US imports of automotive parts
In 2020 the US imported over US$131 billion in automotive parts. This is a 15% decrease from 2019 due to the global pandemic. The peak year for imports of automotive parts into the US was 2018 at US$157.8 billion. Scroll down for interactive import tables.
Follow this link for statistics on exports of automotive parts.
Top countries for automotive parts imports 2021:
Mexico US$60,147,245,585 (38% of all imports of automotive parts into the US)- Canada US$16,461,364,564 (10% of all imports)
- China US$15,160,877,927 (9.5%)
- Japan US$15,063,771,603 (9.4%)
- Korea US$10,202,469,955 (6.4%)
- Germany US$10,145,872,276 (6.4%)
- Thailand US$4,762,955,572 (3.0%)
- Taiwan US$3,587,494,537 (2.2%)
- Vietnam US$2,172,666,596 (1.4%)
- Italy US$2081427738 (1.3%)
In 2021, the value of imported auto parts was 125% higher than the value of auto parts exported from the US. In 2021, the US imported US$159.6 billion in automotive parts and exported US$70.94 billion in automotive parts. 2021 was an all-time record for imports, beating the previous high of $157.5 billion in 2018.
In 2021 the US imported over US$159 billion in #automotive parts. Click To Tweet Tariffs on imported automotive parts are a topic of discussion and is frequently in the news. Opponents of tariffs often point to potential harm to the US consumer or automotive industry through higher costs of imported goods. Proponents of tariffs often point to the an “imbalance” of exports vs. imports, citing the $70.94 billion export value vs. the $159.6 billion in import value. The arguments pro or against tariffs are more detailed and complex than we can cover in this analysis.
Imports of auto parts from Mexico, Canada, Japan and other countries
In 2021 the US imported over $60B in #automotive parts from Mexico, a 16.6% increase from 2020. Click To TweetThe top countries sending auto parts into the US are Mexico, Canada and Japan. China, formerly #4 is now #3 and Germany is #6. Chinese automotive parts imported into the US peaked at $20 billion in 2018, an increase of 15% over 2017.
Here is a table showing the top 20 countries that import automotive parts to the US. The top row shows the total amount of auto parts imports from the entire world, for the past seven years. The table includes both OEM and aftermarket auto parts and can be sorted and searched.
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WORLD | $159,640,782,200 | $131,509,074,066 | $155,610,678,571 | $157,801,339,725 | $147,880,118,016 | $147,970,571,336 | $150,178,924,077 | $145,127,285,263 | $132,079,438,589 | $130,018,279,351 | $113,984,725,285 |
| Mexico | $60,147,245,585 | $51,621,152,611 | $60,781,901,664 | $58,924,591,501 | $54,874,198,046 | $55,059,598,583 | $53,092,388,701 | $49,391,866,761 | $44,294,287,060 | $41,020,620,806 | $35,609,826,651 |
| Canada | $16,461,364,564 | $14,067,303,871 | $16,904,481,464 | $17,223,360,574 | $16,086,439,817 | $17,057,193,069 | $17,726,707,975 | $18,249,062,219 | $16,924,839,618 | $17,433,406,528 | $16,354,060,920 |
| Japan | $15,063,771,603 | $12,058,709,417 | $14,869,630,896 | $16,074,969,329 | $16,263,563,596 | $15,066,679,288 | $14,856,837,354 | $15,917,256,589 | $15,944,723,603 | $18,307,801,106 | $15,034,522,801 |
| China | $15,160,877,927 | $11,437,073,996 | $15,572,308,099 | $20,120,982,055 | $17,576,052,577 | $17,365,092,076 | $18,750,546,971 | $18,541,340,290 | $16,298,592,105 | $14,964,512,171 | $12,466,227,605 |
