Astutus Research has published a new release of Truck VKMT Europe, adding two capabilities to the dataset: vehicle kilometres travelled broken out by country of performance, alongside the existing country-of-registration view, and a forecast horizon extended from 2030 to 2032.

Country of Performance Joins Country of Registration

Every previous release measured truck activity by country of registration, where a vehicle is licensed. This release adds a second, independent measure: country of performance, where the kilometres are actually driven. The two are tracked separately across all 26 European markets in the dataset, giving subscribers a registration-based view and an activity-based view of the same fleet, rather than one number standing in for both.

Forecasts Now Run to 2032

The forecast horizon extends two years beyond the previous release, from 2030 to 2032, on both the registration and performance bases. History in this release starts from 2015.

Available Now

Both additions are live in Truck VKMT Europe as of this release, across all 26 markets and the full 2015 to 2032 window, on registration and performance bases alike. Subscribers can access the full dataset, Power BI reports with the country-by-country breakdown through their existing Truck VKMT Europe access.

Access the full dataset in Truck VKMT Europe.

Europe's replacement tire market strengthened in the second quarter of 2026, with the recovery that began in Q1 now reaching across both consumer and commercial segments. Tyres Europe's figures for the quarter and first half show demand building even as higher fuel costs held down miles driven, and as the European Commission moved to reshape the import map with definitive anti-dumping duties on Chinese product.

The Recovery Broadens: Consumer and Truck Volumes Both Ahead

Consumer replacement tires (passenger car, SUV and light commercial) rose 3% year-on-year in Q2 2026 to 51.99 million units, lifting first-half volumes 2% to 110.1 million. The standout was commercial. Truck and Bus tires rose 13% in the quarter to 2.70 million units and are 7% higher across the first half, as freight activity and business sentiment held up despite high fuel and energy costs.

Within the consumer segment, the shift toward year-round product continued:

• All Season tires rose 15% in the quarter and 9% across the first half, leading the market once again
• Summer tires slipped 2%, still ceding share to All Season
• Winter tires edged down 1% in the quarter and remain 5% lower over the first half

Agricultural tires fell 7%, though that is a markedly slower decline than the 12% recorded in Q1. Moto and Scooter tires rose 1% in the quarter and 4% across the first half.

Miles Driven Fell as Public Transport Pulled Ahead

The demand backdrop remains uneven. Miles travelled declined over the quarter, reflecting higher average fuel prices and weaker consumer sentiment tied to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. It is the same headwind that shaped Q1, still working its way through replacement intervals.

The longer-term shift in how Europe moves is becoming clearer in the data. Aggregate passenger mobility passed its 2019 level for the first time in 2025, but the growth is not in the car. Public transport passenger kilometres rose an estimated 3%, more than double the growth in light-vehicle traffic. Rail now stands 11% above 2019 volumes, lifting its modal share to 9% as the car's share slipped. Discounted fares continue to support the trend, with Germany's Deutschlandticket now extended to 2030.

Import Flows Redrawn: China Back to 2019, ASEAN Nears 20%

Passenger and light commercial tire imports into the EU27+UK fell 6% year-on-year over January to May 2026, and the composition changed far more than the headline. Chinese-origin volumes dropped 24%, taking China's share to 58%, down from 72% a year earlier and effectively back to where it stood in 2019.

ASEAN suppliers filled the gap, almost tripling their share from 7.4% to 19.9%. Thailand led the shift, with volumes rising to almost 6 million units from 2 million, while Vietnam more than doubled to over 3 million and Cambodia emerged as a genuine source at 2.3 million units from a near-zero base. In many cases these are tires from ASEAN plants under Chinese ownership. Korea and Japan held a stable combined share of 14.6%. The UK, which sits outside the EU tariff regime, still sources around 75% of its imports from China, pulling up the combined regional figure.

Truck Tire Imports Concentrate in ASEAN

The same realignment is playing out in commercial tires. Truck and Bus imports into the EU27+UK from non-European markets rose almost 27% over the first five months of 2026. Thailand and Vietnam together now account for almost 61% of the total, up from 57% a year earlier and under 30% as recently as 2019. China's share fell to 16% from 19%, even as its volumes rose 9%. India grew three-fold to become the fourth-largest source at a 6% share, overtaking both Egypt and Korea, whose volumes and shares both eroded.

