El vehículo chino ChangLi S1-Pro no consta entre los vehículos autorizados para circular en Ecuador, pues no tiene certificado de homologación.

Chinese Changli S1Pro vehicle model.
The cheapest electric vehicle in the world (USD 1,200) could not drive in Ecuador, since this Chinese car does not appear on the list of approved models, according to data from the National Traffic Agency (ANT).
However, the sale of the ChangLi S1-Pro model is promoted on social networks and on web pages in Ecuador.
The National Customs Service of Ecuador (Senae) confirmed to PRIMICIAS that not a single unit of this model has been imported into the country.
According to the Senae, if a person or company tries to import a model without an approval certificate, such as the ChangLi S1-Pro, customs will not let it enter the country and it will be shipped to its place of origin.
Despite this, a website in Ecuador promotes the 2023 model vehicle at a price of USD 5,100 and sells a 2022 model for USD 3,000 per unit.
The website describes these vehicles as “low-speed electric scooters, also known as mini evs”, an abbreviation that stands for ‘mini electric cars’ or small electric cars.
And it even offers a one-year warranty.
The vehicle has not been imported by dealers in Ecuador, warns the manager of the Ecuadorian Automotive Association (AEA), Manuel Murtinho.
If someone buys this car online abroad, they could not bring it by courier either, since it weighs 490 kg and the maximum weight allowed for imports through this route is 100 kg.
Why are there cars not approved?
Until March 2023, the vehicle approval certificate was an accompanying document that was presented when registering each car.
But the Foreign Trade Committee (Comex) issued resolution 005-2023 on April 12, 2023 and changed the rules.
The new resolution establishes that the approval certificate is a mandatory supporting document, previously required to approve the import of the car, explains the former director of the ANT, Ernesto Varas, who was in charge of the Agency when the resolution was issued.
Varas says that during his tenure, he learned of cases of vehicles without an approval certificate, which had been registered, which is why he issued official letters to the Decentralized Autonomous Governments (GAD), which have registration authority.
“We warned them that they had to demand the homologation document, because if they did not do it, we could take away their registration competition,” he adds.
The risk of non-approved
The case of the “world’s cheapest” Chinese car is not the only one that has set off alarm bells in Ecuador.
During 2022, 190 non-approved vehicles entered Ecuador, and, in the first quarter of 2023, 20 cars were imported without an approval certificate, says Murtinho.
The AEA spokesperson adds that among those not approved there are high-end models and clarifies that none have been imported by commercial houses, which are representatives of brands in Ecuador.
“At the Association we suspect that unauthorized sub-distributors ” have imported these vehicles, says Murtinho.
What is approval?
All vehicles circulating in Ecuador must have a certificate of homologation, which is a requirement to obtain the registration and, therefore, to have license plates.
The homologation certificate is issued by the ANT after verifying the manufacturer’s guarantees, the availability of spare parts and the maintenance service, explains the executive president of the Association of Automotive Companies of Ecuador (Aeade), Genaro Baldeón.
In addition, the car must meet minimum safety requirements, established in the INEN technical regulations, adds Baldeón.
The minimum-security elements required by the regulation are:
- ISOFIX anchors (system that allows baby seats to be anchored in the seats).
- ABS brakes.
- Visual and acoustic warning of not using the seat belt.
- Electronic stability control.
- Technical characteristics of brakes.
- Front and side collision protection.
- Three airbags.
- Front and rear bumpers.
Baldeón explains that there are 5,386 vehicle models in Ecuador that are approved to circulate in the country.
There is an updated list on the ANT website, where you can check what these models are, adds the Aeade spokesperson.
Baldeón explains that the approval regulation has some exceptions that do not require a certificate. For example, diplomatic vehicles, cars imported by people with disabilities, and ambulances.