US car imports crash by 72% year-over-year as trade tariffs take their toll

In a bid to quickly bring auto manufacturing back to the US, President Donald Trump slapped a 25% tariff on the import of new cars in April. An additional 25% tariff on the import of auto parts went into effect on May 3rd. These tariffs seem to have hugely affected the US auto imports.

According to figures shared by Automotive News (via InsideEVs), US importers imported 72.3% fewer vehicles into the country in May 2025 vs May 2024. This is a massive decrease and could have serious implications for a market where most buyers opt for used cars.

While the tariffs introduced by US President Donald Trump don’t directly affect used cars, prices of used cars, including EVs, are affected by the changes in the overall auto market. So, when there are fewer new cars imported into the country or new cars that are more expensive due to tariffs, prospective customers will be pushed to the used market. This increase in demand will push prices up.

According to data published by Cox Automotive, used car prices in the US are already 4% higher than in 2024. This 4% increase could become even worse as a result of the gigantic 72% import reduction.

That said, InsideEVs conjectures that such a wide cut down in auto imports could also suggest that car makers are holding off on importing new cars into the US in the hopes of tariff relief in the short term. US President Trump has been quite erratic about the import tariffs, so to speak. So, there is still a lot of uncertainty around the issue.

It remains to be seen how the car market and consumer behavior evolve moving forward as the impact of tariffs starts to set in. If the auto import tariffs do continue and the current US administration also pulls the plug on the EV mandate, a move hinted by the recent clash between Elon Musk and President Trump, the overall US car market could be in for a shock.