The Government has extended the maximum age to eight years for certain imported vehicles and tightened eligibility rules for electric vehicles, under amendments to the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act taking effect in 2026.
Legal Notice No. 477 amends the Fourth Schedule to the Act, increasing the allowable age of vehicles in key categories from three years to eight years. The change applies to provisions governing vehicle importation and registration and takes effect from January 1, 2026.
The amendment significantly widens the pool of used vehicles eligible for import, allowing vehicles up to eight years old from the year of manufacture, instead of the previous three-year limit. The same eight-year threshold is also applied to related provisions in Appendix A of the schedule.
At the same time, the order narrows the treatment of electric vehicles by introducing a value cap.
References to electric motor vehicles in the schedule are now limited to those with a C.I.F. value not exceeding $400,000. Electric vehicles above that threshold fall outside the amended provisions, signalling a shift away from preferential treatment for higher-priced imports.
