Tyres Europe: European car tire imports slow down after first-half surge

Brussels – European imports of passenger car and light truck (PC/LT) tires slowed markedly in the second half of 2025 while truck and bus (TBR) tire inflows continued to grow, according to the latest data from Tyres Europe.

PC/LT tire imports into the EU27 plus the UK rose 5% year-on-year in the first 11 months of the year, largely reflecting a 25% surge in the first quarter.

The growth, however, eased to 1% by the third quarter, before volumes fell by 10% in the first two months of the fourth quarter, said Tyres Europe 5 Feb.

According to the association, the early-year spike was driven by wholesalers 'front-loading' Chinese tire shipments ahead of anticipated EU tariffs.

Chinese products accounted for 76% of PC/LT imports in September and October, Tyres Europe noted.

South Korea remained the second-largest source, although shipments declined 14% over the first eleven months of the year compared with 2024.

India recorded above-average growth and ranked fifth, just ahead of Vietnam, which posted "a more than four-fold increase" in imports in a year.

By contrast, truck and bus (TBR) tire imports from non-European markets rose by almost 10% over the first 11 months of 2025.

Growth was led by Thailand and Vietnam, where shipments increased 16% compared with the same period a year earlier, lifting their combined market share to nearly 57%.

China’s position in the TBR segment weakened, with import volumes down by more than 5%.

Egypt remained the fourth-largest supplier, just ahead of Korea, although Egyptian shipments rose by only 4%, below the overall market rate.

Korean TBR imports climbed almost 30% year-on-year but remained around 60% lower than in 2019, when Korea held close to a 19% share of the market.