Who deals with customs clearance?

We do. We put together the proof of origin, prepare the customs declaration and keep contact with the agency. For a Malibu that qualifies on its VIN we apply for the 0% rate, and the customs office decides on the documents.

What about models built in two countries at once?

That is a common case, and it is exactly where the VIN becomes essential. Two Malibu cars from the same model year can carry different rates, 0% and 10%, because they came off lines on different continents.

Can I check a car before the auction ends?

Yes, and that is the point of doing it. Enter the VIN from the lot while bidding is still open, read the assembly plant, and you know whether to count on 0% or 10% before you set the highest figure you are willing to go to.

Does a Malibu get zero duty?

It depends on the car. The preference covers cars finally assembled in the States, and the Malibu is also produced outside the USA. Type in the VIN and we read the country and city of the assembly plant, so you see whether this car meets the 0% condition.

Chevrolet Malibu from the USA — 0% duty or 10%

Q: Where is the Chevrolet Malibu assembled?

We read plants from the production data of cars that have passed through our database, so the list shows the real origin of individual cars rather than a manufacturer's plan. One model can have plants on two continents, which is why the country is checked for a specific VIN.

Our database holds 116,888 Chevrolet Malibu cars with an American assembly plant on record. Those clear at 0%, the rest at 10% — one model name, two different rates. Before you set a bidding limit, check which line the car you are looking at came off.

Where is the Chevrolet Malibu assembled?

The Chevrolet Malibu comes out of plants that do not always sit in the same country, and those plants set the rate. A car from an American line enters the EU at 0%, a car from a plant elsewhere at 10%. Every row here is built from real cars in our database, not from a manufacturer's plan.

Plant	Country	VIN prefix	Cars in our database	Duty
Kansas City	United States	1G1	104,766	0% duty
Fairfax	United States	1G1	6,173	0% duty
Detroit Hamtramck	United States	1G1	2,499	0% duty
Orion	United States	1G1	2,014	0% duty
Lansing - North Plant	United States	1G1	760	0% duty
Oklahoma City	United States	1G1	599	0% duty
Wilmington	United States	1G1	74	0% duty
Arlington	United States	1G1	2	0% duty
Valencia	Venezuela	1D3	2	10%
Oshawa	Canada	2G1	1	10%
Oshawa #1	Canada	1G1	1	10%
Ludwigsfelde	Germany	1D3	1	10%
Nazareth	Israel	1D3	1	10%
Moberly	United States	1W1	1	0% duty

Made in USA • Tax 0%

How do you check a specific car?

The VIN settles the matter in seconds. Malibu cars from plants in the USA carry the prefixes 1G1, 1W1 here, but we look deeper — at the final assembly plant tied to the whole number. Only that answers the question of 0% or 10%.

How much will you save?

The gap is 10% of customs value, plus a side effect: 23% VAT is charged on the value with duty added, so a zero rate also lowers the tax base. On a Malibu assembled outside the USA neither effect fires. Work the result out in the calculator — the rates are fixed, the customs value is not.

Work out the import cost

What the import cost is made of

The bill is made of a few fixed percentages and one variable, which is the customs value of the car. Duty is 0% on a Malibu assembled in the USA and 10% on the rest, excise is 3.1% or 18.6% by engine size, and 23% VAT is charged on the value with duty and excise added.

Component	Rate
Duty — car assembled in the USA	0%
Duty — everything else	10%
Excise	3.1% up to 2.0 l, 18.6% above 3.5 l
VAT	23%

Rates, not amounts — the calculator works the sum out on current data.

Zero-duty paperwork — our job

Our customs agency handles the formalities. We gather the assembly data for the Chevrolet Malibu, prepare the declaration and see the clearance through. The rate finally granted is the customs office's decision, taken on the documents submitted.

What to watch for when buying at auction

An auction description talks about damage, not about origin, and the other way round. A Malibu with a wrecked front can be assembled in the USA and come in at 0%, while an untouched car from the same sale comes from Mexico and pays 10%. Check both separately.

Damage	Cars in our database
Front end	61,720
Rear end	16,136
Side	15,968

From the USA or from Europe?

The difference comes down to what you add and what you get back. Buying a Malibu in Europe, you skip the ocean crossing and the clearance; buying in the States you add both, but on a car from an American line duty is 0% instead of 10%. Your choice depends on how much paperwork and repair you take on.

See current listings: Chevrolet Malibu