Two sums before you buy a car: a customs calculator and an “Annual cost of ownership” block on listings
The price of a car is only part of the cost. Import one and customs payments come on top; buy one here and there is insurance, inspection, fuel and servicing every year. Prayk now answers each of these questions separately.
Customs calculator
The customs calculator breaks down the clearance cost of a passenger car bought abroad. Inputs: purchase price in dollars (auction or seller price; add shipping separately), fuel type, engine size (in litres or cm³), year of manufacture and condition — new or used.
- Customs duty — up to 1,500 cm³: new 0.40, used 0.70 $/cm³; above 1,500 cm³: new 0.70, used 1.20 $/cm³.
- Excise — by engine-size bands (0.30 ₼/cm³ up to 2,000 cm³); cars older than 7 years get a multiplier: petrol ×1.5, diesel ×2.
- VAT — 18% (on customs value plus duty and excise).
- Recycling fee — 400 ₼ for 4–7 years, 700 ₼ over 7 years.
- Paperwork — processing and document fees, about 325 ₼.
Electric cars up to 3 years old are treated as exempt from duty and VAT, hybrids up to 3 years and 2,500 cm³ as exempt from VAT. The sources of the rates are noted in the calculator’s code: the State Customs Committee duty table and Article 190.3 of the Tax Code (excise, 2026 multipliers); tariffs are as of 1 January 2026.
Example: 2.0 litre, 2020, petrol, used
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Customs value ($15,000 × 1.70) | 25,500 AZN |
| Duty ($1.20 × 2,000 cm³) | 4,080 AZN |
| Excise (0.30 ₼ × 2,000 cm³) | 600 AZN |
| VAT 18% | 5,432.40 AZN |
| Recycling fee (6 years) | 400 AZN |
| Paperwork (estimate) | 325 AZN |
| Total payments | 10,837.40 AZN |
| Purchase + payments | 36,337.40 AZN |
Important: this is an estimate. The official amount is set by the State Customs Committee calculator at customs.gov.az and the customs authority. Cars imported with a CT-1 certificate (for example, from Russia, Georgia or Kazakhstan) may be duty-free — check your own case with the official source.
“Annual cost of ownership” on car listings
Car listings that state the year and engine size now have a new block: roughly what a year of owning the car will cost out of pocket. It includes compulsory insurance (50 ₼ × engine coefficient), technical inspection (not required for the first 5 years, every two years at 5–10 years, then yearly) with the recycling fee paid at inspection, fuel and an estimated servicing budget. You can change the annual mileage (10–30 thousand km) and petrol grade (AI-92 / AI-95) right in the block. Depreciation is shown on its own line and is not added to the total.
For the same car (15,000 km a year, AI-92): insurance 75 ₼, inspection and recycling fee about 20 ₼ a year on average, fuel 1,552.50 ₼ (about 9 L per 100 km), servicing 600 ₼ — 2,247.50 ₼ a year, about 187 ₼ a month. Depreciation on a 25,500 ₼ car is about 8% a year, or 2,040 ₼. Bonus-malus, driving style and real consumption are not considered.
Where to find it
The tools live in the Prices section; the annual-cost block also links to the customs calculator. For the fee paid at vehicle registration: registration fee calculator. For a car’s market value: What’s my car worth?. Listings: Cars.