USTMA forecasts record US tire shipments in 2026

Washington — The US Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) is forecasting a slight increase in total US tire shipments in 2026 to 338.9 million units, up from 336.3 million in 2025 and 332.7 million in 2019.

The projected figure represents growth of 0.7% or 2.5 million units compared with 2025, and 1.9% or 6.2 million units above 2019 levels, surpassing the previous record of 337.3 million units reached in 2024, said USTMA 4 March.

OE tire shipments are expected to show mixed growth across vehicle categories.

Passenger OE shipments are forecast to reach 41.6 million units in 2026, up 0.8% from 41.3 million in 2025.

However, the segment remains below 2019 levels of 46.3 million units, down 10.0% compared with the pre-pandemic benchmark.
Light truck OE shipments are projected at 6.5 million units in 2026, up 1.2% from 6.4 million in 2025.

Compared with 5.9 million units in 2019, the segment shows growth of 10.6% or 0.6 million units.

Truck OE shipments are expected to record the strongest growth rate among OE segments, rising to 4.7 million units in 2026, up 8.3% year-on-year.

Despite this growth, shipments remain below 2019 levels of 6.5 million units, representing a 27.3% decline or 1.8 million units.

In the replacement market, shipments are projected to increase modestly across all segments.

Replacement passenger tire shipments are forecast to grow 0.6% year-on-year to 223.3 million units, up marginally compared to the pre-Covid levels of 222.6 million units in 2019.

Replacement light truck shipments are expected to reach 38.0 million units in 2026, up 0.8% year-on-year. Compared with 32.5 million units in 2019, the category shows growth of 16.8% or 5.5 million units.

In the replacement truck tire segment, demand outlook is flat at 24.7 million units, reflecting 0.2% growth.

However, shipments remain significantly higher than 2019 levels of 18.9 million units, representing growth of 30.5% compared to pre-pandemic levels.