Tanzania Used Car Import Tax Calculator 2026

Importing a car into Tanzania — the real cost

Importing a used car (typically from Japan, UK, UAE or South Africa) into Tanzania stacks several taxes on top of the price. Most buyers underestimate it badly: on an older car the taxes can match or exceed what you paid for the car itself. Here is how every shilling is added on, using the rates in force from 1 July 2026.

What changed on 1 July 2026

The Finance Act 2026 raised the age-based excise on imported used vehicles and split it into three bands: 18% for cars 8–10 years old (was 15%), 35% for 11–20 years (was 30%) and a new 40% band for cars over 20 years. It also ended the 0% engine excise on small cars: petrol cars of 1,000cc or less now pay 5%. If you are comparing quotes, check that the calculator or agent has updated.

The tax stack

1. Import duty — 25% of the CIF value for passenger cars.
2. Excise duty on engine size — 5% for engines up to 2,000cc, 10% above 2,000cc. Charged on CIF.
3. Excise duty on age — 0% under 8 years from the year of manufacture, 18% at 8–10 years, 35% at 11–20 years, 40% over 20 years. Charged on CIF, on top of the engine excise.
4. VAT 18% on CIF + import duty + both excise duties.
5. Railway Development Levy — 2% of CIF.
6. Customs Processing Fee — 0.6% of the FOB value.
7. First registration — a licence fee by engine size (TZS 200,000–300,000), TZS 250,000 registration tax and the HIV/AIDS response levy (TZS 50,000–200,000). Together TZS 500,000–750,000.

Worked example — a 12-year-old Toyota Premio (1,500cc)

• FOB Japan: USD 4,500; shipping and insurance to Dar: USD 1,500. At an illustrative TZS 2,680 per dollar, FOB is TZS 12,060,000 and CIF is TZS 16,080,000.
• Import duty 25% = TZS 4,020,000.
• Excise 40% (5% engine + 35% age) = TZS 6,432,000.
• VAT 18% on (CIF + duty + excise) = TZS 4,775,760.
• RDL 2% = TZS 321,600; customs processing fee 0.6% of FOB = TZS 72,360; registration, plates and HIV levy = TZS 550,000.
• Total taxes and fees ≈ TZS 16,171,720; landed cost ≈ TZS 32,251,720 — before clearing and port charges.

Used car tax in Tanzania at a glance

Estimated landed cost for a 1,800cc petrol or diesel car, by price and age, with TZS 2,000,000 for shipping and insurance. Figures come from the used car tax calculator above and include registration; they exclude clearing and port charges.

An 11–20-year-old car costs about TZS 4.1 million more to import than one under 8 years at a TZS 10 million CIF value, and about TZS 12.4 million more at TZS 30 million. Age is the single biggest lever on your car import cost.

How to calculate car import tax in Tanzania, step by step

The motor vehicle tax calculator above follows the order TRA uses. Each step builds on the one before, so keep to this order if you check a quote by hand:

1. Work out CIF: FOB price + shipping + insurance to Dar es Salaam, in TZS.
2. Find the age: the current year minus the year of manufacture. A car made in 2018 is 8 years old in 2026.
3. Import duty = CIF × 25%.
4. Engine excise = CIF × 5% (2,000cc or less) or 10% (above 2,000cc).
5. Age excise = CIF × 0%, 18%, 35% or 40%, depending on the age band.
6. VAT = (CIF + import duty + both excise amounts) × 18%. VAT is charged on the duty and excise as well, not on CIF alone.
7. Railway Development Levy = CIF × 2%, and Customs Processing Fee = FOB × 0.6%.
8. Add first registration: licence fee + TZS 250,000 registration tax + HIV levy, TZS 500,000–750,000 in total.

Car tax as a percentage of CIF

Every tax apart from the customs fee and registration is a percentage of CIF, so the total is a fixed share of CIF for each age and engine band. Multiply your CIF by the figure below, then add 0.6% of FOB and TZS 500,000–750,000 for registration.

Check it against the Premio example above: 96.7% of its TZS 16,080,000 CIF is TZS 15,549,360. Add the TZS 72,360 customs fee and TZS 550,000 registration and you reach the same TZS 16,171,720 the calculator shows.

Two thresholds that move the bill: 8 years and 2,000cc

7 years old vs 8 years old. Take a 990cc petrol car with an FOB price of TZS 7,000,000 and TZS 2,500,000 for shipping and insurance, so CIF is TZS 9,500,000:

• Made in 2019 (7 years old in 2026): import duty 2,375,000 + engine excise 475,000 + VAT 2,223,000 + RDL 190,000 + customs fee 42,000 + registration 500,000 = TZS 5,805,000 in taxes and fees.
• Made in 2018 (8 years old): the 18% age excise adds TZS 1,710,000 and VAT rises to TZS 2,530,800, for a total of TZS 7,822,800. One model year costs about TZS 2 million.

Since 1 July 2026 a petrol car this small also pays the 5% engine excise; before the Finance Act 2026 it paid 0%.

2,000cc vs 2,400cc. An 11-year-old (2015) SUV with an FOB price of TZS 15,000,000 and TZS 3,000,000 shipping and insurance (CIF TZS 18,000,000) pays TZS 18,146,000 in taxes and fees with a 2,000cc engine. At 2,400cc the engine excise doubles to TZS 1,800,000 and the VAT on it rises too, giving TZS 19,208,000, about TZS 1.06 million more. Registration stays at TZS 650,000 because both engines fall in the 1,501–2,500cc band.

For three fuller worked examples, from a 1,300cc saloon to a 2,800cc Prado-class SUV, and the import process from purchase to plates, read How Much Does It Cost to Import a Used Car to Tanzania in 2026? To keep a copy of your own estimate, print this page or save it as a PDF from your browser's print menu.

Car import cost in Tanzania: budget for more than the taxes

Taxes are the largest part of the cost of importing a used car, but they are not all of it. Before you commit, also budget for:

• Clearing and forwarding — a licensed clearing agent's fee to lodge the customs entry and release the car from the port.
• Port charges and storage — these climb every day the car waits after the free period, so have the tax money ready before it lands.
• Inspection — any pre-shipment or destination inspection your agent arranges.

TRA charges duty on the customs value it assesses — for used cars, from its own valuation database — which can differ from the price on your invoice. Treat every figure here as an estimate and confirm the final assessment with your clearing agent.

Tips to keep cost down

• Buy under 8 years old — you avoid the age excise entirely, which on a 10 million CIF car saves TZS 1.8–4 million in excise alone, plus the VAT charged on it.
• Stay at or under 2,000cc — engine excise doubles from 5% to 10% above 2,000cc.
• Use a licensed clearing agent (CFA) — they handle valuation queries and keep storage days down.
• Time it — port congestion peaks November to January; plan around it.

Pair with the TZS Converter for FOB→TZS, the Car Age & Excise tool to confirm the band, and the Driving Licence for the next step.

Sources: Finance Act 2026 (Excise (Management and Tariff) Act s.126, age excise; HS 8703.21.90 small-engine excise); TRA Taxes and Duties at a Glance 2025/26 (engine excise, RDL, customs processing fee, registration fees). Rates checked 27 September 2026.

Take this further

Import duty and excise are only part of the cost of putting a vehicle on the road. Tawala Fleet carries the landed cost into the asset record and tracks fuel, servicing and insurance against it; Tawala Accounting depreciates it.

Not sure which module fits? Compare every option under Tawala solutions, or find the setup for your sector under Tawala by industry.