Do electric private cars still get an FRT concession in Hong Kong?

No. The general FRT concession for private electric cars expired on 31 March 2026 and was not extended. Private EVs registered on or after 1 April 2026 pay full FRT. A transitional carve-out applies to orders placed on or before 25 February 2026 with FRT submission by 24 February 2027. Commercial EVs, electric motorcycles and motor tricycles retain FRT waivers until 31 March 2028.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong First Registration Tax Rates 2026: What a HK$300k, HK$500k or HK$1M Car Really Costs

Q: What are the Hong Kong First Registration Tax rates for private cars in 2026?

FRT is charged on the taxable value in four progressive bands: 46% on the first HK$150,000, 86% on HK$150,001–HK$300,000, 115% on HK$300,001–HK$500,000, and 132% above HK$500,000.

Quick answer: Hong Kong's first registration tax (FRT) for private cars in 2026 is charged in four marginal bands: 46% on the first HK$150,000 of taxable value, 86% on the next HK$150,000, 115% on the next HK$200,000, and 132% on everything above HK$500,000. A HK$300,000 car carries HK$198,000 of tax. A HK$500,000 car carries HK$428,000. A HK$1,000,000 car carries HK$1,088,000, which is more than the car itself.

➜ Want the number for a specific car? Use our free Hong Kong First Registration Tax calculator. Enter a taxable value, or the dealer's Hong Kong price, and it works backwards to show you how much of that price is tax.

Two points changed materially in 2026. The FRT concession for electric private cars expired on 31 March 2026, and the annual licence fee for pure electric private cars is now charged by rated power, on a scale that steps up each year to 2030. Both are covered below, along with worked examples at three price points and a full FRT table further down the page.

If you are arriving from Singapore: there is no COE in Hong Kong, but FRT does much of the same work in making car ownership expensive, and none of it is refunded when you sell or scrap the car.

Hong Kong first registration tax rates for private cars 2026

FRT is charged under the Motor Vehicles (First Registration Tax) Ordinance (Cap. 330) when a vehicle is first registered in Hong Kong. It is paid once, not annually, and it applies whether the car is brand new from a distributor or a used import being registered here for the first time. The private-car rates are marginal bands, like income tax (Transport Department, guidelines for importation and registration of motor vehicles):

Taxable value band	Rate
First HK$150,000	46%
Next HK$150,000 (HK$150,001–300,000)	86%
Next HK$200,000 (HK$300,001–500,000)	115%
Remainder (above HK$500,000)	132%

Because the bands are marginal, the effective rate climbs with the price: 66% of taxable value at HK$300,000, about 86% at HK$500,000, and about 109% at HK$1,000,000.

Other vehicle classes are taxed differently. Motorcycles and motor tricycles pay a flat 35% with no bands, but electric motorcycles and electric motor tricycles pay no first registration tax at all until 31 March 2028, under the same waiver that covers electric commercial vehicles (Government press release, 25 February 2026). Goods vehicles other than van-type light goods vehicles pay 15%. Van-type light goods vehicles up to 1.9 tonnes pay banded rates of 35% / 65% / 85%, while heavier van-type LGVs pay 17%. Taxis, light buses, buses and special purpose vehicles pay 3.7%.

What your car actually costs after FRT: three worked examples

Each example shows the FRT calculation band by band, then the on-the-road total including the HK$100 vehicle registration fee and a first-year licence fee. Licence fees are taken from TD341 (Rev. 11/2025), set out in the licence-fee section below. Insurance and parking are not included.

A HK$300,000 car (taxable value)

Typically a mainstream Japanese or Korean model, or a modest European hatchback. The licence fee assumes a petrol engine over 1,500cc and up to 2,500cc.

Line	Amount
First HK$150,000 × 46%	HK$69,000
Next HK$150,000 × 86%	HK$129,000
Total FRT	HK$198,000
Vehicle price (taxable value)	HK$300,000
Registration fee	HK$100
First-year vehicle licence (petrol, over 1,500cc up to 2,500cc)	HK$7,498
On-the-road total	HK$505,598

Effective tax rate: 66%. A HK$300,000 car costs just over HK$500,000 before it is driven anywhere.

A HK$500,000 car (taxable value)

A well-specified European saloon or a mid-range SUV. Same licence-band assumption; many cars at this price use 2.0-litre engines.

