-6a standards enforced from 2021 and China-6b from 2023.

Earlier, the Senate of the Oliy Majlis announced that an inquiry had been sent to the Minister of Ecology regarding this matter. The statement noted that public discussions around the issue were not without reason, as most hybrid electric vehicles entering Uzbekistan are equipped with electric motors that meet Euro-5 or Euro-6 environmental standards.

It is worth recalling that, as of November 1 last year, individually imported vehicles in Uzbekistan became subject to mandatory electromagnetic compatibility testing at a laboratory in Piskent. Later, the import of all vehicles of the Leapmotor brand was temporarily suspended after one model failed the test.

Additionally, beginning May 1 of this year, the recycling fee for new electric vehicles was increased fourfold.