How might tariffs affect van prices in the UK?

It’s a very straightforward question, but annoyingly, right now it’s one without a straightforward answer. The good news is that there are no sudden significant price hikes you need to worry about in the near future, but at the moment it’s difficult to be more specific than that. The effect of new US tariffs means that it’s plausible it could raise or lower prices slightly when it comes to the best van deals, but not to an unaffordable degree – and besides, we’ll always be working to ensure you get the very best prices here at Van Discount.

The industry is already working on potential ways to mitigate the effect of any potential price rises, but even minor ones are far from certain just yet. It’s equally possible there might not be any effect from tariffs at all, depending on whether the US gets successfully persuaded not to use them.

So, that’s the answer in a nutshell. If you need a little more detail, read on!

What are tariffs, and why are they important now?

Essentially, tariffs are taxes on imports. They’re fairly standard in international trade, and most countries have some form of tariffs on plenty of their imported goods.

The reason why they’re making headlines now is because new US president Donald Trump has announced a new wave of them on countries like Canada, Mexico, and China, and is indicating that he may impose them on Europe too. (Safe to say, the reaction has not been positive.)

Now, as we’ve just touched on, tariffs in general are not a new phenomenon, and there are plenty already in place across the globe, as well as a couple of new ones due to be implemented very soon. For example:

• The EU is bringing in tariffs on Chinese vehicles (particularly EVs) at a rate of between 8% to 35%
• China is bringing in tariffs on foreign luxury and performance cars – the idea is to boost its domestic market
• The UK just narrowly avoided post-Brexit 10% tariffs from the EU. Thankfully we’ve sidestepped that in negotiations for now, but it’s not quite off the table

Why are European carmakers worried? The simple explanation

European carmakers (especially German marques) are concerned because the manufacturing process of modern cars is heavily dependent on complex supply chains. Cars and vans are very rarely built in one location. Instead, different parts are manufactured in different countries – sometimes on separate continents – and assembled in sections. So, if import costs rise, that’s going to make it more difficult and expensive to bring all those parts together – and so the entire process becomes harder for car makers.

While the UK won’t be directly implicated in tariffs that target Europe, the British car industry still relies heavily on imports, and we’re closely linked to EU car trade, so we may well still be affected to some degree. However, it’s also worth us mentioning that these close links have their upsides, too – for example, the UK and EU agreed trade rules on electric vehicles until 2026, so there are some signs that it could bring us a bit of much-needed stability.

What does this mean for the price of vans at Van Discount?

Right now: not a lot. While the prospect of tariffs on European carmakers are still very much on the table for the US, it’s mainly a key concern for large international businesses. Here at the Van Discount Company, we are primarily focused on our UK customer base, so we’re not as immediately affected by international market movements.

It’s possible that we may see prices fluctuate slightly at some point in the future due to ripple effects from big-picture decisions from global brands like Ford, Peugeot or Renault. However, rest assured that here at Van Discount, we’ll always be doing everything we can to minimise the impact on you, our customers. We’re committed to staying competitive, and that means you can always rely on us to bring you the very best brands at the very best value – regardless of what you read in the news.

We have more than 20 years and counting of providing our customers with the very best cheap van deals on vehicles from leading brands like Ford, Vauxhall and Peugeot – and if you ever have any questions or need any advice on exactly which is the best van for you, we’re here to help! You can always give us a call on 01282 872 530, and we’ll be happy to see what we can do.