Buying a Car in Washington State and Bringing It to BC in 2026: The 25% Surtax, RIV Fees and Whether It Still Pays

1. Is it still cheaper to buy a car in Washington and bring it to BC?

As of late September 2026, rarely. Any vehicle built in the United States pays Canada's 25% surtax on 85% of its value when a BC resident imports it, and the 2026 remission order excludes personal imports. Only Canadian-built, Mexican-built or some overseas-built cars can still come out ahead, and usually by less than expected.

For years the Bellingham run made sense: lower US prices and no duty on North American cars. Since April 9, 2025, the first question is "where was it built?" Figures below were checked against primary sources on September 28, 2026.

2. What changed: the surtax, the remission order and the August 2026 escalation

Three dates explain why the old rule stopped working.

• April 9, 2025. The United States Surtax Order (Motor Vehicles 2025) took effect, imposing a 25% surtax on motor vehicles that originate in the United States. For CUSMA-qualifying vehicles, the surtax applies to the value minus the Canadian and Mexican content, with a default deduction of 15%.
• April 9, 2026. Ottawa introduced a remission order for some importers. CBSA Customs Notice 26-10 limits it to importers whose business numbers are listed in its schedule, and states plainly: "This Remission Order does not apply to personal importations."
• August to September 2026. Canada-US talks broke down. On August 24, 2026, President Trump announced 50% tariffs on Canadian auto and steel imports starting January 1, 2027, CBS News reported. Canada's new counter-tariffs on other US goods took effect September 8, and customs broker GHY International notes the existing auto counter-tariffs stay in place alongside them.

As of late September 2026, nothing on the public record suggests the vehicle surtax will be lifted soon.

3. The 10-second VIN test: is your car US-built?

CBSA's guide for travellers says "Tariffs on US goods are based on where the goods were made, not where they were purchased," and the burden of proving non-US origin is on you.

The first VIN character is the fast check:

• 1, 4 or 5: built in the United States. Some newer US plants also use 7 (for example, Honda's Indiana plant).
• 2: built in Canada.
• 3: built in Mexico.
• J, K, W and other letters: built overseas (Japan, Korea, Germany and so on).

A Japanese badge does not mean Japanese assembly, and one model is often built in several countries. These 2020 examples come from the NHTSA VIN decoder, which shows the plant country for any VIN you enter.

Plant data from NHTSA's vPIC decoder for 2020 model-year VIN patterns. Plants change by model year; always decode the specific VIN before you pay a deposit.

4. The landed cost, line by line, on a $25,000 USD SUV

Here is what a BC resident pays to bring home a $25,000 USD compact SUV from a Washington dealer, US-built versus Canadian-built.

Example only. Exchange rate is the Bank of Canada rate for September 28, 2026 (1.4168); CBSA and your bank use their own. Not included: trip permit, export broker, provincial inspection, repairs or modifications, travel and time. RIV fee shown with GST only. Green levy assumed nil (applies only to passenger vehicles rated 13 L/100 km or more). PST assumes ICBC accepts your price paid; if the Canadian Black Book average wholesale value is higher, PST is charged on that instead.

Where each number comes from.

• Surtax. CBSA's traveller guide applies 25% to 85% of the value for duty on personal-use vehicles. Its own example: a $50,000 vehicle pays $10,625.
• Duty. CBSA's Memorandum D19-12-1 says duty is assessed on vehicles made outside the US and Mexico. Brokers such as BorderBuddy put that duty at 6.1%. On the Japanese-built RAV4 above, 6.1% would add about $2,161 of duty, plus the GST and PST charged on it, for a landed total near $42,544.
• Excise. The CRA's excise rate table sets $100 on vehicle air conditioners and a green levy of $1,000 to $4,000 on fuel-inefficient passenger vehicles; pickups are excluded.
• RIV fee. $325 plus applicable sales tax, per CBSA Customs Notice 20-26, for vehicles under 15 years old. We show it with 5% GST.
• PST. Bulletin PST 308 (revised August 2026) sets 7% for passenger vehicles imported into Canada under $55,000, rising to 8%, 9%, 10%, 15% and 20% in higher price bands. It is charged on the greater of the depreciated value and the average wholesale value, so a bargain price does not guarantee a bargain PST bill. For goods bought outside BC, Bulletin PST 310 says the purchase price includes customs and excise charges (but not GST), so the surtax and the A/C tax are taxed again at 7%.

The surtax line, plus the GST and PST charged on it, costs $8,429.96 on this one car ($7,526.75 + $376.34 + $526.87). That is the money that used to be the cross-border saving.

