Owners of powerful cars could face a big new bill from 2027. The finance ministry wants to bring back excise duty on cars with power above 250 kilowatts, or around 340 horsepower. The change is part of amendments to the law on excise duties and tax warehouses and still has to go through parliament.
For a brand-new car above the threshold, the excise duty will start at 10,000 euros, plus 10 euros for every kilowatt over 250 kW. For used cars the bill is lower — starting at 5,000 euros, plus 8 euros per kilowatt above the limit.
The ministry gives examples of how this works in practice. A car with 300 kW would carry excise duty of 10,500 euros if new, or 5,400 euros if used. At 500 kW, the figures jump to 12,500 euros for a new car and 7,000 euros for a used one. This tax comes on top of the local vehicle tax, which stays under the old formula.
The new tax targets cars the finance ministry sees as luxury goods. It has two aims — more money for the budget and a shift in how the most powerful cars are taxed. The 250 kW threshold is set so that mainstream models stay out of reach of the duty. Ambulances, fire engines and other emergency vehicles are exempt and won't be taxed.
The duty would fall due when a car is imported or brought into Bulgaria. A special declaration process before customs is planned, and the duty would have to be paid before the car's first registration in Bulgaria. In other words, this isn't an annual tax and won't touch cars already registered in the country — it only hits newly imported or newly registered powerful cars. The detailed rules still have to be spelled out in the law itself and its regulations.
Bulgaria has actually had a similar excise duty before. The old rules fell away on 1 January 2010, having covered certain passenger and racing cars up to that point. If the current plan goes through, the tax would return after a 17-year gap — but with a much higher power threshold. Before it was scrapped, the limit was above 120 kW under the DIN system.
The market for the most expensive and powerful cars in Bulgaria has been growing in recent years. In just the first eight months of 2026, Bulgaria registered 38 new Lamborghinis, 25 Ferraris, 13 Rolls-Royces and 315 Porsches, according to registration data. The country is also home to two Bugatti W16 Mistrals — out of just 99 built worldwide. Many of these cars are well above the proposed 250 kW threshold, so any future imports or first registrations would fall under the new duty if the law passes as it stands.
So far the finance ministry hasn't said how much money it expects the new tax to bring in, or how many cars a year would be affected. That means it's too early to say what the real financial impact will be. The plan is part of a wider package of tax changes for 2027, and as of 23 September 2026 it is not yet in force.