Chinese EV Spare Parts in Pakistan: A Rs 7 Million Repair Bill and the Real Cost

In June, a Jaecoo J7 PHEV owner in Pakistan took his car to the authorised dealer after an accident. The repair estimate came back at around Rs 7.17 million. The car's ex-factory price is Rs 10.5 million, and he had no insurance.

That one quote changed how people here talk about Chinese cars more than any YouTube review did. We see these cars at our branches every day for PPF, tint and accessories, and the questions from owners have changed. A year ago it was all screens and range. Now people ask us about parts, insurance and what the car will be worth when they sell it.

To be clear, we're not against Chinese cars. A lot of our customers drive them and are happy, and the technology is genuinely good. But nobody talks about the full cost of owning one at the launch event, so here's our honest take.

Where the Rs 7.17 million went

Most of the bill was parts, not labour. Bloom Pakistan, which reported the case, gave this breakdown:

Some people online argued that none of these were hybrid parts, and that this was dealer pricing rather than a technology problem. Fair point. But if you're the owner, it makes no difference. There's one authorised channel, it sets the price, and you pay it.

Why parts cost so much here

Every new Chinese model brings its own set of parts. A Corolla headlight fits thousands of Corollas, so there are dozens of sellers and prices stay reasonable. A headlight for a car that's only been in Pakistan for a year and a half? There's probably one importer, a few pieces in stock, and a wait of weeks if yours isn't on the shelf.

This isn't only our problem. A J.D. Power study in China this year found that accident repairs on new energy vehicles cost about 1.7 times more than on petrol cars, mostly because workshops replace whole parts instead of fixing them. Add shipping, duties and a much smaller dealer network, and you can see where Pakistani repair bills come from.

That review you watched was probably paid

Many buyers tell us they picked their car because a YouTuber or TikTok creator recommended it. What most don't realise is how often those videos are sponsored. Sometimes it's a fee, sometimes a free car for a week or a trip to the factory in China. In the US, reporters have shown Chinese carmakers working with influencers this way, and not every deal was disclosed.

A paid review isn't automatically a lie. The problem is timing. It's filmed in the first week, when the car is spotless and nothing has gone wrong. You'll never see a bumper quote in it, or the price a dealer offers you two years later. If the video doesn't say "paid partnership" and the creator doesn't own the car, watch it like you'd watch an advert.

You lose Rs 1 to 2 million the day you sell

Owners and used car dealers keep telling us the same thing at our branches. Many Chinese EVs and plug-in hybrids drop Rs 1 to 2 million, sometimes more, when they're resold. Part of that is the brands themselves, who cut prices and launch facelifts every year, so last year's model looks old overnight. Part of it is fear. Used car buyers don't know how the battery is holding up or what parts will cost, so they offer low.

Japanese cars still hold their value better here. It isn't because they're better cars. It's because buyers know exactly what they're getting into.

So where's the saving?

The fuel saving is real, especially if you charge at home or have solar. Now put the rest next to it. Comprehensive insurance on a mid-range SUV runs around Rs 100,000 a year, and after the Jaecoo case, skipping it isn't really an option. Add a resale loss of Rs 1 to 2 million, and one moderate accident on top, and a lot of owners will find their first few years of fuel savings have disappeared. Run the numbers with your own monthly mileage before you book.

No junkyard, no fourth owner

Think about how a Toyota lives in Pakistan. Someone buys it new in Lahore or Islamabad and sells it after a few years. It ends up in a smaller city with a third owner, then a fourth, and it's still running ten years later. Plenty of families just hand it to the next generation. All of that works because of the used parts markets like Bilal Ganj and Shershah, and a mechanic in every town who knows the car by heart.

Chinese EVs don't have any of that yet. There's no scrapyard network for second-hand EV parts, and Pakistan still has no large-scale lithium battery recycling plant. The government's battery recycling framework has been prepared but is still waiting for approval. Most small-city workshops aren't trained to work on high-voltage systems at all. So ten years from now, who in Okara or Bahawalnagar buys an EV with a tired battery, and who fixes it for them?

Meanwhile, the rest of the world is closing its doors

This week's international news makes all of this more urgent. The US has kept Chinese EVs out with a 100% tariff since 2024. Britain let them in with no extra duty, and Chinese brands took 23% of UK new car sales in September. Now The Times reports that the UK is preparing tariffs of up to 45%, under pressure from the EU. Germany, home of Volkswagen and BMW, is pushing for tougher barriers across Europe.

Chinese factories build far more cars than China can buy. When the big markets close, those cars go wherever the door is still open, and Pakistan is one of those places. Expect more models, arriving faster. Unless brands invest in parts and service here, the problems above will only grow.

What we'd like to see

Chinese brands should publish parts price lists, keep real stock in Pakistan and train independent mechanics, not just dealer staff. They should also help set up battery recycling before the first wave of old EVs hits the market. Creators should label paid reviews clearly. Japanese brands took decades to build that kind of support here, and it's the reason a twenty-year-old Corolla still runs in every small town. Whichever Chinese brand builds the same thing first will win this market for the long term.

Before you book a Chinese EV or PHEV

• Ask the dealer for written prices of a front bumper, headlight, bonnet, windscreen and battery pack for the exact model.
• Ask which of those parts are in stock in Pakistan, and how long the rest take to arrive.
• Get comprehensive insurance from day one, and check that it covers the battery.
• Look up resale ads for the same model at one and two years old.
• Check whether the review that sold you on the car was a paid partnership.

Sources

• Bloom Pakistan: Jaecoo J7 PHEV Rs 7.17 million repair bill
• J.D. Power 2026 China NEV After-Sales Service Study (summary)
• APP: Battery recycling framework awaiting approval
• Reuters: Britain set to levy tariffs on Chinese electric cars
• Automotive World: UK weighs China tariffs
• Euronews: Germany turns on Brussels over Chinese car sales
• The Express Tribune: EV boom reshaping local market