5. The number a BC dealer has to beat

Compare the landed total with what the same car costs at a BC dealer once tax is added. At a BC dealer you pay the advertised price, plus any documentation fee the ad discloses as extra, the $10 VSA transaction levy, and 12% tax (7% PST plus 5% GST) under $55,000.

Example: break-even price = landed total ÷ 1.12, minus the $10 levy. Check for the US-built car: ($43,341.44 + $10) × 1.12 = $48,553.61. Assumes a passenger vehicle under $55,000. If a doc fee is listed as extra, add it to the sticker price before comparing; on a Spinny car that means the listed price plus $495.

Even a surtax-free Canadian-built car only wins if comparable BC dealer cars cost more than about $35,815 including any doc fee, before you count inspection, modifications and the trip.

The trade-in difference. If you have a car to replace, a BC dealer deducts its value before PST and GST, as Bulletin PST 116 explains. Example: a $10,000 trade-in saves $1,200 in tax (12% × $10,000). An import gets no such credit, and you still have to sell your old car. Our guide to trade-in vs private sale in BC runs that comparison, and you can get a number for yours with an online trade-in appraisal.

A BC dealer price also includes things an import does not. Every Spinny Assured vehicle comes with a 150-point inspection, a 6-month warranty, a 7-day exchange and a CARFAX Canada report; see how Spinny Assured works. Spinny's $495 documentation fee, and why it belongs in the comparison, is explained in our guide to dealer documentation fees in BC.

6. If you still want to import: the steps from Washington to New Westminster

If the numbers still work, this is the sequence. Miss a step and the car can sit at the border or fail registration.

1. Decode the VIN and check admissibility. Confirm the plant, then check Transport Canada's admissibility list. Being listed does not guarantee a pass.
2. Get a recall clearance letter. Transport Canada says you must confirm the vehicle has no outstanding recalls and submit proof to the RIV before importation.
3. Buy with clean title paperwork. You need the original title and bill of sale. A Washington dealer can skip state sales tax for a non-resident who takes the car straight out of state on a trip permit, under RCW 82.08.0264. The dealer must keep a copy of your out-of-state ID, proof of residency and a signed declaration.
4. File with US Customs 72 hours ahead. CBP requires the title documents at least 72 hours before a vehicle leaves by land, and the car itself at the time of export.
5. Declare it at the Canadian border. Complete the Vehicle Import Form (Form 1), pay the surtax, duty, excise and GST, and pay the RIV fee.
6. Insure it for the drive. ICBC says to get a temporary "Binder for Owner's Interim Certificate of Insurance" from an Autoplan broker and an in-transit permit from the US state before driving into BC.
7. Pass the RIV inspection within 45 days. Make any required changes first. Transport Canada names daytime running lights and immobilizers among Canada-specific requirements. Inspections are done at RIV-authorized locations, most of them Canadian Tire stores, according to BorderBuddy.
8. Pass a BC provincial inspection, then register. ICBC requires a "passed" report from a designated inspection facility, Form 1 with two CBSA stamps, the CBSA receipt (B15, B3 or similar), the original title and bill of sale. PST is collected at registration through the Autoplan broker.

CBSA's memorandum says vehicles 15 years or older at import are not regulated under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, so they skip the RIV process. The surtax is based on where the vehicle was built, not its age, so an older US-built classic still pays it.

7. Costs and risks the spreadsheet misses

• The exchange spread. Your bank or card charges more per US dollar than the Bank of Canada rate; on $25,000 USD that can be hundreds of dollars.
• No BC claims history. You will be relying on US records, so read our guide to the CARFAX report for BC buyers and inspect harder than usual with our used car inspection checklist.
• Factory warranty. Remaining factory coverage on a US-sold car may not be honoured the same way in Canada. Ask the brand's Canadian arm before you buy. What a BC warranty should cover is in our used-car warranty guide.
• Modifications and failed inspections. Canada-specific equipment and any defect found at the provincial inspection are your cost and your time.
• No dealer recourse in BC. A US private seller or dealer is outside the reach of the Vehicle Sales Authority of BC. A BC-licensed dealer is not.

8. Decision table: does importing make sense for your vehicle?

General guidance as of late September 2026. Trade measures can change quickly; check CBSA before you buy.

If the answer is no, the same model is usually available in BC. Search our inventory, ask us to find a specific car for you, or get pre-qualified with a soft credit check before you shop. For how BC prices are moving this year, see our Q3 2026 Greater Vancouver used car price report.