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 Volkswagen models should I check first?

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

Duty on a Volkswagen from the USA: 0% or 10%

About 22% of the Volkswagen cars that have passed through our database list an American assembly plant in their production data. Those pay 0% duty and the rest pay 10%. The badge settles nothing: European-market and US-market versions often come from different countries, and the plant record tied to the VIN gives the answer.

Which Volkswagen models are assembled in the USA?

American assembly covers part of the Volkswagen range rather than the whole badge. The table lists the countries the cars of each model actually came from and whether 0% or 10% is in play. A mixed status means the model is built on two continents, so the individual VIN settles it.

Model	Assembly countries	Status	Cars in our database
Jetta	Germany, Mexico	No preference	77,436
Tiguan	Germany, Mexico	No preference	34,243
Passat	Belgium, Germany, United States	Depends on the car	32,978
Atlas	United States	Can be 0%	16,202
Beetle	Mexico	No preference	10,311
Golf	Brazil, Germany, Mexico	No preference	8,969
Golf GTI	Brazil, Germany, Mexico	No preference	8,815
Taos	Mexico	No preference	6,211
CC	Germany	No preference	4,808
Touareg	Slovakia	No preference	3,176
ID.4	Germany, United States	Depends on the car	2,743
Eos	Portugal	No preference	1,907
Routan	Canada	No preference	1,325
Rabbit	Germany, United States	Depends on the car	1,056
Golf R	Germany	No preference	908
Arteon	Germany	No preference	701
EuroVan	Brazil, Germany	No preference	275
Cabriolet	Germany, Mexico	No preference	227
Vanagon	Austria, Germany	No preference	160
R32	Germany, Slovakia	No preference	131
Phaeton	Germany	No preference	50
ID.Buzz	Germany	No preference	31
Transporter	Germany	No preference	16
Corrado	Germany	No preference	10
Scirocco	Germany	No preference	9

Models of “American” brands without zero duty

The zero rate is out of reach for Volkswagen 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
Jetta	Germany, Mexico	No preference	77,436
Tiguan	Germany, Mexico	No preference	34,243
Beetle	Mexico	No preference	10,311
Golf	Brazil, Germany, Mexico	No preference	8,969
Golf GTI	Brazil, Germany, Mexico	No preference	8,815
Taos	Mexico	No preference	6,211
CC	Germany	No preference	4,808
Touareg	Slovakia	No preference	3,176
Eos	Portugal	No preference	1,907
Routan	Canada	No preference	1,325
Golf R	Germany	No preference	908
Arteon	Germany	No preference	701
EuroVan	Brazil, Germany	No preference	275
Cabriolet	Germany, Mexico	No preference	227
Vanagon	Austria, Germany	No preference	160
R32	Germany, Slovakia	No preference	131
Phaeton	Germany	No preference	50
ID.Buzz	Germany	No preference	31
Transporter	Germany	No preference	16
Corrado	Germany	No preference	10
Scirocco	Germany	No preference	9

Made in USA • Tax 0%

How do you check a specific car?

Enter the VIN of a Volkswagen and we will show you the plant it came off — Chattanooga, for instance, if you have landed on a car from an American line. One model name is often produced in several countries at once, so the answer only means anything for a single number.

How much will you save?

The gap is 10% of customs value: that is what a car outside the preference pays, against nothing on a Volkswagen assembled in the USA. The effect doubles up, because 23% VAT is charged on the value with duty added, so a zero rate also lowers the tax base. The calculator works it out on your car's figures.

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 Volkswagen and bid; we run the procedure.

See current listings: Volkswagen