🇬🇧 United Kingdom imports of cars: 2024 trade data
Imports of cars by the United Kingdom reached $54.51 billion in 2024 (2.98 million tonnes). It ranks 3rd of 225 countries for imports of this product. The value was almost unchanged from 2023. Across 2017-2024 the long-run trend was broadly stable.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Imports of cars by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $54.51B | 2.98M t |
| 2023 | $54.90B | 2.97M t |
| 2022 | $42.55B | 2.50M t |
| 2021 | $34.73B | 2.06M t |
| 2020 | $35.66B | 2.30M t |
| 2019 | $45.83B | 3.16M t |
| 2018 | $45.86B | 3.16M t |
| 2017 | $46.86B | 3.39M t |
Where the United Kingdom imports cars from
Most of the value came from Germany (28%), China (9%), Spain (9%). Trade is spread widely: the top three suppliers together make up only 46%.
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $15.04B | 28% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $5.09B | 9.3% |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $4.82B | 8.9% |
| 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | $4.01B | 7.4% |
| 🇸🇰 Slovakia | $3.57B | 6.5% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $3.12B | 5.7% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $3.00B | 5.5% |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | $2.29B | 4.2% |
| 🇷🇴 Romania | $1.53B | 2.8% |
| 🇭🇺 Hungary | $1.53B | 2.8% |
Types of cars under HS 8703
| 8703.80 | Vehicles: with only electric motor for propulsion | 27% |
| 8703.22 | Vehicles: with only spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine, cylinder capacity over 1000 but not over 1500cc | 17% |
| 8703.40 | Vehicles: with both spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine and electric motor for propulsion, incapable of being charged by… | 12% |
| 8703.23 | Vehicles: with only spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine, cylinder capacity over 1500 but not over 3000cc | 12% |
| 8703.60 | Vehicles: with both spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine and electric motor for propulsion, capable of being charged by… | 11% |
| 8703.21 | Vehicles: with only spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine, cylinder capacity not over 1000cc | 9.4% |
| 8703.32 | Vehicles: with only compression-ignition internal combustion piston engine (diesel or semi-diesel), cylinder capacity over 1500 but not over 2500cc | 5.4% |
| 8703.24 | Vehicles: with only spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine, cylinder capacity over 3000cc | 2.3% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 8703.
Average import price of cars
The average declared value was about $18.32 per kg, close to the world average of $16.22.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United Kingdom also exports cars
Exports of cars by the United Kingdom reached $36.46 billion in 2024 (1.60 million tonnes). That makes it the 9th largest exporter of this product worldwide, out of 211 countries. The largest buyer markets were United States (27%), China (12%), Germany (7%). Trade is spread widely: the top three buyer markets together make up only 45%. Among the main buyer markets, United States grew fastest (+49% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States | $9.77B | 27% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $4.22B | 12% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $2.49B | 6.8% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $1.94B | 5.3% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $1.58B | 4.3% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $1.50B | 4.1% |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $1.19B | 3.3% |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $1.13B | 3.1% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $1.06B | 2.9% |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | $932.3M | 2.6% |
Who is behind these numbers in the United Kingdom?
Public statistics stop at country totals and the last published year. EximDataX shows the shipment records underneath: the companies, dates, quantities and declared values, updated weekly.
Shipment records are in the platform
Tell us what you trade and we will show you the latest records on a live call.
Direct customs feed: shipment-level records from the official customs source.
Updated weekly on EximDataX (some markets daily), while public statistics stop at 2024.
Source: CEPII BACI (reconciled UN Comtrade data), HS 2017 edition, release 202601, Etalab Open Licence 2.0. Annual values in US dollars at the customs border; quantities in tonnes where reported. HS 8703: Motor cars and other motor vehicles; principally designed for the transport of persons (other than those of heading no. 8702), including station wagons and racing cars.
Cars trade in the United Kingdom: questions
What is the value of cars imported by the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom imported cars worth $54.51 billion in 2024 (2.98 million tonnes).
Where does the United Kingdom import cars from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were Germany (28%), China (9%), Spain (9%).
What is the average import price of cars in the United Kingdom?
The average declared import value was about $18.32 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $16.22 per kg.
Does the United Kingdom export cars?
Yes. The United Kingdom exported cars worth $36.46 billion in 2024, mainly to United States, China, Germany.
What is the HS code for cars?
Cars falls under HS heading 8703 (Motor cars and other motor vehicles; principally designed for the transport of persons (other than those of heading no). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading cars with the United Kingdom?
These public statistics stop at country level. EximDataX has a direct customs feed for the United Kingdom with shipment-level records, updated weekly, where you can see the importers and exporters by name.
Cars trade in other countries
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