Line	Amount
First HK$150,000 × 46%	HK$69,000
Next HK$150,000 × 86%	HK$129,000
Next HK$200,000 × 115%	HK$230,000
Total FRT	HK$428,000
Vehicle price (taxable value)	HK$500,000
Registration fee	HK$100
First-year vehicle licence (petrol, over 1,500cc up to 2,500cc)	HK$7,498
On-the-road total	HK$935,598

Effective tax rate: 85.6%. This is where budgets most often go wrong: a buyer who allows for the car price plus "some tax" is typically short by several hundred thousand dollars.

A HK$1,000,000 car (taxable value)

Luxury or performance territory. The licence fee assumes a petrol engine over 2,500cc and up to 3,500cc.

Line	Amount
First HK$150,000 × 46%	HK$69,000
Next HK$150,000 × 86%	HK$129,000
Next HK$200,000 × 115%	HK$230,000
Remaining HK$500,000 × 132%	HK$660,000
Total FRT	HK$1,088,000
Vehicle price (taxable value)	HK$1,000,000
Registration fee	HK$100
First-year vehicle licence (petrol, over 2,500cc up to 3,500cc)	HK$9,929
On-the-road total	HK$2,098,029

Effective tax rate: 108.8%. Above HK$500,000 of taxable value, every additional dollar of car price costs HK$2.32 once FRT is added.

FRT at every price point

The table below shows FRT across common price points, calculated with the 2026 bands.

Taxable value	FRT payable	Effective rate	Value + FRT
HK$150,000	HK$69,000	46.0%	HK$219,000
HK$200,000	HK$112,000	56.0%	HK$312,000
HK$300,000	HK$198,000	66.0%	HK$498,000
HK$400,000	HK$313,000	78.3%	HK$713,000
HK$500,000	HK$428,000	85.6%	HK$928,000
HK$750,000	HK$758,000	101.1%	HK$1,508,000
HK$1,000,000	HK$1,088,000	108.8%	HK$2,088,000
HK$1,500,000	HK$1,748,000	116.5%	HK$3,248,000

The crossover point where the tax equals the car's taxable value is HK$725,000; above that, FRT exceeds the price of the vehicle. For any value not in the table, the FRT calculator takes any figure and shows the band-by-band breakdown.

The EV concession in 2026: what changed on 1 April

For several years the standard answer to reducing FRT was to buy electric. For private buyers, that no longer applies.

The FRT concession for electric private cars expired on 31 March 2026 and was not extended (Government press release, 25 February 2026). An electric private car registered under an application made on or after 1 April 2026 pays full FRT on the standard four-band scale above, the same 46% to 132% as a petrol car. No replacement concession has been introduced for private cars. One separate exemption is unaffected: a disabled driver does not pay FRT on the first HK$300,000 of an electric private car's taxable value, provided they have not registered a vehicle under that exemption in the previous five years (Transport Department, FRT Concessions for Electric Vehicles).

Two carve-outs remain:

A transitional window to 24 February 2027. The one-off arrangement covers electric private cars that were ordered on or before 25 February 2026, or that the owner had already arranged to ship to Hong Kong for their own use by that date. The distributor, importer or owner must submit the supporting documents and apply to pay first registration tax at the pre-adjustment concession on or before 24 February 2027, subject to Transport Department verification and approval (Government press release, 25 February 2026). Once an application is approved, the car must be first registered on or before 24 February 2027 or within five working days of the approval, whichever is later (Transport Department, FRT Concessions for Electric Vehicles).
The waiver runs to 31 March 2028 for everything that is not a private car. Electric commercial vehicles, electric motorcycles and electric motor tricycles keep the full waiver and are unaffected by the private-car change (Government press release, 25 February 2026).

At current rates the annual licence fee for a pure electric car is still well below that of a comparable petrol car (see the tables below), although the EV fees are scheduled to rise each year to 2030. The up-front purchase case has changed materially, and any dealer quote or older guide that still assumes concessionary FRT on a private EV should be treated as out of date. Our Hong Kong EV guide covers the wider picture.

The One-for-One Replacement Scheme has closed to new cases

The One-for-One Replacement Scheme was the enhanced version of the old concession: scrap an eligible older private car, replace it with a new electric one, and receive a higher FRT concession. The concession caps were HK$58,500 generally and HK$172,500 under One-for-One, and they still apply to cars that qualify under the transitional arrangement (Transport Department, FRT Concessions for Electric Vehicles).

