The European Union has imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on passenger-car and light-lorry tyres imported from China. The measures range from 4.3% to 45.3% and follow an investigation into pricing and industry harm. The decision could change sourcing costs, distributor margins and competition across Europe’s replacement tyre market.
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1540 was adopted on 6 July and published in the Official Journal on 7 July 2026.
It covers new pneumatic rubber tyres used on cars, buses or lorries with a load index not exceeding 121. The products currently fall under CN codes 4011 10 00 and 4011 20 10.
The regulation entered into force on the day after publication. Duties vary by producer and exporting group, with rates ranging from 4.3% to 45.3%.
The full legal text is available through the European Commission’s regulation on definitive anti-dumping duties.
The European Commission opened the anti-dumping investigation on 21 May 2025. It followed a complaint submitted by the Coalition Against Unfair Tyre Imports.
Investigators assessed whether Chinese exporters sold covered tyres in Europe below normal value. They also examined whether those imports caused material injury to EU producers.
The Commission said its investigation found that Chinese tyres were entering the EU at dumped prices and causing injury to the Union industry. That manufacturing sector employs more than 80,000 people across 14 member states.
Tyre News previously covered the formal opening of the EU anti-dumping investigation into Chinese passenger tyres in May 2025. The case was registered as AD733 and initially covered a potential investigation period of up to 14 months.
The scale of the market makes the final decision particularly relevant to manufacturers, wholesalers and tyre retailers.
EU consumption of the covered products exceeded 330 million tyres during 2024. The market was valued at more than €18 billion.
Imports from China reached almost 93 million units during the same year. Those shipments were worth more than €2.5 billion and represented around 28% of EU consumption.
In practice, the duties could raise landed costs for affected importers. They could also change price positioning across budget and mid-market brands.
The impact will differ between suppliers because the final duty depends on the applicable producer or company group. Importers will need to confirm the correct rate and supporting customs documentation before calculating future costs.
The definitive range differs from the provisional duties announced earlier in the investigation.
Tyre News reported in May 2026 that provisional EU duties on Chinese car tyres were expected to range from approximately 30% to 52%.
The final regulation applies lower rates to some cooperating producers following the Commission’s completed calculations and assessment.
The definitive measures provide greater certainty than the provisional stage. However, they also establish a longer-term cost factor for European businesses sourcing passenger-car and light commercial vehicle tyres from China.
Distributors may respond by reviewing supplier portfolios, renegotiating prices or increasing purchases from alternative manufacturing locations. European producers could also gain more room to compete where low import prices had placed pressure on margins.
The anti-dumping decision does not conclude the EU’s wider examination of Chinese tyre imports.
A separate anti-subsidy investigation remains active and covers the same general product scope. It is examining whether Chinese manufacturers benefited from government support that distorted competition.
The Commission expects to conclude that proceeding in December 2026. Any resulting countervailing measures could sit alongside the definitive anti-dumping duties.
Tyre News reported the launch of the parallel anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese car tyres in November 2025. The proceeding is examining support including grants, favourable finance, tax measures and access to inputs.
The regulation extends strong EU trade-defence action into high-volume passenger-car and light-lorry tyre categories.
Measures already exist for certain Chinese bus and truck tyres with higher load indices. The latest decision broadens the commercial effect across replacement-market channels serving cars and light commercial vehicles.
For tyre businesses, the immediate considerations include customs classification, applicable producer rates, supply contracts and replacement pricing.
The longer-term issue is how the duties affect brand competition. Chinese producers have gained substantial European volume across value-led and increasingly mid-market product ranges.
The final impact will depend on how much of the additional cost reaches distributors, retailers, fleets and motorists. It will also depend on whether exporters change production or sourcing arrangements in response.
Tagged with: EU anti-dumping duties, Chinese tyre imports, passenger car tyres, light-lorry tyres, tyre import tariffs, EU tyre market, tyre wholesalers, tyre pricing, replacement tyres, trade defence, tyre manufacturing
Disclaimer: This content may include forward-looking statements. Views expressed are not verified or endorsed by Tyre News Media.
.svg)
.png)
.jpg)
.png)
