Hybrid vehicle clearance rises 28%, vehicle re-exports to Syria drive 57% surge in Q1 2025

AMMAN — Clearance of hybrid vehicles increased by 28 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, reaching 3,249 vehicles, compared with 2,540 during the same period in 2024, according to the Jordan Free Zones Investors Commission.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Commission President Mohammad Bostanji said that overall vehicle clearance from the Zarqa Free Zone declined by 34 per cent during the first quarter of 2025 compared with the same period last year.

Around 12,000 vehicles were cleared during the first three months of 2025, down from around 18,000 in the corresponding period of 2024, Bostanji said.

Electric vehicle (EV) clearance decreased by over 49 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, with only 6,426 units cleared compared with 12,617 during the same period in 2024. Diesel vehicle clearance also saw a decline of 38 per cent, dropping from 1,757 to 1,097 vehicles.

Clearance of gasoline-powered vehicles saw a more modest decrease of 3.9 per cent, with 1,302 vehicles cleared compared with 1,355 during the same period last year.

Additionally, vehicle re-exports increased 57 per cent, exceeding 17,000 vehicles in the first quarter of 2025, up from around 11,000 during the same period in 2024.

Bostanji attributed the sharp decline in electric vehicle clearance to the introduction of a progressive tax increase, which has adversely affected market demand and shifted consumer preferences toward vehicle types not impacted by the tax.

As for the rise in re-exports, he noted that many traders have redirected their operations toward re-exporting vehicles, particularly to Syria.