Chinese Tyres Face Duties of Up to 45.3%: Will Tyre Sets Now Become More Expensive in Latvia?

The news sounds alarming: the European Union has imposed anti-dumping duties of up to 45.3% on Chinese tyres.

A driver who previously paid €250 or €350 for a budget set of tyres may reasonably ask whether the same set will cost €100 or even €200 more next season.

It is not quite that simple.

The anti-dumping duty is calculated from the tyre’s customs value at the European Union border, not from the final price displayed by a Latvian online retailer or tyre workshop. The rate is also not identical for every manufacturer.

One group of Chinese factories faces a rate of 4.3%, many cooperating manufacturers face 24.4%, while the highest rate is 45.3%.

The words “Made in China” do not reveal the entire picture either. A tyre from an international brand may be produced in China, Europe, Korea, Türkiye or another country. Two tyres of the same brand and size may come from different factories and have different customs treatment.

The short conclusion: prices of China-made tyres in Latvia may increase, but not necessarily by 45.3%. The increase may be small for some tyres, seasonal discounts may disappear for others, while complete cost pass-through in the highest-rate category could be very noticeable.

What exactly is an anti-dumping duty?

An anti-dumping duty is not a penalty simply because a tyre was made in China, and it is not an ordinary consumption tax.

In trade law, dumping means that a product is exported to another market at a price below its comparable normal value.

The European Commission’s investigation concluded that tyres originating in China were being sold in the European Union at dumped prices and were causing injury to the EU tyre industry.

It is important to understand that the anti-dumping duty is added to other import costs. It is also included in the amount used to calculate import VAT.

What rates are currently in force?

Which tyres are affected by the new duties?

The regulation applies to new pneumatic rubber tyres intended for:

The products currently fall under Combined Nomenclature codes 4011 10 00 and 4011 20 10.

Heavy-bus and heavy-lorry tyres with a load index above 121 are already covered by a separate EU anti-dumping regime. The two sets of rules should therefore not be confused.

The brand is not the same as the country of origin

A driver may buy a tyre from a European, Korean or American brand that was actually manufactured in China.

The same tyre model from one brand may also be manufactured at different factories depending on the size.

The manufacturing country can usually be found on the tyre’s sidewall, but an online buyer may not be allowed to inspect the exact tyres that will later be delivered.

Why does a 45.3% duty not mean a 45.3% price increase in the shop?

The duty is calculated from the net value at the EU border before customs charges.

The price displayed by a Latvian retailer may include:

The manufacturer may reduce the export price. The importer may lower its markup. The retailer may withdraw a free-delivery or fitting promotion.

The price change may therefore appear in several ways:

Calculation: the possible increase for a set of four tyres

Assume that the customs value of one tyre at the EU border is €75. The total customs value of four tyres is €300.

The calculation includes the anti-dumping duty and the 21% VAT calculated on that duty. The standard customs tariff, transport, fitting and retailer margin are not included.

Calculation formula:

This is not a forecast of the retail-price increase. It shows a highly simplified increase in import cost when the manufacturer and importer absorb none of the charge.

How does the result change with the tyre’s customs value?

The higher the tyre’s customs value, the larger the anti-dumping duty in euros. Percentage-based duties may therefore have a particularly strong effect on large SUV, sports-car and electric-vehicle sizes.

Will the cheapest Chinese tyres increase in price the most?

The 45.3% category is affected most in percentage terms, but the increase in euros depends on the tyre’s customs value.

The euro amount of the duty will be lower for an inexpensive tyre than for an expensive one. However, buyers in the budget segment are more sensitive to every additional €10 or €20.

When a tyre previously cost €55, an increase to €70 appears much more significant psychologically and proportionally than a premium tyre rising from €150 to €165.

Importers in the budget segment may also have smaller profit margins, making it harder for them to absorb a large anti-dumping duty.

Why did the European Union introduce the duties?

Approximately 330 million passenger-car and light-commercial-vehicle tyres were consumed in the European Union market in 2024. The market was worth more than €18 billion.

Almost 93 million tyres worth more than €2.5 billion were imported from China. This represented approximately 28% of the EU market.

The Commission’s investigation concluded that Chinese import volume increased by approximately 62%, or 35 million tyres, during the period examined.

At the same time, EU manufacturers lost approximately seven percentage points of market share, while employment in the industry fell by approximately 4,500 full-time positions.

The European Commission’s objective is not to ban Chinese tyres. The aim is to raise their import price to a level that offsets the dumping margin or injury identified by the investigation.

Could another duty appear in December?

Alongside the anti-dumping investigation, the European Commission is conducting an anti-subsidy investigation into the same tyre product group.

The investigation began in November 2025, and the relevant imports have been registered since January 2026.

Registration makes it possible, under certain legal conditions, to apply a future countervailing duty to imports that were registered earlier.

This means that the tyre-market situation may change again at the end of 2026.

Will tyres already in stock become more expensive?

A tyre that has already been lawfully imported, cleared through customs and released into free circulation in the EU is not charged a new anti-dumping duty merely because it is later sold in Latvia.

Its retail price may nevertheless change for market reasons.