Brussels Draws a Line: Definitive Duties From July

On 7 July 2026, the European Commission concluded its anti-dumping investigation into Chinese passenger and light commercial tire imports, finding that they had entered the EU at dumped prices and caused material injury to the European tire industry. It imposed definitive duties ranging from 4.3% to 45.3%, effective from 8 July 2026 for an initial five-year period, with no retroactive application. Much of the Chinese share had already unwound in anticipation, with EU27 volumes falling 57% in Q1 as stockpiled inventory cleared. The duties now set the terms under which the next phase of import competition will play out.

Read the full Q2 2026 Tyres Europe (ETRMA) Quarterly Update, prepared by Astutus Research below.

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Tyres Europe has published its Q1 2026 Quarterly Replacement Tyre Market Review, prepared by Astutus Research. This is what the data shows, and what it means for the rest of the year.

Consumer Tyres Return to Growth — Just

After a weak 2025, Europe's consumer replacement tyre market (passenger car, SUV and light commercial vehicles) edged back into positive territory in Q1 2026, rising 1% year-on-year to 58.1 million units. It's a modest number, but the direction of travel matters.

The recovery isn't uniform, though. The detail beneath that headline tells a different story:

• All Season tyres jumped 5%, continuing a multi-year trend as drivers favour the convenience and safety of a single tyre for year-round use.
• Summer tyres slipped 1%, losing further ground to All Season alternatives.
• Winter tyres fell sharply, down 14%, reflecting unusually mild conditions across much of Europe in the quarter.

The All Season segment is clearly not a temporary trend. It's reshaping how European consumers think about tyres.

Import Flows Are Being Redrawn — Fast

The import data tells a stark story.

Having jumped 26% in Q1 2025, PCLT (passenger car and light truck) tyre imports into EU27+UK fell nearly 22% in January–February 2026. Chinese-origin tyres drove most of the decline, falling 45%, with China's share dropping from 74% to 52%. An ongoing EU anti-dumping investigation had prompted heavy pre-buying of Chinese tyres throughout 2025, with concerns that duties could be back-dated. That pre-buying window is now closed.

ASEAN-origin tyres moved quickly to fill the gap, with their import share tripling from 7% to 21%, led by Thailand (+147%) and Vietnam (+165%). Cambodia added 0.4 million units from near zero. For truck and bus tyres, Thailand and Vietnam now hold over 63% of the EU27+UK import market between them.

This is a structural reorientation, not a one-quarter blip. The full report has the detail.

The Middle East Conflict Is a Lasting Headwind

Beyond Q1, the report flags a real risk: the Middle East conflict's impact on European miles driven.

Higher fuel prices began to bite from March, but the effect is expected to outlast the conflict itself. Futures markets point to a peak impact on oil prices this quarter, easing through to Q4, with a lingering tail into 2027. Embedded inflation and supply-chain disruption will continue to weigh on consumer spending and, by extension, on how much Europeans drive.

For the replacement tyre industry this matters directly: fewer miles driven means longer intervals between replacements, and in periods of economic pressure motorists tend to stretch those intervals further still.

The disruption hit early in the year, before the peak summer driving season, which limits the aggregate annual impact. But Q2 and beyond will bear watching.

Other Segments: Mixed Picture

Outside consumer tyres, the picture is varied:

• Truck & Bus tyres edged up 1%, supported by improving freight sentiment, though the Middle East uncertainty adds a cautionary note.
• Agricultural tyres declined 11%, with farm investment remaining subdued.
• Moto & Scooter tyres outperformed, rising 6%.

Sustainability: Stability at the Surface, Divergence Underneath

Europe generated around 4.4 million tonnes of used tyres in 2025, essentially flat year-on-year (+0.5%). But the headline masks significant regional divergence: Southern European markets (Spain, Portugal, Greece) and parts of Central Europe are growing materially faster, while larger Northern European markets including the UK, Germany and France saw little or no growth.

A decline in retreading has also increased the proportion classified as end-of-life tyres, adding pressure on recovery and recycling infrastructure.

This Quarterly Update has been prepared for Tyres Europe by Astutus Research, an independent provider of market intelligence focused on the tyre industry, mobility and tyre recovery & recycling. For further information contact info@astutusresearch.com or visit www.astutusresearch.com

Tyres Europe (formerly ETRMA) has published its Q4 2025 market update, closing out a year that confirmed several structural shifts in Europe’s replacement tyre market rather than delivering any late-cycle rebound.