| Korea | $10,202,469,955 | $8,164,391,358 | $9,410,663,995 | $8,856,236,664 | $8,277,489,756 | $9,243,717,053 | $9,100,719,759 | $8,716,942,165 | $8,150,939,513 | $7,956,251,116 | $6,650,721,632 |
| Germany | $10,145,872,276 | $8,435,200,966 | $9,224,735,704 | $9,595,169,700 | $9,855,025,575 | $10,042,005,179 | $11,283,104,331 | $10,715,202,919 | $9,817,313,794 | $9,677,772,836 | $8,180,424,450 |
| Thailand | $4,762,955,572 | $4,141,776,533 | $4,327,101,688 | $3,497,946,045 | $3,188,404,069 | $2,993,374,062 | $2,546,007,218 | $2,071,855,582 | $1,852,988,471 | $2,045,518,690 | $2,143,164,766 |
| Taiwan | $3,587,494,537 | $3,259,879,816 | $3,407,438,367 | $3,233,046,355 | $3,157,650,629 | $2,955,786,617 | $3,121,937,224 | $2,902,067,456 | $2,693,214,414 | $2,579,568,272 | $2,401,539,663 |
| India | $2,434,688,261 | $1,492,732,169 | $1,972,813,334 | $1,794,032,694 | $1,463,297,268 | $1,266,276,897 | $1,405,909,754 | $1,279,809,263 | $1,013,037,825 | $1,172,207,458 | $1,071,073,918 |
| Vietnam | $2,172,666,596 | $1,677,877,332 | $1,615,198,359 | $1,402,210,036 | $1,190,846,356 | $918,085,468 | $767,493,733 | $629,615,627 | $584,549,113 | $538,203,055 | $345,732,236 |
| Italy | $2,081,427,738 | $1,496,377,260 | $1,437,532,018 | $1,652,848,752 | $1,116,845,799 | $1,341,877,958 | $1,635,982,971 | $1,605,517,288 | $1,124,970,737 | $1,072,907,312 | $932,200,896 |
| Austria | $1,365,947,473 | $1,046,145,774 | $1,039,913,441 | $1,044,795,780 | $1,149,686,564 | $1,123,856,030 | $1,374,426,970 | $1,377,170,974 | $953,013,723 | $986,227,979 | $1,620,785,098 |
| United Kingdom | $1,213,619,208 | $1,064,167,484 | $1,402,163,242 | $1,426,837,096 | $1,306,260,209 | $1,183,398,177 | $1,325,122,574 | $1,401,974,598 | $1,296,987,508 | $1,157,500,311 | $941,051,070 |
| Brazil | $1,210,588,712 | $932,723,467 | $1,253,501,298 | $1,242,780,330 | $1,129,549,832 | $984,115,086 | $1,079,459,310 | $1,095,222,918 | $1,147,106,045 | $1,511,483,389 | $1,573,108,616 |
| Indonesia | $1,124,075,684 | $933,120,548 | $1,012,604,055 | $1,017,771,075 | $1,139,649,360 | $1,208,877,805 | $1,067,776,023 | $843,263,223 | $852,472,242 | $837,466,943 | $862,168,793 |
| Czech Republic | $1,042,908,674 | $779,827,827 | $863,811,133 | $832,235,411 | $832,859,063 | $830,030,843 | $871,465,387 | $742,195,021 | $675,962,109 | $646,830,143 | $537,016,014 |
| Spain | $997,517,574 | $968,317,134 | $1,036,866,601 | $895,766,492 | $951,972,637 | $887,199,170 | $1,099,663,442 | $1,040,352,939 | $903,254,998 | $806,208,396 | $458,459,462 |
| Philippines | $989,988,982 | $752,421,590 | $1,034,365,296 | $859,812,827 | $854,167,135 | $852,561,649 | $916,947,819 | $769,631,373 | $632,399,731 | $563,510,760 | $487,396,820 |
| Poland | $837,830,860 | $608,946,237 | $628,584,702 | $498,810,863 | $473,389,577 | $464,644,630 | $480,998,156 | $502,824,775 | $445,754,240 | $441,431,112 | $294,213,839 |
| Malaysia | $650,543,444 | $679,050,429 | $627,598,424 | $501,710,178 | $373,685,441 | $393,686,684 | $383,248,338 | $319,271,461 | $273,344,913 | $286,532,785 | $220,198,346 |
Imports of automotive parts to the US, by part type
This table shows the types of parts imported to the United States by year 2017-2021. It includes both OEM and aftermarket auto parts and shows the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) code for each part type. This table can be sorted and searched.
