The overall cost for all of America’s purchases of imported cars in 2023 grew by 17.2% compared to $179.5 billion five years earlier for 2019.
Year over year, US spending on imported cars accelerated by 24.9% from $168.3 billion during 2022.
From Where Does the United States Spend Most On Imported Cars?
Among suppliers in the latest reporting period, American importers spent the most on cars originating from Mexico (21.4% of US spending on imported cars), Japan (19.4%), Canada (16.6%), South Korea (14.9%) and Germany (11.3%).
Applying a continental lens, 38% of total US spending on imported cars in 2023 went to its neighboring North American trading partners Mexico and Canada, just ahead of suppliers in Asia at 35.8%.
The United States bought another 25.4% worth of cars imported from Europe. Germany generated almost half of that percentage, while all European Union members satisfied 22.3% of US demand for imported cars.
Smaller continental percentages for sources of US imported cars belong to suppliers in Africa (0.8%), Latin America (0.005%) excluding Mexico, and Oceania’s Australia and New Zealand only (0.002%).
Countries Exporting Cars to Buyers in America
America’s top 15 suppliers of imported cars in 2023 attracted 99.4% of US car purchases from foreign markets, with about three-fifths (57.4%) of the overall value coming from Mexico, Japan and Canada.
- Mexico: US$45 billion (21.4% of total US imported cars)
- Japan: $40.9 billion (19.4%)
- Canada: $34.9 billion (16.6%)
- South Korea: $31.3 billion (14.9%)
- Germany: $23.9 billion (11.3%)
- United Kingdom: $6.6 billion (3.1%)
- Slovakia: $6.5 billion (3.1%)
- Italy: $5.1 billion (2.4%)
- Sweden: $4 billion (1.9%)
- mainland China: $2.5 billion (1.2%)
- Belgium: $2.4 billion (1.2%)
- Austria: $2 billion (1%)
- Hungary: $1.77 billion (0.8%)
- South Africa: $1.75 billion (0.8%)
- Netherlands: $544.5 million (0.3%)
The fastest growers among these top automotive suppliers were Austria (up 44.8% from 2022), Hungary (up 44.3%), Italy (up 42.8%), South Korea (up 40.7%) then Slovakia (up 38%).
The sole year-over-year decliner among the listed top US car suppliers, namely mainland China experienced a -0.5% retreat from 2022.
United States International Trade Deficits for Cars by Country
America is a major producer and seller of cars on international markets. In 2023, the United States shipped $63 billion worth of cars to its trade partners. Yet the reality is that American revenues from its exported cars equal just 30% of the $210.3 billion that the US spent importing cars from foreign suppliers.
The US trade deficit specific to cars equaled -US$147.3 billion for 2023. That amount of red ink reflects a 19.7% increase from America’s -$123 billion shortfall from the international trade of cars five years earlier during 2019. Year over year, there was a 33.3% expansion in the US trade deficit for cars from -$110.5 billion in 2022.
Below you will find the 15 countries that caused America’s highest negative subtotal (-$169.7 billion) from buying and selling cars on global markets in 2023.
- Mexico: -US$40.6 billion (product deficit up 14.6% since 2019)
- Japan: -$39.7 billion (up 1.9%)
- South Korea: -$28.6 billion (up 97.5%)
- Canada: -$19.2 billion (down -18.8%)
- Germany: -$14.9 billion (up 36.7%)
- Slovakia: -$6.5 billion (up 69.1%)
- United Kingdom: -$5.7 billion (down -31.4%)
- Italy: -$5 billion (up 48.9%)
- Sweden: -$3.8 billion (up 77.3%)
- Austria: -$2 billion (up 31.7%)
- Hungary: -$1.76 billion (up 73.7%)
- South Africa: -$1.56 billion (up 495.4%)
- Thailand: -$207.5 million (down -29.3%)
- Belgium: -$167.7 million (down -104.6%)
- Finland: -$66 million (down -89.6%)
America’s deficits for cars widened by at the greatest percentages compared to 2019 with: South Africa (up 495.4%), South Korea (up 97.5%), Sweden (up 77.3%), Hungary (up 73.7%), Slovakia (up 69.1%) and Italy (up 48.9%).
