KRA tax estimator · 2026
Car import duty calculator, Kenya 2026
Find the car on KRA's CRSP list, enter when it was first registered, and see import duty, excise, VAT, IDF and RDL line by line. Add the purchase price and shipping for the full landed cost.
Estimated KRA taxes
Choose a vehicle and its first registration year. The breakdown appears here as you type.
Estimate only. Uses KRA's CRSP list and the rates for entries from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.
The method
How this is worked out
We follow KRA's own CRSP valuation template, step by step.
- Start from the CRSP for the exact variant: make, model code, engine size and drive.
- Divide by 1.25, as KRA's template does.
- Take off depreciation for age, counted in whole years from first registration to arrival: up to 1 year 0%, 2 years 20%, 3 years 30%, 4 years 40%, 5 years 50%, 6 years 55%, 7 years 60%, 8 years 65%.
- Work back to the customs value. The CRSP already includes the taxes, so KRA divides out import duty, excise and VAT: by 1.35, then 1.20, 1.25 or 1.35 for excise, then 1.16.
- Charge the taxes: import duty 35% of the customs value; excise on the value plus duty (20% up to 1500cc, 25% above, 35% for petrol-only cars over 3000cc and diesel-only over 2500cc, 10% fully electric); VAT 16% on the value plus duty and excise; railway development levy 2% and import declaration fee 2.5% of the value.
Example: a 2020 Land Cruiser Prado TX-L 2.8 diesel (GDJ150) arriving in 2026 has a CRSP of KES 8,647,290 on the July 2025 list. It is 6 years old, so 55% comes off, and it pays 35% excise as a diesel over 2500cc. Customs value KES 1,472,506; total KRA taxes KES 1,706,781.
Questions
Import duty in Kenya, answered
What is CRSP?
CRSP stands for Current Retail Selling Price. It is KRA's list of what each make, model and variant sells for new in Kenya, by model code, engine size and drive. KRA starts from this figure, not from what you paid abroad, so two identical cars bought at different prices pay the same duty.
Why does age count from first registration?
KRA reduces the CRSP for age, and for a used import the age runs from the year the car was first registered abroad, as shown on the export (de-registration) certificate. If that date is missing, the year of manufacture is used. A car built in late 2019 but first registered in 2020 is treated as a 2020 car.
What is the 8-year rule?
Kenya admits used cars only up to eight years from first registration, under KEBS standard KS 1515. For cars arriving in 2026, that means right-hand drive and first registered on or after 1 January 2019. A car outside the window is refused at Mombasa, so check the date before you pay a deposit.
Is this exactly what I will pay?
It follows KRA's own valuation template to the shilling for the details you enter. The final figure is set when your clearing agent lodges the entry: KRA matches the model code on the export certificate, so a different variant means a different CRSP. Exchange rates do not change the taxes, because they are worked from the CRSP in shillings.
Which CRSP list does this use?
KRA's July 2025 list by default. Its legality has been challenged in court, so you can switch to the March 2019 list to compare. Newer models are only on the 2025 list.
How are electric cars and hybrids taxed?
Fully electric cars pay 10% excise instead of 20% or 25%. KRA's template applies 25% import duty to them while the general rate is 35%; we show 35% and flag it until KRA confirms. Hybrids pay 20% or 25% excise by engine size, never the 35% band for large petrol and diesel engines.