A low price alone therefore does not prove that a tyre is a good purchase. The production date and storage conditions should also be checked.

Tyre production date: how do you read the DOT code?

A DOT marking can be found on the tyre’s sidewall. Its final four digits normally indicate the week and year of manufacture.

A tyre that has been stored correctly for several months or one year is not automatically bad. However, the buyer should know what is being supplied, particularly when the set is advertised as a special clearance offer.

Latvia’s Road Traffic Safety Directorate recommends avoiding winter tyres that are approximately five or six years old because the rubber loses its properties over time.

Latvia’s winter-tyre rules do not change because of the anti-dumping duties

Technical requirements in Latvia must be followed regardless of a tyre’s price or origin.

Winter tyres are mandatory from 1 December to 1 March for light vehicles with a maximum authorised mass of up to 3.5 tonnes.

During the winter period, tyres must carry the “mountain and snowflake” or 3PMSF symbol. An M+S marking alone is no longer sufficient.

Are Chinese tyres unsafe?

The country of origin alone does not determine tyre safety.

China manufactures extremely inexpensive economy tyres as well as products for international brands using modern factories, quality control and strong test results.

At the same time, the market also contains unfamiliar tyres with weak wet grip, long braking distances or inconsistent quality.

The correct question is not “are Chinese tyres good?” but “is this specific model, size and production batch suitable for my vehicle and driving conditions?”

What does the EU tyre label tell you?

The EU tyre label helps compare several important characteristics:

The label is useful, but it does not show everything. It does not directly reveal aquaplaning performance, wear rate, dry grip, emergency-handling behaviour or how well the rubber retains its properties after several years.

A cheap tyre may cost more per kilometre

Comparing only the purchase price of four tyres is not enough.

The figures are illustrative because real wear depends on the vehicle, driving style, tyre pressure, wheel alignment, roads and season.

However, the example demonstrates the main principle: the lowest purchase price does not always produce the lowest long-term cost.

Rolling resistance and fuel costs

A tyre with greater rolling resistance requires more energy. For a combustion-engine vehicle, this means higher fuel consumption; for an electric vehicle, it means less range per charge.

Assume that one tyre set increases fuel consumption by 0.2 litres per 100 km.

When an economy tyre is €80 cheaper but consumes €204 more fuel over four years, its initial saving disappears.

This is an illustrative example rather than a guaranteed difference between any two tyre models.

The price increase may be more noticeable for EV tyres

Electric vehicles are often heavier than similarly sized petrol cars. They may require tyres with a higher load index, an XL marking or a special construction.

High instantaneous torque may accelerate tread wear when the driver frequently accelerates hard.

Many electric vehicles also use 19-, 20- or 21-inch wheels, whose tyres already cost considerably more than traditional 15- to 17-inch tyres.

Is it worth buying used tyres to avoid the price increase?

The new anti-dumping duty is generally not applied to used tyres in the same way as it is to new tyres. This may increase interest in the used-tyre market.

A used tyre may nevertheless hide several risks:

A winter tyre with 4.5 mm of tread may still technically exceed the minimum 4 mm requirement, but it may become non-compliant after only a few thousand kilometres.

The price of a used tyre should therefore be compared with its realistically remaining service life rather than with the price of a new tyre.

What should be considered when ordering tyres directly from outside the EU?

A very low price on an online platform may not include the final cost in Latvia.

A direct-import calculation may need to include:

When a seller claims that “no customs charges are payable”, determine whether the tyres are already stored in the EU and have been released into free circulation.

A false origin declaration or incorrect customs value may result in payment recovery, penalties and the shipment being detained.

What should you ask a tyre seller in Latvia?

Common myths about the new duties

Mini test: is a particular tyre offer genuinely good value?

When there is no clear answer to the first five questions, a low price is not a sufficient reason to buy.

Practical total-cost formula for tyres

Only after completing this calculation can a buyer determine whether the cheapest set is genuinely the least expensive.

Conclusion: tyres may become more expensive, but buying only according to price would be the biggest mistake

The new anti-dumping duties are significant. In the highest 45.3% category, fully passing the cost on to the buyer may increase the import cost of four tyres by more than €100.

However, there is no basis for claiming that every set of tyres manufactured in China will become 45.3% more expensive in Latvia.

The rate depends on the factory and documentation. The duty is calculated from customs value rather than the shop price. Part of the cost may be absorbed by the manufacturer, importer or retailer.

A buyer may notice the change not only as a larger number on the price tag. Discounts, free fitting, inexpensive delivery or particular models may disappear.

At the same time, a tyre should not be rejected merely because it originates in China. A good, tested model with the correct markings and a competitive final price may be a sensible purchase.

The most important point is not to lose sight of safety during a price discussion. A tyre is the only vehicle component that directly connects the car to the road.

Before buying, check the tyre size, load index, speed rating, DOT date, 3PMSF symbol, wet-grip class, independent tests and the final fitted price.

The driver’s final takeaway: an anti-dumping duty may change the price, but it does not change the main principle of choosing tyres — buy the safest and most economical set over its entire service life, not merely the cheapest name in a list.