QCOSTARICA – The government will continue to monitor the prices of electric vehicles and will seek that the exemptions allow them to be accessible to the population.

Electric vehicles are 80% exempt from paying property tax this year, in addition to benefits in paying Value Added Tax (VAT), selective consumption tax and customs value.

Read more: Electric cars will have tax exemptions for 12 more years

Vice President Stephan Brunner commented that the government will carry out an audit of the market to ensure the exemption regulations are applied, as part of the government’s plan to make electric vehicles accessible and its view to decarbonizing the country.

The Chinese ambassador, Tang Heng (left), together with Costa Rica’s vice president, Stephan Brunner. Photo Richard Blaser

The vice president’s statements arose as part of the third Festival Ciudadano de Movilidad Eléctrica (Citizen Festival of Electric Mobility) that took place over the weekend on Avenida Escazú.

Taking part in the event were also China’s Ambassador to Costa Rica, Tang Heng,  representatives of the Costa Rican Association of Electric Mobility and the importer of Chinese vehicles, EV2 Costa Rica.

The Chinese Embassy in Costa Rica on Saturday donated an AION V Plus, a high-security electric vehicle to the government. The car can travel up to 600 kilometers with an energy charge and has a value of ¢24 million colones.

“We know that Costa Rica is recognized worldwide for its ecological contribution and China is very committed to the international community on climate change. It should be noted that with regard to electric mobility, China is the largest producer and exporter of electric cars worldwide, in 2022 the production of electric cars in China represented 68% of the total production worldwide, which is why many Chinese brands are very present in the Costa Rican market,” said Ambassador Heng.

For his part, VP Brunner said, “In a future dream that oil prices rise and we are not going to flinch because neither the fuel for the car nor the energy for electricity comes from fossil fuels. If we manage to harmonize our energy, it will support the Country Brand, it benefits all products we sell around the world”.

In 2022, electric vehicles from China dominated sales in Costa Rica, which speaks of the quality of the product and the trust that brands generate in Costa Rican buyers.