Where should you buy a Geely Starray, in France or elsewhere in Europe?

The Geely Starray EM-i costs 34,990 € in France, 33,490 € in Spain and 29,600 € excluding tax in Portugal. Three figures that make crossing a border look tempting, and that do not mean what they appear to mean.

On a new vehicle, VAT is paid in the country of registration, not in the seller’s country. Any gap advertised abroad therefore has to be recalculated before being compared, and the exercise holds a surprise: depending on the country of departure, importing saves 1,780 € or loses 530 €.

In short:

1. Entry-trim list prices recorded in August 2026: 34,990 € in France, 33,490 € in Spain, 34,990 € in Belgium, 29,600 € excluding tax in Portugal, or roughly 36,408 € with local taxes included
2. A new car bought in another member state carries French VAT at 20 %, not the seller’s rate: the real gap is calculated on pre-tax prices, which brings the Spanish advantage down to about 1,780 € and turns the Portuguese one into a 530 € loss
3. The ranges do not line up: only the Pro (18.4 kWh, 83 km) and Max+ (29.8 kWh, 136 km) trims exist on both sides of the Pyrenees, the French Max and the Spanish Pro+ being different cars
4. Foreign entry prices, such as the 26,215 € advertised in Spain, include non-transferable national subsidies (up to 3,375 € under the Plan Auto+)

Contents

• Starray EM-i prices country by country
• What the gap becomes once VAT is recalculated
• The ranges do not line up between countries
• National subsidies do not cross the border
• The four steps of an intra-EU import
• What importing costs in incidental fees
• Where the Geely network actually operates in Europe
• The verdict, country by country
• Frequently asked questions

Starray EM-i prices country by country

Working out where to buy a Geely Starray in Europe starts with reading the official price lists, bearing in mind that each country publishes according to its own tax conventions.

The table already carries the first trap. The Portuguese figure looks 5,390 € below the French one, but it is published before tax: converted to a local retail price it climbs to roughly 36,408 €, above the French figure. Comparing car prices across European countries without checking that display convention produces fictional gaps every time.

The top of the range narrows further. The Max+ is listed at 38,990 € in France and 37,990 € in Spain, a 1,000 € gap on a car with a 29.8 kWh battery.

What the gap becomes once VAT is recalculated

A new vehicle bought in another member state falls under a specific regime. The seller invoices without VAT and the buyer pays the tax of their country of residence, 20 % in France. The relevant gap is therefore never the one between advertised retail prices, but the one between pre-tax prices.

Spain is the only market in the sample to produce a genuine advantage, around 1,780 €. Belgium shrinks to 289 €, a sum absorbed by one return trip and a day of paperwork. Portugal loses money, because its pre-tax price is the highest of the four, something its display convention keeps out of sight.

This calculation uses list prices and VAT rates in force in August 2026. It says nothing about the discounts a local distributor may grant, which cut both ways.

The ranges do not line up between countries

Comparing 33,490 € with 34,990 € assumes the two cars are identical. On this model, that holds for two trims only.

France sells three levels: Pro at 34,990 € and Max at 36,990 €, both on an 18.4 kWh battery giving 83 km of WLTP electric range and 30 kW of DC charging, then Max+ at 38,990 € on a 29.8 kWh battery, 136 km homologated and 60 kW.

Spain also lines up three levels, but not the same ones: Pro at 33,490 € on 18.4 kWh, Pro+ at 35,990 € on 29.8 kWh, Max+ at 37,990 € on 29.8 kWh. The Spanish mid-range therefore gets the large battery, where the French mid-range keeps the small one.

A buyer comparing a French Max at 36,990 € with a Spanish Pro+ at 35,990 € believes they are looking at a 1,000 € gap. They are in fact looking at two cars separated by 53 km of electric range and 30 kW of charging power. The only honest comparison covers the Pro and the Max+, the two trims whose battery is identical on both sides of the border.

National subsidies do not cross the border

Entry prices published abroad often build in local public schemes. In Spain, the Starray EM-i was announced at 26,215 €, a figure constructed by deducting Plan Auto+ discounts, including a subsidy of up to 3,375 €.

