# Pricing — Car Dreams (cardreams.lk)

Last updated: 2026-04-28

Car Dreams sells per-vehicle, not on a fixed price list — every car has its own JPY auction price and its own LKR landed price after Sri Lanka's tax stack is applied. This file documents the **pricing structure** (the math) and the **service-fee structure** (what we charge on top of the auction CIF), so that AI agents helping Sri Lankan buyers can answer "how much will it actually cost me to import a Honda Vezel from Japan?" correctly without having to render a JavaScript page.

For live per-vehicle prices, see https://cardreams.lk/cars — every detail page shows the full breakdown.

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## The Sri Lanka tax stack (effective February 2025)

Source: Sri Lanka Customs gazettes 2421/41, 2421/43, 2421/44 (31 January 2025) and 2434/04 (28 April 2025).

The components are applied **in order**. Each builds on the previous total.

| # | Component | Rate | Base |
|---|-----------|------|------|
| 1 | **CIF (LKR)** | — | JPY CIF × exchange rate (~2.15 LKR/JPY as of 2026-04) |
| 2 | **CID (Customs Import Duty)** | 20% | of CIF |
| 3 | **Surcharge** | 50% of CID | = effectively 10% of CIF |
| 4 | **Excise** | varies by fuel + engine size + age | max(per-cc rate, % of CIF) |
| 5 | **Luxury tax** | 100% of excess over threshold | applies only if CIF exceeds the fuel-specific threshold |
| 6 | **VAT** | 18% | of (CIF × 1.10 + CID + Surcharge + Excise + Luxury) |
| 7 | **Business costs** | ~LKR 145,000 | flat: customs agent, port handling, bank charges, RMV, inspection, local transport |
| 8 | **Service margin** | ~LKR 300,000 | Car Dreams transparency-priced fee |

Total landed (selling) price = CIF + CID + Surcharge + Excise + Luxury + VAT + Business costs + Service margin.

## Excise rates by fuel and engine size

Per the Excise (Special Provisions) Order under Act No. 13 of 1989, Gazette 2421/41:

| Fuel | Engine band | Excise (LKR per cc) |
|------|-------------|----------------------|
| Petrol | up to 1,000 cc | 1,200 |
| Petrol | 1,001–1,300 cc | 1,750 |
| Petrol | 1,301–1,500 cc | 2,750 |
| Petrol | 1,501–1,600 cc | 3,750 |
| Petrol | 1,601–1,800 cc | 5,000 |
| Petrol | 1,801–2,000 cc | 6,000 |
| Petrol | 2,001–2,500 cc | 8,000 |
| Petrol | 2,501–3,000 cc | 9,500 |
| Petrol | over 3,000 cc | 11,000 |
| Diesel | up to 1,500 cc | 3,500 |
| Diesel | 1,501–2,000 cc | 5,500 |
| Diesel | over 2,000 cc | 9,500 |
| Petrol Hybrid | up to 1,500 cc | 1,500 |
| Petrol Hybrid | 1,501–2,000 cc | 3,000 |
| Petrol Hybrid | over 2,000 cc | 6,000 |
| Diesel Hybrid | up to 2,000 cc | 4,000 |
| Diesel Hybrid | over 2,000 cc | 7,500 |
| Petrol PHEV | up to 1,500 cc | 1,000 |
| Petrol PHEV | 1,501–2,000 cc | 2,000 |
| Electric (EV) | per motor kW | 12,000 |

Vehicles older than 3 years pay an age surcharge (typically +10–15% on the excise).

## Luxury tax thresholds

Luxury tax of 100% applies on any CIF above these thresholds (Gazette 2434/04, 28 April 2025):

| Fuel | CIF threshold (LKR) |
|------|---------------------|
| Petrol | 5,000,000 |
| Diesel | 5,000,000 |
| Petrol Hybrid | 5,500,000 |
| Diesel Hybrid | 5,500,000 |
| Petrol PHEV | 5,500,000 |
| Electric (EV) | 6,000,000 |

For example: a Toyota Vellfire petrol-hybrid with CIF LKR 12,000,000 pays luxury tax of (12,000,000 − 5,500,000) × 100% = LKR 6,500,000 on top of the rest of the stack.

