A Cuban identified as "Lia en las Redes" shared on TikTok her experience importing a modern car in Cuba, describing a series of obstacles ranging from exorbitant taxes to the difficulty of obtaining gasoline to use it.
The first blow, as she recounted, is economic: "The taxes they charge you are almost double the cost of the car," emphasized this Cuban, although since February, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment ordered the temporary halt of contracts and new shipments of combustion vehicles to Cuba, amid the severe fuel crisis the country is facing.
This is compounded by the fact that the vehicle arrived in conditions different from what was expected: "You have to be ready for something to be missing when it arrives. In my case, the first aid kit was missing and even the fuel."
The situation with the fuel was particularly striking: "The tank was full when it was sent and arrived completely empty."
The logistical process was not easy either. Although the agency promised delivery within a month, the actual wait extended much longer: "Don't expect it to arrive in a month, even if that's what the agency tells you. Mine did arrive within a month at Mariel, but after it arrived, it took five more months of waiting until I was notified."
When they finally called her to pick it up, the bureaucratic procedures added more frustration: "When they finally called me, I was really excited, but I had to go two days in a row because a document was missing."
Leaving with the car did not mean the end of the problems.
The Cuban went straight to a gas station, where the reality of the country hit her hard: "I waited in line from Noon until six in the evening, just to fill the tank."
And the conclusion summarizes the paradox experienced by many Cubans who manage to acquire a modern vehicle with great effort: "Right now, I have the car parked because gasoline is unavailable at any price."
The worst fuel crisis in decades
This testimony reflects the worst fuel crisis that Cuba has faced in decades. Since December 2025, Venezuela stopped sending oil to the island; on January 9, 2026, Pemex suspended its supplies; and that same month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening tariffs on countries that export fuel to Cuba.
The impact on prices has been severe. The liter of gasoline in the informal market rose from between 700 and 1,500 pesos in January 2026 to between 4,000 and 6,000 pesos in April 2026, a figure that exceeds the average monthly salary of about 3,000 pesos.
The state gas stations of CUPET do not provide a real alternative: they have waiting lists of between 7,000 and 15,000 requests and serve only between fifty and ninety vehicles a day, with a maximum of twenty liters per person.
The regulatory framework for the importation of cars
Regarding the regulatory framework, starting from January 1, 2025, Cuba allows individuals to import cars up to ten years old, with a limit of one unit every five years.
Although excise taxes have been reduced compared to previous years, a car that costs $20,000 in the United States can reach about $36,000 in Cuba when factoring in logistics and tariffs, and vehicles priced between $10,000 and $15,000 abroad can exceed $50,000 on the island, according to the portal Árbol Invertido.
"So, nothing friend, if you still want to buy your car, you already know my experience," concluded the Cuban, in a closing that encapsulates the frustration of those trying to improve their quality of life amidst the restrictions of the dictatorship.
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