The Achilles’ Heel of Chinese Cars: After-Sales Service
Chinese vehicles, once lagging far behind their European rivals, have been making genuine progress. However, their performance remains quite inconsistent from one model to another. Most notably, after-sales service is increasingly emerging as China’s Achilles’ heel.
To address this, manufacturers from the world’s biggest car market will soon need to obtain a prized key to unlock the right to export their electric vehicles abroad. This is a particularly high-stakes requirement, since many Chinese car brands risk vanishing in the coming years.
Good Cars Alone Aren’t Enough: The Quest for Reliable Service
Making a good product isn’t enough if you want to sell cars sustainably—providing top-notch after-sales service is just as crucial. Here at L’Automobile Magazine (yes, we’ll indulge a little shoutout), we’ve been investigating this for over 25 years. Meanwhile, China hasn’t seemed to approach this issue with the same seriousness as, say, South Korea or Japan.
Take MG, for example: the best-established Chinese brand in many Western countries. Several MG owners have reported painfully long waits to get their vehicles repaired, whether after a breakdown or an accident. The main culprit? Spare parts just aren’t readily available. The compact electric MG4 seems particularly affected by this phenomenon.
To prevent these headaches, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce is raising the bar. As of January 1, 2026, local carmakers will have to secure an export license in order to sell their zero-emission models outside China. Until now, this rule only applied to petrol and hybrid vehicles.
Export Licenses: Filtering for Quality and Service
According to the new regulation, only the carmakers themselves or their official subsidiaries can apply for these licenses. The idea is to stop unauthorized exporters from shipping electric vehicles—even used ones—to Europe or other markets without any kind of after-sales support.
Let’s be honest—it won’t magically solve all after-sales issues (MG, for instance, already operates through official channels), but it’s still likely to spare buyers some nasty surprises. The new framework will compel brands to offer official support for at least the two-year statutory warranty period, as well as better access to spare parts.
Many Chinese firms have gone for long-term coverage deals to reassure customers, but they’re still struggling to avoid long immobilization times when repairs are needed. And, to be fair, Western competitors aren’t immune to the same type of delays, as attested by feedback from Renault, Peugeot or Citroën owners on our reliability survey.
More Than Paperwork: Shaping the Electric Car Battlefield
This license isn’t just a sticker—it aims to improve the average quality of Chinese EVs shipped abroad and to make that quality more consistent. It also hopes to prevent a price war between unauthorized companies and state-approved manufacturers, which could lead to losses—or outright bankruptcies—among legitimate builders.
Granted, some might call this effort wishful thinking, given the huge number of car brands in China—far too many for everyone to survive long-term. However, at the very least, the move could help shield the “local champions” with the best shot at lasting success, like BYD.
And speaking of BYD: this electric vehicle giant is about to make huge investments in Europe, opening one factory in Hungary and another just across the border in Turkey. For these tens of millions of euros to be justified, sales simply have to soar. The last thing BYD needs is to face unfair competition that could hurt not only its business, but also the reputation of all Chinese-made vehicles.
On track or virtual—thanks to sim racing—cars are a passion I live intensely. So what could be better than sharing it through journalism, diving into every facet of this amazing invention, and trying to be of service to readers at the same time?
