Eco-nonsense: Uzbekistan now requires ‘environmental certificates’ for eco-friendly cars

According to the Autodeklarant channel, the new regulation applies not just to vehicle models, but to every individual car unit, and obtaining a certificate costs over 2 million UZS (approx. $160). What makes the requirement even more absurd is the fact that most hybrid vehicles being imported — particularly those from China — already comply with Euro-5 or higher, a standard that Chinese automakers adopted as early as 2018.

The regulation targets hybrids with internal combustion engines (ICE) that function solely to charge the electric motor, meaning popular models like Lixiang, Leapmotor, Voyah, Deepal, AITO, Neta, and Avatr are affected.

Critics, including auto-blogger Azizbek Berdiev, have questioned the necessity of re-verifying standards that the vehicles already meet:

“If the imported cars meet Euro-5 or Euro-6 standards, why are we verifying them again? Why are the verification procedures and the equipment used not made public? Should entrepreneurs really be paying over 2 million just to confirm what’s already known?”

From a regulatory perspective, China implemented its “China-5” emissions standards in 2018, which align closely with Euro-5. By 2021, even stricter “China-6a” standards came into force, followed by “China-6b” in 2023 — meaning Uzbekistan is requiring proof of a standard that's two generations behind.

The outcry has reached the upper echelons of government. On May 3, the Senate of Uzbekistan issued a formal statement confirming a parliamentary inquiry into the issue was sent to the Minister of Ecology, Aziz Abdukhakimov. The inquiry, led by Anvar Tuychiev, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Water Management, and Ecology, seeks clarification on several points:

• The legal and procedural basis for ecological certification in Uzbekistan;
• The accreditation and technical capabilities of local testing laboratories;
• The regulatory foundation for requiring such certification specifically for hybrid EVs;
• The cost structure of the certification process and grounds for approval or rejection.

The government has yet to explain how environmental safety is being measured, especially considering that no comprehensive information has been released on the testing procedures or the equipment used.

This is not the first time Uzbekistan has imposed unexpected hurdles on car imports. Since November 1, 2024, individual imports have required mandatory electromagnetic compatibility testing, performed only at a single lab in Piskent. In one case, a Leapmotor vehicle failed the test, leading to a temporary ban on imports of the entire brand.

And as of May 1, 2025, the government has hiked the utilization fee for new electric vehicles by 400%, making the cost of going green significantly steeper.