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 Ford models should I check first?

The ones built in the States and abroad in parallel. On those Ford 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 Ford 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 Ford 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.

Ford and zero duty — model by model

Some Ford models roll off American assembly lines, others off European or Asian ones, and that single fact sets the rate. A car finally assembled in the USA enters the EU at 0% duty instead of 10%. The rule works per car, though: one model name is often built on two continents, so the VIN answers the question.

Which Ford models are assembled in the USA?

Ford models split into two groups here: 741,927 cars carry an American assembly plant in their data, the rest a European, Mexican, Canadian or Asian one. Group one qualifies for 0% duty, group two for 10%. We take the assembly country from production data, not from the model name.

Model	Assembly countries	Status	Cars in our database
F-150	Canada, Mexico, United States	Depends on the car	185,554
Escape	Canada, United States	Depends on the car	151,139
Fusion	Mexico, United States	Depends on the car	126,223
Explorer	Canada, United States	Depends on the car	90,837
Focus	Germany, Mexico, United States	Depends on the car	77,816
Edge	Canada	No preference	66,420
Mustang	China, United States	Depends on the car	55,789
F-250	Canada, Mexico, United States	Depends on the car	35,306
Ranger	United States	Can be 0%	31,265
Taurus	United States	Can be 0%	24,937
Fiesta	Mexico	No preference	21,474
Expedition	United States	Can be 0%	19,005
EcoSport	India	No preference	12,757
Bronco Sport	Mexico, United States	Depends on the car	12,197
Expedition Max	United States	Can be 0%	10,390
Transit Connect	Spain, Turkey, United States	Depends on the car	10,262
Flex	Canada	No preference	9,886
F-350	Canada, Germany, Mexico, United States	Depends on the car	9,369
Maverick	Mexico	No preference	7,530
Transit	Spain, Turkey, United States	Depends on the car	7,223
C-Max	United States	Can be 0%	6,986
Econoline Cargo	United States	Can be 0%	6,839
Transit Cargo	United States	Can be 0%	6,555
Police Interceptor Utility	United States	Can be 0%	6,465
Bronco	Mexico, United States	Depends on the car	5,749
Mustang Mach-E	Mexico	No preference	4,809
Explorer Sport Trac	United States	Can be 0%	4,481
Police Interceptor	Canada, United States	Depends on the car	3,177
Econoline Passenger	United States	Can be 0%	2,492
Transit Passenger	United States	Can be 0%	2,119
Five Hundred	United States	Can be 0%	1,755
Crown Victoria	Canada, United States	Depends on the car	1,518
Excursion	United States	Can be 0%	1,342
Thunderbird	United States	Can be 0%	1,067
F-150 Lightning	United States	Can be 0%	1,042
Freestyle	United States	Can be 0%	943
Windstar	Canada	No preference	877
Escort	Canada, Mexico, United States	Depends on the car	782
Freestar	Canada	No preference	773
Taurus X	United States	Can be 0%	548
Explorer Sport	United States	Can be 0%	400
F-450	United States	Can be 0%	341
Focus Electric	United States	Can be 0%	221
F-100	Canada, United States	Depends on the car	194
Contour	Mexico, United States	Depends on the car	182
Econoline Wagon	United States	Can be 0%	166
Econoline Commercial	United States	Can be 0%	142
F-550	Mexico, United States	Depends on the car	136
Aerostar	United States	Can be 0%	134
E-Transit	United States	Can be 0%	134
Crown Victoria Police	Canada	No preference	126
F-150 Police Responder	United States	Can be 0%	119
E-Series Commercial	United States	Can be 0%	100
E-350	United States	Can be 0%	99
GALAXIE	Canada, China, United States	Depends on the car	72
E-Transit Cargo	United States	Can be 0%	68
Tempo	Canada, United States	Depends on the car	62
Econoline	United States	Can be 0%	56
LTD	Canada, United States	Depends on the car	53
Probe	United States	Can be 0%	51
E-150	United States	Can be 0%	50
Ranchero	China, Germany, Israel, Taiwan, United States	Depends on the car	41
Freestar Cargo	Canada	No preference	36
Aspire	South Korea	No preference	33
E-250	United States	Can be 0%	32
ZX2	Mexico	No preference	26
GT	Germany, United States	Depends on the car	25
Torino	Venezuela	No preference	20
Windstar Cargo	Canada	No preference	18
F-650	Mexico, United States	Depends on the car	15
Aerostar Cargo Van	United States	Can be 0%	10
F-750	Mexico, United States	Depends on the car	7
F-600	United States	Can be 0%	3
Special Service	Mexico	No preference	3
Van	United States	Can be 0%	3
F-59 Commercial Stripped Chassis	United States	Can be 0%	1
F-700	United States	Can be 0%	1

Models of “American” brands without zero duty

The zero rate is out of reach for Ford 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
Edge	Canada	No preference	66,420
Fiesta	Mexico	No preference	21,474
EcoSport	India	No preference	12,757
Flex	Canada	No preference	9,886
Maverick	Mexico	No preference	7,530
Mustang Mach-E	Mexico	No preference	4,809
Windstar	Canada	No preference	877
Freestar	Canada	No preference	773
Crown Victoria Police	Canada	No preference	126
Freestar Cargo	Canada	No preference	36
Aspire	South Korea	No preference	33
ZX2	Mexico	No preference	26
Torino	Venezuela	No preference	20
Windstar Cargo	Canada	No preference	18
Special Service	Mexico	No preference	3

Made in USA • Tax 0%

How do you check a specific car?

Start with the first three characters of the VIN — on a US-assembled Ford that is most often 1F1. It is a good hint rather than proof: the prefix describes the manufacturer and the country, while we reach for the record of the actual plant, so the answer covers this one car.

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 Ford, 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

We handle customs from end to end. A Ford with an American assembly plant is declared under the preference in force since 2026-07-01; every other car goes in at the standard 10% rate. Which documents are needed follows from the car's own data, not from the seller's description.

See current listings: Ford