| HTS Number | Description | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6813.81 | Brake lining and pads | $129,692,291 | $105,780,998 | $137,414,189 | $140,190,444 | $174,682,117 |
| 7007.11 | Tempered safety glass (vehicles, aircraft, boats) | $187,159,374 | $130,891,118 | $162,267,036 | $169,071,306 | $157,871,688 |
| 7009.10 | Rear-view mirrors | $380,978,320 | $299,704,211 | $307,182,361 | $290,461,292 | $266,575,272 |
| 8301.20 | Vehicle locks | $659,898,058 | $586,921,158 | $680,501,018 | $716,554,486 | $748,425,788 |
| 8302.30 | Other mountings and fittings | $2,105,105,087 | $1,665,760,278 | $2,067,764,383 | $2,043,443,133 | $1,878,201,444 |
| 8511.10 | Spark plugs | $555,041,041 | $475,262,144 | $480,919,049 | $481,371,535 | $474,808,107 |
| 8511.20 | Magnetos and flywheels | $29,617,507 | $18,243,157 | $23,861,061 | $25,962,647 | $21,838,224 |
| 8511.30 | Distributors and ignition coils | $508,269,401 | $402,711,184 | $455,920,914 | $569,678,877 | $527,614,462 |
| 8511.40 | Starters | $1,376,364,366 | $1,165,253,043 | $1,370,007,676 | $1,345,745,226 | $1,198,808,152 |
| 8511.50 | Generators and other generator parts | $1,177,491,914 | $960,273,847 | $1,114,823,313 | $1,168,473,671 | $1,143,549,231 |
| 8511.80 | Other ignition parts | $177,284,298 | $153,793,301 | $174,377,970 | $180,061,924 | $157,240,703 |
| 8511.90 | Other misc parts for lighting, wipers or defrosters | $325,302,480 | $324,941,042 | $411,243,314 | $392,020,571 | $366,622,973 |
| 8512.20 | Lighting (automotive and motorycles) | $4,337,500,001 | $3,655,121,455 | $3,960,816,523 | $3,971,676,514 | $3,518,549,959 |
| 8512.30 | Horns (automotive and motorcycles) | $181,365,446 | $145,146,319 | $165,781,309 | $222,678,391 | $244,303,057 |
| 8512.40 | Wipers and defrosters | $103,110,535 | $82,035,074 | $104,084,774 | $173,522,383 | $162,935,689 |
| 8512.90 | Parts for lighting, wipers or defrosters | $1,677,370,379 | $1,406,437,259 | $1,754,940,332 | $1,852,441,545 | $1,560,263,700 |
| 8527.21 | Radios | $2,187,740,168 | $2,021,283,386 | $2,448,705,759 | $2,573,613,010 | $2,999,198,048 |
| 8527.29 | Other misc. radios | $327,962,776 | $227,002,460 | $221,058,802 | $228,240,373 | $101,889,177 |
| 8708.10 | Bumpers and parts | $1,187,561,334 | $963,238,740 | $1,175,439,841 | $1,231,774,027 | $1,186,568,473 |
| 8708.21 | Seat belts | $291,756,678 | $263,791,836 | $103,397,693 | $85,649,913 | $50,522,954 |
| 8708.29 | Body parts excluding cabs | $15,341,696,778 | $12,057,939,169 | $13,971,887,635 | $14,216,533,580 | $12,669,612,584 |
| 8708.30 | Brakes and parts | $5,680,553,573 | $4,628,060,660 | $5,371,795,213 | $5,371,731,502 | $4,720,451,933 |
| 8708.40 | Gear boxes | $8,369,323,227 | $6,840,062,681 | $7,905,105,235 | $8,475,257,221 | $7,820,277,349 |
| 8708.50 | Drive axles with differential | $4,858,699,249 | $3,626,562,372 | $4,394,075,637 | $4,295,366,026 | $3,809,725,580 |
| 8708.70 | Wheels and parts | $4,285,539,664 | $3,335,817,075 | $3,698,612,551 | $4,434,128,680 | $3,906,521,552 |
| 8708.80 | Shock absorbers | $4,172,114,333 | $3,253,204,135 | $3,657,846,200 | $3,971,086,895 | $3,569,458,609 |
| 8708.91 | Radiators | $913,367,827 | $773,001,203 | $876,265,297 | $973,833,763 | $908,374,172 |
| 8708.92 | Mufflers and exhaust | $1,148,661,956 | $849,670,857 | $1,036,293,229 | $998,028,616 | $850,628,221 |
| 8708.93 | Clutches and parts | $1,410,003,472 | $1,128,388,883 | $1,399,840,625 | $1,376,309,925 | $1,296,259,018 |
| 8708.94 | Steering parts | $3,843,160,879 | $3,413,524,338 | $4,105,854,471 | $4,323,989,945 | $4,060,479,614 |
| 8708.95 | Airbags | $1,703,417,435 | $1,785,164,725 | $2,369,710,727 | $2,506,056,822 | $2,745,797,600 |
| 8708.99 | All other automotive parts | $14,051,835,869 | $11,426,117,974 | $13,413,903,229 | $13,842,771,722 | $12,870,154,430 |
| 9401.20 | Seats | $234,179,760 | $241,153,505 | $253,571,436 | $211,629,137 | $177,441,451 |
More information on the automotive aftermarket
If you’d like more information on the automotive aftermarket, including size of the aftermarket in the US, Canada, Mexico and other countries, read this post on the size of the automotive aftermarket.
Information sources for this article
United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Foreign Trade Division; Bureau of the Census USA Trade and Investopedia. Import and export statistics pulled from TPIS Database: USHS IMPORTS, Revised Statistics for 2011-2021.