EU and UK may delay 2027 electric car battery tariff, report says

A planned 10% tariff on electric vehicles traded between the UK and the EU that lack locally sourced battery materials may be postponed, with the motor industry group ACEA pushing for a delay until 2030. The levy, drawn up during the 2021 Brexit negotiations, was due to take effect on January 1, 2027, and would apply to EVs whose battery packs are not assembled locally.

The Financial Times reports that ACEA, which represents EU automakers, says the vast majority of the roughly 520,000 EV passenger cars projected for sale in 2027, about 82%, would be caught by the charge. Supply chains have not kept pace with the plan, and most EVs built in the UK and EU still rely on Asian-sourced materials for key battery components.

Why carmakers want the charge pushed back

ACEA argues that if the levy came into force, UK- and EU-built EVs would no longer be competitive against rivals from China, which are themselves subject to import limits as the EU tries to shrink its trade deficit. The irony is that most battery packs and chemicals used in those European-built cars originate in Asia, with many imported from China.

ACEA has proposed postponing the requirements until 2030 and pushing a further rule on European-made battery cathode material to 2032. That matters because the tariff would land hardest on the models European factories are building right now, not on some future generation of cars.

Who stands to lose from a delay

Not everyone in Europe wants the postponement. Companies that have already invested in large-scale battery manufacturing plants, along with the EU chemicals industry, sit on the other side of the argument. For them, a delay weakens the case for building local supply chains when imported cells remain cheaper.

The two markets are deeply intertwined, which raises the stakes. The UK is the largest buyer of EU-manufactured vehicles, taking 30% of them, and the EU is the UK's biggest export market for EVs, with the two trading about €80 billion ($88 billion) a year. A tariff on battery origin would therefore cut across one of the busiest vehicle trade routes in Europe.

Timing and what is still undecided

A delay is considered likely, but how long the levy will be staved off is unclear. An unquoted UK official said serious negotiations will probably begin after an EU-UK summit scheduled for November 20, 2026.

These battery-origin rules are separate from the EU's postponed plan to sell only EVs from 2035; they concern where EV components come from, not what powers the cars. No new start date has been confirmed, and neither side has announced a final decision.

Rox Motor's Adamas SUV has been spotted testing in Australia, with a reader-supplied photograph showing an undisguised right-hand drive example charging in Sydney. The sighting comes as the Chinese brand prepares to enter the Australian market, with a marketing agency telling CarExpert in October that the launch is expected around the end of this year or early next year.

What was spotted

The photographs, taken by a CarExpert reader, show the Adamas without camouflage and in right-hand drive configuration, suggesting the vehicle is undergoing local evaluation or homologation work. The Adamas is the more upmarket of Rox Motor's two current SUVs, sitting alongside the 01.

Both models are large unibody SUVs in the mould of the current Land Rover Defender, and both are offered with six- or seven-seat layouts. Where the Defender offers petrol, diesel or plug-in hybrid power, the Rox models are extended-range electric vehicles, with a petrol engine acting as a generator for the battery rather than driving the wheels.

Powertrain and specifications

The Adamas shares its battery and powertrain with the 01, combining a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a pair of electric motors that drive the wheels. Total system output is 350kW of power and 740Nm of torque.

The 01 uses a 56.01kWh ternary lithium battery and delivers 235km of electric range on the WLTC cycle, plus 1115km of combined range. The Adamas offers slightly more combined range at 1226km WLTC.

The 01 measures 5295mm long, 1980mm wide and 1869mm tall on a 3010mm wheelbase, making it 100mm longer, 14mm narrower and 36mm lower than a Denza B8, with a 90mm longer wheelbase. The Adamas is incrementally longer, wider and lower than the 01 but has an identical wheelbase.

Both models feature double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension with adaptive dampers. Inside, the 01 has a 15.7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 15.6-inch rear entertainment screen. Luxury equipment includes a heated steering wheel, heating, massage and power adjustment for first- and second-row seats, ventilation for the front row, and a panoramic sunroof with a power sunshade.

Brand background

Rox Motor was founded by Chinese entrepreneur Chang Jing and originally used the Polestones name. The 01 was its first model, revealed in 2023 with styling by Pininfarina. Unlike roughly half of the new Chinese brands heading to Australia over the next 12 months, Rox Motor is not part of the Chery Group.

What is still unknown

The marketing agency that confirmed the brand's Australian arrival did not specify which of Rox Motor's two model lines, the 01 or the Adamas, would be offered locally. The Sydney sighting of the Adamas points to that model being part of the launch, but the full line-up has not been confirmed.

The agency also did not confirm who would distribute Rox Motor in Australia or what the retail network would look like. Pricing in Australian dollars has not been announced either.

The timing remains approximate: the brand was described as arriving around the end of this year or early next year, without a firm date. The fact that a right-hand drive Adamas is already in the country suggests preparations are well advanced, but buyers will need to wait for official confirmation on models, distribution and pricing before they can plan a purchase.