Like a giant snowball rolling down a hill and getting bigger as it goes, Chinese EVs are gobbling up the worldwide market. The US International Trade Commission reports that between 2018 and 2023, Chinese EV exports grew by 1,016%, totaling nearly 1.6 million vehicles—more than any other nation. They’re also ranked second only to Germany in EV exports by dollar value, reaching $36.7 billion for 2023.
One country where Chinese EVs remain conspicuously absent, though, is the US. There are several reasons for this—and if certain people have their way, the country’s vehicles will never make it to our shores. However, because of their presence elsewhere and the potential of the US market, speculation about these EVs coming stateside remains rampant.
I previously discussed whether Chinese cars are coming to the US; today, I want to focus on the question of Chinese EVs. Here’s my look at what’s hindering their arrival, which makes and models could eventually find their way to US roads, and how they can compete with the EV models already available.
Obstacles to Chinese EVs
Before anything else, I need to address a few elephants in the room related to Chinese EVs. There are three barriers that could potentially hinder or prevent these vehicles from arriving on US soil.
#1 – Massive Import Tariffs
Over the last eight years, the cost of importing Chinese vehicles of any kind has skyrocketed thanks to new tariffs. The first Donald Trump administration enacted a new tariff increasing import taxes on Chinese automobiles from a modest 2.5% to a prohibitive 27.5%. Not only did the Biden administration keep this tariff, but in September 2024, it specifically targeted Chinese EVs by making the tariff on them a whopping 100%.
There is a way around this, though: move production elsewhere. Several Chinese automakers are actively seeking to build European production facilities, including major players like BYD, SAIC, and XPENG. And since the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous vehicle and part manufacturers have transferred production to Mexico or are trying to. These moves will insulate companies against the punitive Chinese EV tariffs—although the incoming Trump administration has proposed increased tariffs for many of these countries, too.
#2 – The Potential Elimination of the EV Tax Credit
A less obvious but still significant possibility is whether the EV tax credit from the Inflation Reduction Act goes by the wayside. The incoming presidential administration has made no secret it wants to eliminate this credit, which reduces a person’s annual tax liability by up to $7,500 if they purchase an EV. Dumping the credit could possibly make it less attractive for Chinese automakers to enter the market. However, since this would affect everyone, it’s not as much of a deterrent as the tariffs.
#3 – Calls for Banning Chinese EVs
One thing Chinese automakers may not be able to work around, though, is if they’re outlawed. In September 2024, the US Commerce Department announced it wanted to ban any vehicles from using Chinese or Russian software, citing privacy and national security risks. In other words, the government is worried that connected-vehicle tech will be used by the Chinese to spy on people (this is interesting to me, given the US government’s history of spying on its citizens, but that’s another story).
This comes in the wake of several politicians calling for a ban on Chinese EVs. Such a ban would make any attempts to bring Chinese vehicles to the US dead on arrival. For the purposes of this discussion, though, I’ll assume such bans don’t come to pass.
What Chinese EVs Could Be Available in the US?
An estimated 100 EV brands in China means there’s no shortage of possible contenders for a jump to the US market. Nevertheless, a few stand out as the most likely entrants.
BYD
As the biggest EV manufacturer in the world, overtaking Tesla in late 2023, BYD is an obvious candidate. From the Seagull subcompact hatchback to the HAN luxury sedan and the N7 SUV, BYD has dozens of potential models that could appeal to US customers. According to AutoForecast Solutions VP Sam Fiorani, “BYD’s entry into the US market isn’t an if. It’s a when.”
Geely
Technically, Geely is already in the US, thanks to its ownership of brands like Volvo, Polestar, and Lotus. However, tariffs have already forced Geely to stop shipping Chinese-made cars from these brands to the US in favor of production in the US and Europe. The recent moves by Geely Auto offer increased chances that other EVs from China-market brands it owns, like Zeekr, Lynk & Co, and Geely itself, could follow suit.
SAIC-GM-Wuling
The main reason I consider SAIC-GM-Wuling is because of its middle name. As a joint venture involving General Motors, the company has an instant US connection for marketing, dealerships, and facilities. Some of its vehicles are already exported to regions like South America and North Africa (a few off-road mini trucks were even sent to the US in the mid-2000s), and it has an existing manufacturing plant in Indonesia to help circumvent tariffs. Possible US EV exports include the Binguo subcompact and Starlight midsize sedan.
How Would They Compete With Existing EV Models?
Finally, there’s the question of how Chinese models can establish themselves. As of 2025, there are over 100 EV models available to US consumers, and more are expected in the coming years. This includes EV titan Tesla, established American names like Ford and Chevy, and other foreign automakers such as Toyota, VW, and BMW. Despite that stiff competition, I see two main ways Chinese nameplates can carve out a place, if not dominate the market.
Lower Prices
Thanks to large government subsidies, a price war between the many automakers, and differences in marketing philosophies, Chinese EVs are notoriously inexpensive. The BYD Seagull and SAIC-GM-Wuling Binguo vehicles I mentioned earlier can be had for less than $10,000 in China. Compare that to the Tesla Model Y, which is perpetually the best-selling EV in the US—and has a starting MSRP of $44,990, in part because the rest of the world’s automakers have positioned EVs as prestige purchases. Even with foreign tariffs, Chinese EVs can potentially undercut existing models big-time, which is a big deal with vehicle prices still not even close to recovering from the pandemic-triggered surge.
Better EV Technology and Craftsmanship
The stereotype is that a cheaper car must mean an inferior car. The reality, though, is that China began pursuing EV tech much earlier than the rest of the world, giving it a head start. Its knowledge of lithium iron phosphate batteries for computer products has been applied to vehicles, and construction is remarkably efficient with no excess components, making them far lighter. The craftsmanship of these vehicles has been praised as well, being compared to US EVs that cost three to four times more.
Preparing for a Chinese EV Future
As readers may have inferred already, not everyone is looking forward to the prospect of Chinese EVs being sold in the US. The Alliance for American Manufacturing has gone so far as to declare an influx of these EVs “could end up being an extinction-level event for the US auto sector.”
Nonetheless, barring a full government ban, I think it’s inevitable that Chinese EVs make it here on a large scale. While some Americans will undoubtedly refuse to buy them on principle, others are starving for a low-priced EV that offers solid quality, and they’ll buy it from whoever is offering it—as the old saying goes, people are only as faithful as their options. If and when Chinese EVs finally arrive, it will be up to other automakers to adjust if they want to avoid being left behind.
