Imports of used vehicles into Costa Rica fell 85% in September compared with the same month last year, the first full month under new customs rules that stop importers from declaring cars at a fraction of their market value. Finance Ministry figures show 631 used vehicles entered the country in September, down from 4,262 a year earlier and 3,769 in August.
At the same time, the average customs value of each imported used vehicle doubled, from $4,085 in September 2025 to $8,227 this September. The average tax collected on each used vehicle rose about 71%, from 1.19 million colones (about $2,600) to 2.04 million colones (about $4,470).
Total vehicle imports fell 47.7% year over year, to 5,019 units. New-vehicle imports dropped a more modest 17.7%, to 4,388 units, while the average customs value of a new vehicle rose 7.7% to $21,383. The shift follows an executive decree announced on Aug. 28 that changed how customs values vehicles. The invoice value an importer declares, including freight and insurance, is now compared with the Finance Ministry’s own fiscal value for an identical vehicle, and taxes are calculated on whichever figure is higher.
Vehicles that do not appear on the official list require technical documentation to establish their value. The gap dated to mid-September 2024, when the ministry repealed three decrees that set minimum taxable values by brand, model and year. From then on, the importer’s invoice became the sole basis for valuation.
In early September, the ministry said it had identified at least 30,000 vehicles that entered the country below market value, most of them nearly new 2024 and 2025 models, some with very low mileage. It estimated the resulting tax evasion at 20 billion colones (about $43.8 million). In one case that surfaced last month, a 2025 BMW X6 M was declared at $7,367, a model that can sell for more than $130,000 in the United States.
Vice Minister of Revenue VÃctor Carvajal has described the declared values as artificially low and said some people built a business around the gap. He has traced the loophole to the law that reduced the marchamo, the annual vehicle property tax, and ruled out an administrative investigation.
The National Customs Service said no single cause explains the drop. It noted that importers tend to hold back when regulations change, and that the emissions certificate required by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport has been difficult to obtain, particularly for used vehicles, leaving many units unable to complete customs clearance.
Customs also said the decree is likely one factor behind the higher average values, but that the increase cannot be attributed to it entirely. The ministry added that a shift in the mix toward new or higher-value vehicles may have contributed. The decline was concentrated in used passenger cars, which fell from 3,640 units to 496. Used cargo vehicles dropped from 622 to 135. New passenger cars fell 22%, to 3,187 units, while new cargo vehicles held nearly flat at 1,201.
Carlos Aguilar, executive director of the vehicle and machinery importers’ association Aivema, said new-vehicle imports move in cycles and that September is historically one of the slowest months of the year, which places its figures within normal ranges. He said undervaluation had been a practice in the used segment rather than among new-car distributors, and that the association views the new measures favorably.
Lower volume pulled down overall revenue. The ministry collected 17.7 billion colones (about $38.8 million) in vehicle import taxes in September, 27.2% less than a year earlier, with new vehicles accounting for 16.4 billion colones of the total. The ministry said it expects the market to adjust as importers adapt to the new framework.
The ministry has also proposed legislation that would allow the tax administration to adjust the registered values of vehicles that entered under the old rules, which would raise the marchamo owed on affected cars. It has said most vehicle owners would see no change.
October figures will show whether September marks a lasting reset in the used-import market or a pause while importers adjust to the new valuation rules and the emissions certificate backlog. The changes come as other vehicle costs are also under review, including a proposal to end electric vehicle tax breaks.