The US was able to trim the size of its negative trade balances with Belgium (down -104.6% from 2019), Finland (down -89.6%), United Kingdom (down -31.4%), Thailand (down -29.3%) and Canada (down -18.8%).
United States International Trade Surpluses for Cars by Country
The United States did generate surpluses from the global car trade with about 170 other countries, islands or territories. In general, many of these surplus-creating traders represent relatively small markets.
From the 15 trade partners below, America captured a subtotal $17.5 billion in positive cashflow during 2023.
- United Arab Emirates: US$3.85 billion (product surplus up 85.2% since 2019)
- mainland China: $3.7 billion (down -31.8%)
- Saudi Arabia: $2.13 billion (up 39.9%)
- Australia: $1.27 billion (down -25.9%)
- Georgia: $1.19 billion (up 147.8%)
- Lithuania: $990.1 million (up 205%)
- Dominican Republic: $691.2 million (up 75.5%)
- Kuwait: $603.1 million (up 0.3%)
- Oman: $561.3 million (up 36.1%)
- Nigeria: $539.8million (down -24.1%)
- Taiwan: $452 million (down -22.4%)
- Jordan: $426.4 million (up 10.4%)
- Colombia: $397.7 million (up 105.7%)
- Netherlands: $343.1 million (down -462.9%)
- Brazil: $304.1 million (up 112.1%)
The United States grew its individual trade surpluses at the fastest pace since 2019 at the expense of Lithuania (up 205%), Georgia (up 147.8%), Brazil (up 112.1%), Colombia (up 105.7%) and the United Arab Emirates (up 85.2%).
In contrast, American surpluses from buying and selling cars reduced at the severest rate trading with: the Netherlands (down -462.9% from 2019), mainland China (down -31.8%) and Australia (down -25.9%).
Searchable List of US Imported Cars Suppliers
The table below shows the dollar amount for cars sold to the US in 2023 by country. Also shown is the percentage value change for each supplier since 2022.
You can change presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of a column.
| Rank | Supplier | Car Imports | 2022-3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mexico | $44,964,895,000 | +23.1% |
| 2. | Japan | $40,876,680,000 | +21.9% |
| 3. | Canada | $34,871,102,000 | +32.2% |
| 4. | South Korea | $31,256,082,000 | +40.7% |
| 5. | Germany | $23,866,838,000 | +22.3% |
| 6. | United Kingdom | $6,576,263,000 | +1.7% |
| 7. | Slovakia | $6,524,327,000 | +38% |
| 8. | Italy | $5,093,158,000 | +42.8% |
| 9. | Sweden | $3,964,379,000 | +16.7% |
| 10. | mainland China | $2,539,388,000 | -0.5% |
| 11. | Belgium | $2,433,455,000 | +37.9% |
| 12. | Austria | $2,015,506,000 | +44.8% |
| 13. | Hungary | $1,773,660,000 | +44.3% |
| 14. | South Africa | $1,753,976,000 | +29.9% |
| 15. | Netherlands | $544,471,000 | +34.8% |
| 16. | France | $246,592,000 | +56.7% |
| 17. | Thailand | $239,729,000 | -1.1% |
| 18. | Spain | $224,723,000 | +81.8% |
| 19. | Vietnam | $140,361,000 | -46.2% |
| 20. | Türkiye | $122,728,000 | -74.8% |
| 21. | Taiwan | $99,164,000 | -37.3% |
| 22. | Finland | $85,942,000 | -93.9% |
| 23. | India | $27,011,000 | -94.2% |
