Kenya’s eight‑year age limit for used‑car imports resets each January, meaning the oldest eligible models shift forward by one year annually.

Effective 1 January 2026, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) permitted only right‑hand‑drive vehicles first registered on or after 1 January 2019, rejecting older cars at the importer’s expense.

Applying the same calendar to 2027 will make 2020 the earliest registration year allowed, pushing the cheapest importable stock from 2019‑model cars to 2020‑model cars.

The shift matters because the oldest allowed cars are typically the least expensive on dealer yards, so losing a model year tends to raise entry prices for buyers.

A separate factor is the unresolved tax valuation dispute: the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) bases duty, excise and VAT on the Current Retail Selling Price (CRSP) list, which was last fully updated in 2019 and is currently under a High Court suspension.

KRA announced a revised CRSP covering over 5,200 models for 1 July 2025, but the court halted the circular a day before it was to take effect, leaving the valuation base for 2027 imports uncertain.

Since 1 September 2026, importers must also present an export declaration or equivalent document from the exporting country, a paperwork rule aimed at tightening value verification at customs.

The most consequential proposal under discussion is a KEBS draft to cut the age limit from eight years to five years by 2027, which would restrict imports to cars first registered in 2023 or later, effectively removing the 2020‑2022 stock that usually supplies the cheapest options.

The Car Importers Association of Kenya has lodged a memorandum of objection to the proposed limit, warning that a five‑year rule could double or triple entry prices for used cars.