Does zero duty change the amount of VAT?

Indirectly, yes. VAT at 23% is charged on customs value with duty added, so 0% instead of 10% also lowers the tax base. Excise follows engine size and comes to 3.1% or 18.6%, and zero duty does not touch it.

Which Cadillac models should I check first?

The ones built in the States and abroad in parallel. On those Cadillac models the rate is settled car by car, and the gap between 0% and 10% genuinely moves the maximum figure worth chasing at auction.

Does the model year affect the duty rate?

Not directly, though it often matters in practice: manufacturers shift production between plants partway through a generation. The same Cadillac model from two model years can have a different assembly country, which is why the rate is set for one VIN rather than for a model name.

Does an American seller mean American assembly?

No. Sales in the States also move cars built in Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia. The condition for the preference concerns where the Cadillac was finally assembled, not where it was auctioned, so reading the plant off the VIN stays the only reliable check.

What does the first character of the VIN tell you?

It points to the manufacturer's country: 1, 4 and 5 stand for the United States, 2 for Canada and 3 for Mexico. That is a first filter rather than proof, so we additionally read the country and city of the assembly plant, because only those answer the condition for the zero rate.

Cadillac and zero duty — model by model

Cadillac reaches us with two kinds of origin: 66,775 cars in our database carry an American assembly plant on record, the rest a European, Mexican, Canadian or Asian one. The first group catches 0% duty, the second 10%. No model name settles this — you need the VIN.

Which Cadillac models are assembled in the USA?

American assembly covers 74% of the Cadillac cars in our database, but it spreads unevenly across models. Some families are built only in the States, some only outside them, and some in several countries at once. For a model with mixed assembly, 0% or 10% comes out of the VIN.

Model	Assembly countries	Status	Cars in our database
SRX	Mexico, United States	Depends on the car	16,720
CTS	United States	Can be 0%	14,084
Escalade	Mexico, United States	Depends on the car	9,927
XT5	United States	Can be 0%	8,599
ATS	United States	Can be 0%	7,402
XTS	Canada	No preference	6,248
Escalade ESV	Mexico, United States	Depends on the car	5,363
XT4	United States	Can be 0%	3,393
DTS	United States	Can be 0%	3,130
DeVille	United States	Can be 0%	2,940
XT6	United States	Can be 0%	2,268
CT5	United States	Can be 0%	1,676
STS	United States	Can be 0%	1,422
CT6	China, United States	Depends on the car	1,334
CT4	United States	Can be 0%	1,178
LYRIQ	United States	Can be 0%	838
Escalade EXT	Mexico	No preference	792
Eldorado	United States	Can be 0%	629
CTS-V	United States	Can be 0%	553
Seville	United States	Can be 0%	525
CT5-V	United States	Can be 0%	285
Fleetwood	United States	Can be 0%	186
ATS-V	United States	Can be 0%	163
CT4-V	United States	Can be 0%	155
XLR	United States	Can be 0%	155
Allante	United States	Can be 0%	138
Brougham	United States	Can be 0%	133
DTS Professional	United States	Can be 0%	114
ELR	United States	Can be 0%	108
Optiq	Mexico	No preference	97
Catera	Germany	No preference	49
Vistiq	United States	Can be 0%	48
Concours	United States	Can be 0%	43
d'Elegance	United States	Can be 0%	41
ESCALADE IQ	United States	Can be 0%	39
STS-V	United States	Can be 0%	29
CT6-V	United States	Can be 0%	15
Deville/Fleetwood	United States	Can be 0%	10
Cimarron	United States	Can be 0%	5
XLR-V	United States	Can be 0%	5
Escalade IQL	United States	Can be 0%	1

Models of “American” brands without zero duty

The zero rate is out of reach for Cadillac cars from plants outside the USA, even when an American dealer sold them and you bid on them at a sale in the States. The preference in force since 2026-07-01 looks at the place of final assembly, so 10% stands. The VIN shows it plainly.

Model	Assembly countries	Status	Cars in our database
XTS	Canada	No preference	6,248
Escalade EXT	Mexico	No preference	792
Optiq	Mexico	No preference	97
Catera	Germany	No preference	49

Made in USA • Tax 0%

How do you check a specific car?

The VIN is the only thing that settles the rate for a Cadillac. Enter it before you bid rather than after: the gap between 0% and 10% moves the maximum figure worth chasing. The check is free and needs no account.

How much will you save?

Zero duty takes 10% of customs value off the bill and shrinks the base that 23% VAT is charged on. Excise stays put: 3.1% on smaller engines and 18.6% on large ones. For a particular Cadillac, let the calculator produce the figure — the rates are fixed, the customs value is not.

Work out the import cost

Zero-duty paperwork — our job

Zero-duty paperwork is our half of the job. We read the assembly plant from production data, prepare the customs declaration and deal with the agency on your behalf. You pick a Cadillac and bid; we run the procedure.

See current listings: Cadillac