Eligibility turned on the car being scrapped, not simply on how long you had owned it. The old private car must have been first registered in Hong Kong for at least six years, the applicant must have been its registered owner continuously for 18 months or more, and it must have been licensed for at least 10 of the 12 months (or 20 of the 24 months) immediately before de-registration. An electric private car with a taxable value above HK$500,000 is not entitled to the concession. The scrapping, de-registration and first-registration application must all fall on or before 24 February 2027, and the old car's de-registration must come no more than three months before the new car's first-registration application.

The scheme ended for private cars together with the general concession on 31 March 2026 (Government press release, 25 February 2026). New One-for-One applications are accepted only under the one-off transitional arrangement for cars ordered on or before 25 February 2026. For a car ordered after that date, scrapping a petrol car no longer unlocks any EV tax reduction.

One related point for anyone arriving from Singapore: Hong Kong has no PARF equivalent. When you deregister or scrap a car, no part of the registration tax is refunded. FRT is a sunk cost from the day of registration.

Taxable value: what the tax is actually charged on

FRT is charged on "taxable value", not on whatever you happened to pay.

For a new car from a registered distributor, taxable value is the published retail price the distributor has filed for that model and specification, subject to Transport Department verification. Dealer prices in Hong Kong effectively include the FRT that flows from that value, which is why the calculator can work backwards from a dealer price to show how much of it is tax.

For a self-imported car, there is no published price, so taxable value is built up from your actual costs: broadly the purchase price plus the costs of getting the car to Hong Kong and ready for registration, assessed as a provisional taxable value. Keep every invoice. A low purchase price overseas does not by itself reduce the Hong Kong tax base, because the value is assessed rather than simply accepted.

For a used import, depreciation applies to bring the value down: 25% per year for petrol cars and 20% per year for non-petrol cars. This is why personally importing a car that is a few years old can make financial sense despite the paperwork, as the depreciated taxable value can reduce the FRT bill substantially. FRT still applies on first registration in Hong Kong even if the car was registered and used abroad.

The six-month accessories rule is the common trap. Accessories fitted or paid for within six months of first registration count towards taxable value. Ordering a car in base specification and adding the upgrades separately shortly afterwards does not avoid the tax on them.

Buying a car already registered in Hong Kong

FRT is paid only on first registration. If you buy a used car that is already registered in Hong Kong, no further FRT is due; the tax already paid is reflected in the car's resale price. Transferring ownership costs HK$1,000 for a car. For many new arrivals, a Hong Kong-registered used car is the lower-cost entry point. Our buying guide covers the process.

Licence fees and the other recurring costs

FRT is the one-off charge; these are the costs that recur. All licence fees below are annual and include the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance (TAVA) Fund levy (Transport Department, TD341 (Rev. 11/2025)).

Petrol private cars pay by engine cylinder capacity:

Engine size	Annual licence fee
Up to 1,500cc	HK$5,074
Over 1,500cc, up to 2,500cc	HK$7,498
Over 2,500cc, up to 3,500cc	HK$9,929
Over 3,500cc, up to 4,500cc	HK$12,360
Over 4,500cc	HK$14,694

Pure electric private cars are licensed by rated power. This structure applies to first issue or re-issue of a licence applied for on or after 1 November 2025, and to renewals of licences expiring on or after 1 March 2026 or submitted on or after that date. It applies only to pure electric private cars, not to hybrids of any type.

Rated power	Annual licence fee
Up to 75kW	HK$1,614
Over 75kW, up to 125kW	HK$2,114
Over 125kW, up to 175kW	HK$2,614
Over 175kW, up to 225kW	HK$3,114
Over 225kW	HK$5,114

The electric fees above apply until 28 February 2027 and then step up each 1 March through to 2030. Taking a car rated over 75kW and up to 125kW as an example, the Government's published fee before the HK$114 TAVA levy is HK$2,000 until 28 February 2027, rising to HK$2,500 from 1 March 2027, HK$3,000 from 1 March 2028, HK$4,000 from 1 March 2029 and HK$5,000 from 1 March 2030 onwards; the levy is charged on top of each figure (1823, "How to calculate the vehicle licence fees for electric private cars?"). The top band (over 225kW) rises from HK$5,000 to HK$11,000 before levy over the same period.

