The U.K. broke with the U.S. by opening its doors to China's electric vehicle juggernaut.
Chinese EVs face only a 10% standard import duty in Britain, one of the largest major overseas markets without additional China-specific tariffs. Japan and Norway also lack them.
It's in contrast to the U.S., where a 100% tariff effectively shut Chinese EVs out. The European Union, the U.K.'s biggest trading partner, has manufacturer-specific duties on Chinese EVs of up to 35.3%, in addition to a standard 10% import duty on all foreign cars.
Now, the U.K. faces a difficult choice, as EU proposals may force it to impose tariffs to match the bloc's.
At the weekend, The Sunday Times reported that U.K. Business Minister Jonathan Reynolds is considering matching the EU's levy on Chinese EVs to avoid the pain of so-called "Made in Europe" proposals, which could hurt domestic companies selling into the EU.