That subsidy attaches to a Spanish registration. A buyer bringing the car back to France does not receive it, so the 26,215 € headline is never available to them. The rule works in reverse too: French schemes do not follow a vehicle registered outside France.

On this particular model, the question of French incentives settles quickly. The ecological bonus is reserved for fully electric passenger cars, which rules out a plug-in hybrid by design. The Starray EM-i does escape the CO2 malus thanks to its low homologated emissions, and its Crit’Air 1 rating grants access to low-emission zones. On that point, the comparison with the segment’s fully electric models is covered in our dossier on electric car range.

The four steps of an intra-EU import

Bringing a new vehicle back from another member state follows a mapped-out procedure, with no prior authorisation to obtain.

The European certificate of conformity. Issued by the manufacturer, it certifies that the vehicle meets European type approval. It is the document that avoids an individual approval process, which is long and expensive. On a model homologated across the Union, like the Starray EM-i and its five Euro NCAP stars, it is supplied without difficulty.

The tax-free invoice. The foreign seller invoices without VAT as soon as the buyer declares registration in another member state. That invoice becomes the basis for calculating the French tax.

The fiscal clearance certificate. Issued by the local tax office, it proves the vehicle’s tax position is in order. It is a precondition for registration and costs nothing.

Payment of French VAT. It falls due within fifteen days of delivery, at 20 %, before registration. This is the step that cancels any notion of a gain tied to a lower or higher foreign VAT rate.

Registration then happens online through the ANTS portal. The cost covers the fixed 13.76 € charge and the regional tax calculated on fiscal horsepower, detailed in our guide to vehicle registration cost.

What importing costs in incidental fees

The 1,780 € Spanish advantage is a gross figure, not a gain. Three items eat into it.

Repatriation first. Professional transport from Barcelona or Madrid runs into the hundreds of euros, and driving the car back requires temporary registration, transfer insurance and two days on the road. The item is modest against a 1,780 € discount, but it is not nil.

Time next. A complete import file involves several administrative round trips, on top of exchanges with a foreign seller about the vehicle’s actual availability.

After-sales last, and this is the least quantifiable item. A plug-in hybrid combines a combustion engine with a high-voltage circuit, so two service programmes across a warranty announced at up to eight years. The warranty applies throughout the network, but a workshop that did not sell the car has no reason to prioritise it over its own customers. The criteria worth examining on that point are set out in our comparison of the Geely Starray dealer options.

One point rarely made: on a model that reached the French market four months ago, resale value is unknown, and a registration document showing a first foreign registration never helps a resale. That uncertainty weighs more than the 1,780 € saved at the outset.

Where the Geely network actually operates in Europe

Footprint governs the purchase as much as price does, and it varies sharply between countries.

France counted around thirty sales points in June 2026, with 50 targeted for September and 70 announced for year end, carried by seven distribution groups including Como in Greater Paris, Maurin, BYmyCAR, Auto Réal Group, Baldassari, Elypse Autos and Select Auto. Spain aimed for 50 sales points in 2026 and a doubling to 100 in 2027. Belgium started more modestly with 20 sales points by summer 2026 and at least fifteen more expected in early 2027. Portugal opened with a pre-sales phase in May 2026.

None of these networks sells online or delivers across borders. A purchase in Spain is therefore concluded physically in Spain, with a distributor that has no commercial interest in easing a French registration. The full picture of the French network appears in our comparison of the best Geely dealer in France.

The verdict, country by country

Spain is the only case where the arithmetic holds, with roughly 1,780 € of difference on the Pro trim. That is real, and it is small against the paperwork and the resale risk.

Belgium does not justify the trip for 289 €. Portugal loses money, its pre-tax price being the highest of the panel.

One observation is worth more than a ranking: on this model the importer runs pre-tax prices inside a band of less than 2,000 € across the continent, while the French domestic market offers far wider gaps. A demonstration car with under 10 km on the clock routinely trades 20 % to 27 % below list price there. Hunting for a discount 1,000 km from home when it exists 30 km away is a methodological error, and the same logic applies to any car purchase, as our guide to buying a used car points out.

Frequently asked questions