At current rates, even the top electric band (HK$5,114) is about a third of the top petrol band (HK$14,694). The gap narrows as the phased EV increases take effect, so anyone keeping an EV for several years should budget on the later-year fees rather than today's.

The other recurring and one-off costs to budget:

Vehicle registration fee: HK$100. A common mix-up: HK$1,000 is the fee for transferring ownership of a used car (HK$250 for a motorcycle), not for registration.
Annual examination: HK$585 at a designated car testing centre, required for private cars aged six years or older before each licence renewal. A re-check within 14 days is HK$180.
Insurance: third-party cover is a legal requirement before the vehicle can be licensed. Costs vary widely by driver profile; see our Hong Kong car insurance guide.

Parking is often the largest running cost after purchase; our Hong Kong parking costs guide and tunnel tolls guide cover the rest of the day-to-day budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Hong Kong first registration tax rates for private cars in 2026? Four marginal bands: 46% on the first HK$150,000 of taxable value, 86% on the next HK$150,000, 115% on the next HK$200,000, and 132% on the remainder above HK$500,000.

How much is FRT on a HK$500,000 car? HK$428,000: HK$69,000 on the first band, HK$129,000 on the second and HK$230,000 on the third, an effective rate of 85.6%.

Is FRT negotiable? No. It is a statutory tax. The taxable value is assessed by the Transport Department and can be challenged on technical grounds, but the rates themselves are fixed.

Is there still an EV first registration tax concession in Hong Kong? Not for private cars. The concession, including the One-for-One Replacement Scheme, expired on 31 March 2026. A transitional deadline of 24 February 2027 applies, but only to electric private cars ordered on or before 25 February 2026 (or already arranged for shipping to Hong Kong by then), and only where the supporting documents are submitted and the application made by that date. Electric commercial vehicles, electric motorcycles and electric motor tricycles keep their full waiver until 31 March 2028.

How is taxable value worked out for a self-imported car? From your actual landed costs rather than a published price, with depreciation for used vehicles of 25% per year for petrol cars and 20% per year for non-petrol cars. Accessories added within six months of registration count towards the value.

Do I get any tax back when I sell or deregister my car in Hong Kong? No. Unlike Singapore's PARF rebate, Hong Kong refunds nothing on deregistration or scrapping. A buyer of your car pays no further FRT, and the tax already paid is reflected in the resale price.

How much is the annual licence fee for an electric car? Until 28 February 2027, between HK$1,614 (up to 75kW) and HK$5,114 (over 225kW), including the HK$114 TAVA levy, charged by rated power. The fees then rise each 1 March through to 2030; for the top band, the fee before levy goes from HK$5,000 now to HK$11,000 from 1 March 2030. Petrol cars currently pay HK$5,074 to HK$14,694 by engine size. The electric scale applies to pure electric private cars only, not hybrids.

Is FRT cheaper for motorcycles? Considerably: a flat 35% of taxable value with no bands, against the 46–132% banded scale for private cars. An electric motorcycle or motor tricycle pays no first registration tax at all until 31 March 2028 (Transport Department, FRT Concessions for Electric Vehicles).

The short version

Budget the tax before choosing the car. At HK$300,000 of taxable value you will pay HK$198,000 in FRT; at HK$500,000, HK$428,000; at HK$1,000,000, HK$1,088,000. None of it is refunded when you sell or scrap. The EV concession for private cars expired on 31 March 2026, so the comparison between petrol and electric now rests on running costs rather than purchase tax, and the EV licence fee advantage narrows each year to 2030.

Run your own figure through the FRT calculator before speaking to a dealer. If a relocation package includes car costs, confirm whether it covers the full on-the-road price including FRT or only the pre-tax price.

This guide is general information, not tax or legal advice. FRT rates, concessions and licence fees can change, usually through the annual Budget or a gazette notice. Confirm the position with the Transport Department or your dealer at the time of purchase.

Last updated: 24 September 2026 | FRT rates and vehicle classes verified against the Transport Department importation and registration guidelines, and EV concession arrangements (expiry, transitional window, electric commercial vehicle and electric motor cycle / motor tricycle waiver) verified against the Government press release of 25 February 2026, fact-check of 19 August 2026. One-for-One eligibility criteria re-verified against the Transport Department FRT Concessions for Electric Vehicles page, 27 August 2026. Registration fee and annual licence fees (petrol and electric) verified against TD341 (Rev. 11/2025) and the phased electric fees against the 1823 FAQ, 24 September 2026.