EU countries on Friday gave a definitive green light to hefty additional tariffs on electric cars (EVs) made in China, despite strong opposition led by Germany.

Ten countries including France and Italy supported slapping tariffs of up to 35.3 percent, on top of the current 10 percent, EU diplomats said, while five including Germany and Hungary voted against and 12 abstained.

The European Commission provisionally approved additional duties in June after an inquiry concluded that Beijing's state aid to auto manufacturers was unfair.

China has slammed the new tariffs as "protectionist" and warned they would trigger a trade war.

Brussels says it aims to protect European carmakers in a critical industry that provides jobs to around 14 million people across the EU.

Canada and the United States have in recent months imposed much higher tariffs of 100 percent on Chinese electric car imports.

Earlier on Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned the EU was headed for an "economic cold war" if it placed tariffs on Chinese EVs.

German auto giant Mercedes-Benz said the tariffs were a "mistake", urging the European Commission to delay their implementation.

"We are convinced that punitive tariffs worsen the competitiveness of an industry in the long term," the company said in a statement. (Agencies)