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AutoImports is a free calculator that estimates the import tax and the total landed cost of a vehicle brought into Sri Lanka. You do not need an account.
Choose the vehicle type and tax class, then enter the CIF value, the engine capacity (or kW, seats or weight, depending on the class) and the age. You get a line-by-line breakdown: customs import duty, surcharge, excise duty, luxury tax, PAL, SSCL, VAT and the vehicle entitlement levy.
Excise duty follows the orders under the Excise (Special Provisions) Act in Extraordinary Gazettes 2418/43 of 10 January 2025, 2421/42 of 31 January 2025 (electric vehicles) and 2434/04 of 28 April 2025 (e-SMART), and luxury tax the regulations under the Finance Act No. 35 of 2018 as amended by 2421/41 and 2434/05. Every law and gazette is listed at the end of this page. Customs import duty is 30%, plus a temporary surcharge of 50% of that duty on vehicles imported from 16 May 2026 to 31 December 2026 (Extraordinary Gazette 2501/88). Vehicles under a letter of credit opened on or before 15 May 2026, not amended since and shipped by 15 November 2026, are exempt from the surcharge; the calculator always includes it, so for those vehicles it shows more duty than Customs will charge. SSCL of 2.5% applies to vehicle imports from 1 May 2026 (SSCL (Amendment) Act No. 10 of 2026). Band limits are applied as the gazette words them: a 1,000 cc car is in the "not exceeding 1,000 cc" band. VAT follows the Sri Lanka Customs CusDec: the base is the CIF value plus a 10% uplift, the customs duty, the surcharge and the excise duty. Every result shows the version of the rates it used.
It is an estimate. Customs assesses the CIF value, uses its own exchange rate on the day and classifies the vehicle, so the final figures can differ. See the terms of use for details.
AutoImports is a product of WebGen.
Each charge comes from a law and the gazette orders made under it. Checked against the gazettes on Oct 17, 2026.
In force: From Apr 1, 2026
Customs Ordinance and the Customs tariff: 30% of the CIF value for passenger vehicles (HS 87.03).
Taken from the Sri Lanka Customs notice or customs declarations; the gazette text itself was not available to check.
In force: May 16, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026
Customs Ordinance, section 10A: 50% of the customs import duty. Vehicles under a letter of credit opened on or before 15 May 2026 are exempt, unless it was later amended or the vehicle is shipped after 15 November 2026. The calculator always includes the surcharge.
Taken from the Sri Lanka Customs notice or customs declarations; the gazette text itself was not available to check.
In force: From Jan 11, 2025
Excise (Special Provisions) Act No. 13 of 1989, section 3: a rate per cm³ or per kW for each HS code and age. Each band includes its upper limit (“not exceeding 1,000 cc”), and an age limit includes the year itself (“not more than three years old”).
In force: From Feb 1, 2025
Finance Act No. 35 of 2018, sections 19 and 51: a rate on the part of the CIF value above the tax-free threshold for the vehicle type (Rs 5.0 to 6.0 million).
Ports and Airports Development Levy Act No. 18 of 2011: passenger vehicles (HS 87.03) are exempt; the Customs tariff gives the rate for other vehicles.
In force: From May 1, 2026
Social Security Contribution Levy Act No. 25 of 2022, as amended by Act No. 10 of 2026: 2.5% of the import value used for VAT. Vehicle imports were exempt before 1 May 2026.
In force: From Jan 1, 2024
Value Added Tax Act No. 14 of 2002: 18%, on the value set by section 6(1): the customs value plus 10%, plus customs duty, surcharge, cess, PAL and excise duty. Luxury tax and SSCL are not part of it.
A fixed Rs 15,000 per vehicle, as charged on Sri Lanka Customs declarations (CusDec).
Taken from the Sri Lanka Customs notice or customs declarations; the gazette text itself was not available to check.
The calculator gives an estimate. Sri Lanka Customs assesses the final duty on the day of clearance, at its own exchange rate.