| 24. | Croatia | $12,180,000 | +57900% |
| 25. | Brazil | $8,478,000 | -21.9% |
| 26. | Denmark | $4,644,000 | -50.6% |
| 27. | Ukraine | $3,715,000 | +98.3% |
| 28. | Czech Republic | $3,534,000 | +217.5% |
| 29. | Singapore | $3,502,000 | 0% |
| 30. | Switzerland | $2,323,000 | +431.6% |
| 31. | Australia | $2,205,000 | +158.2% |
| 32. | New Zealand | $1,205,000 | +75.9% |
| 33. | Colombia | $714,000 | +18.8% |
| 34. | Poland | $568,000 | +100.7% |
| 35. | Ireland | $491,000 | -87.5% |
| 36. | United Arab Emirates | $488,000 | -17.7% |
| 37. | Israel | $332,000 | +145.9% |
| 38. | Norway | $286,000 | 0% |
| 39. | Yemen | $267,000 | 0% |
| 40. | Kazakhstan | $230,000 | +142.1% |
| 41. | Argentina | $223,000 | +182.3% |
| 42. | Venezuela | $194,000 | +28.5% |
| 43. | Bahrain | $175,000 | 0% |
| 44. | Lebanon | $174,000 | +74% |
| 45 | Costa Rica | $151,000 | -33.5% |
| 46 | Saudi Arabia | $145,000 | +13.3% |
| 47 | Latvia | $137,000 | -10.5% |
| 48 | Morocco | $109,000 | +419% |
| 49 | Philippines | $93,000 | 0% |
| 50 | Portugal | $89,000 | -72.5% |
| 51 | Qatar | $83,000 | 0% |
| 52 | Central African Republic | $81,000 | 0% |
| 53 | Georgia | $76,000 | +8.6% |
| 54 | Russia | $66,000 | +1.5% |
| 55 | Nigeria | $64,000 | -20% |
| 56 | Ecuador | $58,000 | +241.2% |
| 57 | Brunei Darussalam | $57,000 | 0% |
| 58 | Hong Kong | $56,000 | +229.4% |
| 59 | Kenya | $53,000 | 0% |
| 60 | Bulgaria | $47,000 | +123.8% |
| 61 | Panama | $47,000 | +193.8% |
| 62 | Indonesia | $44,000 | -21.4% |
| 63 | Slovenia | $40,000 | 0% |
| 64 | Egypt | $34,000 | 0% |
| 65 | Guatemala | $29,000 | 0% |
| 66 | Sri Lanka | $28,000 | 0% |
| 67 | Peru | $28,000 | +75% |
| 68 | Malta | $24,000 | 0% |
| 69 | Togo | $23,000 | 0% |
| 70 | Malaysia | $22,000 | +450% |
| 71 | Pakistan | $21,000 | -75.3% |
| 72 | Armenia | $20,000 | -58.3% |
| 73 | Curaçao | $19,000 | 0% |
| 74 | Dominican Republic | $18,000 | +63.6% |
| 75 | Serbia | $18,000 | +38.5% |
| 76 | El Salvador | $14,000 | 0% |
| 77 | Chile | $13,000 | -27.8% |
| 78 | Nicaragua | $13,000 | -72.3% |
| 79 | Albania | $12,000 | 0% |
| 80 | Romania | $12,000 | -76% |
| 81 | Botswana | $9,000 | -10% |
| 82 | Estonia | $8,000 | -50% |
| 83 | Ghana | $8,000 | -89.7% |
| 84 | Lithuania | $8,000 | -75.8% |
| 85 | St Vincent/Grenadines | $8,000 | 0% |
| 86 | Suriname | $8,000 | 0% |
| 87 | Greece | $4,000 | -95.6% |
An entry of 0% in the far-right column means that 2022 data was unavailable.
See also United States Top 10 Imports, US Exported & Imported Cars by State, America’s Top Trading Partners, Car Imports by Country and Top Cars Exporters by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on April 3, 2024
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on April 3, 2024
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on April 3, 2024
Wikipedia, Car. Accessed on April 3, 2024
Wikipedia, List of automobile manufacturers. Accessed on April 3, 2024
Wikipedia, List of car brands. Accessed on April 3, 2024