Weakness persisted longer than expected

Replacement tyre demand remained soft in Q4 and across the full year. Consumer volumes declined again, reflecting continued macro pressure, limited growth in miles driven, and increasing import penetration. The hoped-for recovery in the second half of the year failed to materialise.

Seasonality continues to re-balance

Summer tyres recorded the steepest declines, while all-season products continued to gain share. Winter tyres finished the year slightly lower, with Q4 demand affected by milder weather compared with late 2024. The result is a market where mix matters as much as headline volume.

Freight and agriculture remain under strain

Truck and bus volumes fell again in Q4 and over the full year, consistent with subdued freight activity and industrial output, alongside rising imports. Agricultural tyres were broadly flat in the quarter but ended 2025 lower overall, pointing to sustained caution in farm investment. Moto & Scooter was once again the exception, finishing the year in growth despite a flat Q4.

The full PDF below provides the detailed segment-level breakdown, charts, and context behind these trends.

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The latest monthly release of Tire Trade Europe shows European PCLT tyre imports (EU + UK) hitting a new all-time high in September. But the headline number masks a much more uneven picture beneath the surface.

Compared with the same month a year ago, most origins actually shipped fewer tyres into Europe. The record total is instead driven by strong growth from just three sources.

• China recorded by far the largest increase, with shipments rising by just over one million tyres versus September 2024.
• ‍Serbia added another 289,000 tyres, extending the steady expansion seen across recent quarters.
• ‍Vietnam, although smaller in scale, more than doubled its volumes year-on-year — the most pronounced proportional rise among major origins.

These shifts appear closely linked to the current policy environment. The EU’s anti-dumping investigation into PCLT tyres from China is expected to publish its initial findings by 21 January. Because any duties could be applied retroactively to goods received after late October, importers have had a clear incentive to front-load shipments ahead of the decision.

The result is a temporary surge in imports, likely to be followed by a downturn once the industry gains clarity on the tariff rate.

Overall, Europe’s new record reflects a market shaped not just by demand, but by divergent country dynamics and strategic timing around regulatory uncertainty — patterns that come through clearly in this month’s Tire Trade Europe dataset.

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Tyres Europe has released its first quarterly market update since rebranding from ETRMA, offering a clear snapshot of replacement tyre demand across Europe in Q3 2025.

Markets remained relatively stable in the third quarter, but overall volumes are still weak compared with 2024. Consumer tyre sales were flat year-on-year, with a continued shift from summer tyres toward all-season and winter products, while the Truck & Bus segment saw another quarter of decline amid subdued freight activity and rising imports.

Agricultural tyres remain well below pre-Covid levels, and Moto & Scooter was the only category showing steady growth.

The full PDF below provides the detailed breakdown by segment and more.

New analysis from Astutus Research shows that light Vehicle Kilometres Travelled (VKMT) in Europe accelerated in the second quarter of 2025, rising by 1.8% year-on-year, compared with just 0.8% in Q1. The findings are published in the VKMT in Europe 2025 Q2 report.

Growth was led by Central Europe, where VKMT is now 8.5% above 2019 levels, supported by both car and light commercial vehicle (LCV) travel. In contrast, Western Europe car mileage remains below pre-pandemic benchmarks, with full recovery not expected until 2026.

“The latest data suggest steady growth in mobility through 2025, but uncertainty remains.” said Simon Hodson, Research Director at Astutus Research. “Shifts in working patterns, the rise of public transport, and potential tariff pressures will all shape the trajectory of vehicle travel over the next 12 months.”

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Report Availability

The VKMT in Europe 2025 Q2 report includes an interactive Power BI dashboard, a downloadable Excel dataset, and a PDF analysis covering VKMT growth, regional differences, updated economic forecasts, and emerging trends in rail transport.

About Astutus Research

Astutus Research is a specialist provider of data, insight and forecasts for the tire industry and the broader aftersales segment. We cover the complete tire lifecycle: from production and distribution to usage, disposal and recycling. Our mission is to help clients make smarter decisions with exclusive research covering customers, competitors, and market dynamics.

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European tyre markets faced headwinds in Q2 2025, with consumer demand turning negative for the first time in recent quarters. Consumer tyres fell 4% whilst truck and agricultural segments continued their decline at 5% each. Only motorcycles and scooters showed resilience with 2% growth. First-half performance confirms challenging economic conditions are impacting market confidence.

Access the complete ETRMA Q2 2025 report below for detailed analysis of mobility trends and electric vehicle developments.