The United States has now officially implemented a new round of Section 301 tariffs aimed at countries that the U.S. believes have not taken sufficient action to prevent the import or manufacture of goods produced using forced labor. Effective 24 July 2026, imports from around 60 countries are now subject to an additional 10% or 12.5% tariff, depending on the country of origin. The new tariffs apply based on where the product was manufactured, not where it is shipped from or purchased.
For vehicle importers, this means the country in which the vehicle was built has become even more important when estimating import costs. As an example, an Australian-manufactured passenger vehicle that is not otherwise exempt will now attract the standard 2.5% U.S. import duty, plus an additional 12.5% Section 301 tariff, resulting in a total duty of 15%.
To see other examples applicable to you, please refer to the below table.
For those of you with shipments already booked with us, there is a transit exception. To qualify, the vehicle must already have been on the vessel bound for the United States before July 24, 2026, and must also be entered with U.S. Customs before July 28, 2026. Because the window is only four days, the exception is expected to apply only to shipments already very close to the United States when the tariffs took effect.
Alternatively, if you’re in the planning stage of importing a vehicle into the United States and would like clarity on how these new tariffs affect your shipment, our team is happy to help. Simply let us know the vehicle details and we’ll confirm the estimated duty before you commit to shipping
