Nigeria's Used Truck Boom: Chinese Brands Dominate

As Africa's largest economy, Nigeria's road transport network carries 80% of the country's cargo flow. Due to weak railway and waterway infrastructure, second-hand trucks have become the key to supporting the country's logistics system. The latest data shows that Nigeria imports more than 200,000 second-hand trucks each year, and the market size is expanding at an annual growth rate of 8.9%. Chinese brands are rapidly rising in this market with high cost-effectiveness and perfect parts supply.

1. Market status: second-hand trucks are absolutely dominant

95% of the truck market relies on imported second-hand cars, and local manufacturing is almost blank.

Main import sources: China (HOWO, SHACMAN), Japan (Isuzu, Hino), Germany (Mercedes-Benz, MAN).

Core ports: Lagos Port and Apapa Port are often congested due to excessive imports, and some cargo ships are forced to divert to neighboring countries such as Benin and Togo to unload.

"In Nigeria, a 10-year-old Sinotruk HOWO truck can run for another five years if some parts are replaced as long as the engine has no major problems." - Emmanuel Okon, a Lagos truck dealer said.

2. Why are Chinese trucks so popular?

✅ Price advantage:

Under the same vehicle condition, the price of Chinese second-hand trucks is 30%-40% lower than that of Japanese trucks.

For example: a 2015 HOWO 6x4 dump truck costs about $18,000, while a Hino of the same year costs more than $25,000.

✅ Perfect parts supply chain:

Chinese auto parts cities have formed clusters in Lagos, Kano and other places, and the supply speed of wearing parts such as brake pads and filters is much faster than that of European and American brands.

✅ Adaptive transformation:

Chinese companies have strengthened the chassis, increased the water tank capacity, and even launched a "high-temperature version" of diesel engines for African road conditions.

3. Policies and Challenges

⚠️ Tariff increase:

In 2023, Nigeria will increase the vehicle import tax to 39.62%, resulting in a general increase of 50%-100% in the price of used cars.

Case: The price of a 2018 Shaanxi Auto Delong X3000 soared from US$22,000 to US$35,000.

⚠️ Vehicle age limit:

Trucks with an age of ≤15 years are allowed to be imported, but 80% of the vehicles in actual circulation are 5-10 years old.