The same car, different countries: where the difference actually is

Eight destination markets, with age ceilings from five years to none at all. The same car that registers in one country can fail to clear customs in the next. The difference is not custom or religion: it is three hard rules.

We currently serve 8 destination markets. A car built in 2020 (six years old in 2026) can enter 6 of them and cannot enter 2: Cote d'Ivoire / Angola, both of which cap imports at five years.

Data verified: 2026-09-20 · Planning reference only. Not a customs ruling — confirm with a licensed broker.

Which countries can take a 2020 car

Calculated from each country's age ceiling, not from what an advert claims. Unit counts come from the live stock list, the same source as the stock page.

Destination	Max age	Units that can enter	2020 build	Duty structure	Port
Nigeria	12 yrs	12 / 14	Can enter	20% duty + 5% NAC levy + VAT + Green Tax (about 36-40% of CIF)	Lagos — Apapa / Tin Can Island
Ghana	10 yrs	14 / 14	Can enter	Import duty 5%-20% by engine size + 15% VAT + levies (about 35%-45% of CIF)	Tema
Cote d'Ivoire	5 yrs	3 / 14	Cannot enter	Assessed on CIF + 18% VAT	Abidjan
Senegal	8 yrs	5 / 14	Can enter	20% duty + 18% VAT + surcharges	Dakar
Togo	10 yrs	13 / 14	Can enter	Lower overall tax burden after tiered relief	Lome
Cameroon	No ceiling	0 / 14	Can enter	30% duty + 19.25% VAT + excise scaled by vehicle age (about 60-75% of CIF)	Douala / Kribi
Angola	5 yrs	3 / 14	Cannot enter	High duty + 14% VAT	Luanda
Benin	10 yrs	12 / 14	Can enter	ECOWAS CET 20% + 18% VAT, plus statistical and community levies (about 40-50% of CIF)	Cotonou

"Can enter" reflects the country's age ceiling and admission status, including markets that still need case-by-case confirmation. The clearing agent's written reply is what counts.

Three rules, and none of them is culture

It is often assumed that language or religious custom decides whether a car can be sold. In practice one of these three always stops it first.

Age ceiling. Côte d'Ivoire 5 years, Angola 5, Senegal 8, Ghana, Togo and Benin 10, Nigeria 12, Cameroon no ceiling. This decides whether the car gets in at all: it is a door, not a cost.

Tax structure. West Africa shares one customs union and passenger cars generally carry 20% duty, but VAT runs from 18% to 19.25%, and statistical, community and age-based excise charges stack on top. The real burden lands between 40% and 75% of CIF. This decides how much dearer it gets once inside.

Steering side. We export factory left-hand-drive vehicles only and do not convert cars. East and southern Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique) drive on the left and require right-hand drive. We decline those markets outright and say so before you order.

Questions buyers ask

These three come up before anyone asks for a price.

Which West African countries can import a 2020 used car?

Six years old in 2026. It can enter Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Togo, Benin and Cameroon. It cannot enter Côte d'Ivoire or Angola, both of which cap at five years. Shipping that car to Abidjan ends in refusal at the port, not in a duty argument.

Same model, Ghana versus Côte d'Ivoire: how big is the gap?

Two things. Age: Ghana allows 10 years, Côte d'Ivoire 5, so a 2020 car clears only one of them. Tax: Ghana's combined burden lands around 40-50% of CIF, while Côte d'Ivoire adds an age- and engine-based levy on top of duty and 18% VAT. Quotes are built per destination; one price cannot serve both.

Why are Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa not on your list?

Because they drive on the left and require right-hand drive. We ship factory left-hand-drive vehicles only and do not perform steering conversions: a converted car fails local inspection and holds no resale value. Sending a buyer to a port where the car will be refused costs far more than saying no at the start.

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