EU to put tariffs of up to 38% on Chinese electric vehicles as trade war looms

Move, to be applied provisionally from July, would trigger duties of more than 2bn a year

• Explainer: How will new EU tariffs on Chinese EVs work?

The EU has notified Beijing that it intends to impose tariffs of up to 38% on imports of Chinese electric vehicles, triggering duties of more than 2bn (1.7bn) a year and a likely trade war with China.

The tariffs will be applied provisionally from next month in line with World Trade Organization rules, which give China four weeks to challenge any evidence the EU provides to justify the levies on imported EVs.