GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jun 24, 2026

Section 232 Automobile Tariffs

As of June 2026.

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Last updated: 24 June 2026Published: 23 June 2026

Source: White House Section 232 Proclamations (Autos 25 % ab 03.04.2025, Teile ab 03.05.2025; mittelschwere/schwere Lkw & Teile 25 %, Busse 10 % ab 01.11.2025); US Dept. of Commerce Auto Tariff Offset Process; Butzel Long & BDO („Offset Program Extended Through 2030"); RVIA / Clark Hill / Troutman (Lkw/Busse-Zölle); Congress.gov CRS IN12545; US CBP Section 232 FAQ Autos; White House EU-/Japan-/Korea-Abkommen (15 %) und UK-EPD (10 %). Stand: Juni 2026.

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Definition & Explanation

As of June 2026. The United States has imposed a 25% Section 232 tariff on imported passenger vehicles and light trucks since 3 April 2025; the same rate has applied to certain automobile parts (including engines, transmissions and electrical components) since 3 May 2025. The legal basis is Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which permits import tariffs on national-security grounds – the same statute underpinning the steel and aluminum tariffs, and thus clearly distinct from the reciprocal tariffs (IEEPA-based) and the Section 301 tariffs against China. Unlike the reciprocal tariffs, the Section 232 auto tariffs were unaffected by the February 2026 Supreme Court ruling and remain in full force. The scope of covered parts is continuously expanded through a quarterly "Inclusions Process" (January, April, July, October). Vehicles assembled in the U.S. benefit from a phased offset program (3.75% of MSRP through 30 April 2026, then 2.5% through 30 April 2027). Effective 1 November 2025, the Section 232 tariffs were also extended to medium- and heavy-duty trucks (Classes III–VIII) and their parts (25%) and to buses (10%); US-assembled trucks and engines have their own 3.75% offset program (1 November 2025 to 31 October 2030). Trade deals cap the total rate for cars from the EU, Japan and South Korea at 15% and for cars from the United Kingdom at 10%; the EU rate has recently come under renewed political pressure (a temporary threat to raise it to 25%). Not to be confused with Section 232 as a general sectoral framework or with a surcharge: the auto tariffs are a distinct sectoral duty that can stack with other charges such as the base HTS duty.

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Section 232 Automobile Tariffs

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