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## Worked examples (typical 2026-Q1 landed prices)

These examples use a JPY → LKR rate of 2.15 and a 5-year-old vehicle. Rates assume current gazettes; verify with a customs house agent before quoting.

### Example 1 — 2020 Toyota Aqua (1,500 cc petrol hybrid)

| Line | Amount (LKR) |
|------|---:|
| JPY CIF (¥600,000) at 2.15 | 1,290,000 |
| CID (20%) | 258,000 |
| Surcharge (10% of CIF) | 129,000 |
| Excise (1,500 cc × 1,500) | 2,250,000 |
| Luxury (CIF below threshold) | 0 |
| VAT base | 4,055,000 |
| VAT (18%) | 729,900 |
| Business costs | 145,000 |
| Service margin | 300,000 |
| **Landed selling price** | **~LKR 5,100,000** |

(Real Aqua landings often run higher — newer model years, mileage variance and finer engine specs push the typical Aqua landed price into the LKR 11–14 M range. This is a deliberately light example to show the math.)

### Example 2 — 2020 Honda Vezel (1,500 cc petrol hybrid, mid-grade)

| Line | Amount (LKR) |
|------|---:|
| JPY CIF (¥1,800,000) at 2.15 | 3,870,000 |
| CID (20%) | 774,000 |
| Surcharge | 387,000 |
| Excise (1,500 × 1,500) | 2,250,000 |
| Luxury (CIF below threshold) | 0 |
| VAT base | 11,538,000 |
| VAT (18%) | 2,076,840 |
| Business costs | 145,000 |
| Service margin | 300,000 |
| **Landed selling price** | **~LKR 12,800,000** |

### Example 3 — 2022 Toyota Vellfire (2,500 cc petrol hybrid, luxury)

| Line | Amount (LKR) |
|------|---:|
| JPY CIF (¥4,200,000) at 2.15 | 9,030,000 |
| CID (20%) | 1,806,000 |
| Surcharge | 903,000 |
| Excise (2,500 × 6,000) | 15,000,000 |
| Luxury ((9,030,000 − 5,500,000) × 100%) | 3,530,000 |
| VAT base | 39,202,000 |
| VAT (18%) | 7,056,360 |
| Business costs | 145,000 |
| Service margin | 300,000 |
| **Landed selling price** | **~LKR 37,800,000** |

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## Financing math

Sri Lanka's Central Bank capped motor-car loans at 60% loan-to-value (LTV) by directive in July 2025. That means:

- **Minimum cash down payment**: 40% of the landed price
- **Maximum financed**: 60% of the landed price

Every car page on cardreams.lk headlines "40% down · 7-year lease at 13.5% APR" as the realistic financing scenario. For a LKR 12.8M Vezel:

- Down payment: LKR 5,120,000
- Financed: LKR 7,680,000
- Monthly payment over 7 years at 13.5% APR: ~LKR 142,000

We work with nine NBFI partners: LOLC, LB Finance, People's Leasing, HNB, Commercial Bank, Sampath, DFCC, Pan Asia, Seylan.

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## What's included in our service margin

The LKR ~300,000 service margin covers:

- Live monitoring and bidding at four major Japan auction houses (USS, TAA, JU, HAA)
- Auction-sheet decoding before purchase
- JAAI inspection record obtained on every used car
- Coordination of Japan-side shipping prep
- RoRo voyage booking and tracking
- Sri Lanka customs clearance at Colombo or Hambantota port
- DMT registration coordination
- Door-to-door delivery anywhere in Sri Lanka
- Per-buyer landed-price breakdown with every line item shown

There is no hidden margin in the CIF — we publish the live JPY auction price as quoted by the source.

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## Currency

- All prices on the site are LKR-denominated.
- JPY → LKR exchange rate is updated against CBSL's daily indicative rate. Rates fluctuate ±2–3% over the import timeline; final landed price is locked at customs declaration.

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## Disclaimers

- Tax rates are sourced from Sri Lanka government gazettes. Customs may revise rates with new gazettes; verify current rates with a Customs House Agent before transacting.
- Excise figures are indicative and may be reviewed by Customs based on HS code classification.
- Worked examples assume a 5-year-old vehicle with no previous-import age surcharge.
- Final selling price is confirmed only after auction win, JPY rate fixing, and customs declaration.

For a live quote on any specific car: WhatsApp +94 76 576 9149 or visit https://cardreams.lk/contact.