The UK–US car tariff episode in the SMMT's own words: two dated statements, April 2 to June 30, 2025

Trade policy moves in documents, and few episodes made that as plain as the US tariff confrontation of 2025 as it touched the UK car industry. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the UK motor industry's trade body, published dated statements at both ends of the arc this file covers: the announcement of US tariffs on April 2, 2025, and the implementation of a UK–US trading agreement on June 30, 2025. Both statements are attributed to Mike Hawes, the SMMT's Chief Executive, and both are reproduced here in the SMMT's own words.

The material is now historical: these are statements from April and June 2025, and they record the industry body's position at those moments, not a live account of the tariff position between the UK and the US today. Their value is documentary — a before-and-after trace of how one national industry body framed the same dispute and its resolution.

April 2, 2025: the 10% tariff lands

In its statement dated 2 April 2025, published under the heading 'SMMT statement on US trade tariffs', the SMMT reacted to the US announcement of a 10% tariff on UK products. 'The announced imposition of a 10% tariff on all UK products exported to the US, whilst less than other major economies, is another deeply disappointing and potentially damaging measure,' the statement read. It added that 'Our cars were already set to attract a punitive 25% tariff overnight and other automotive products are now set to be impacted immediately.'

The statement also carried the body's warning about who would bear the cost. 'These tariff costs cannot be absorbed by manufacturers, thus hitting US consumers who may face additional costs and a reduced choice of iconic British brands, whilst UK producers may have to review output in the face of constrained demand,' the April 2 statement said. It closed by urging negotiations: 'Trade discussions must continue at pace, therefore, and we urge all parties to continue to negotiate and deliver solutions which support jobs, consumer demand and economic growth across both sides of the Atlantic.'

June 30, 2025: the deal is implemented

Just under three months later, the SMMT's tone flipped. In a statement dated 30 June 2025 headed 'SMMT statement on UK-US trade deal kicking into gear', the body greeted the implementation of the negotiated agreement. 'The implementation of the new trading agreement between the UK and US is good news for US customers and a huge relief for the UK automotive companies that export to this critically important market,' it said.

The June 30 statement described the effect of implementation as immediate. 'It immediately slashes the punitive tariffs that brought the US export market to a standstill and threatened the viability of some of the most famous names in British manufacturing,' the SMMT wrote, positioning the agreement as unique among automotive deals at that date: 'Securing the deal – the first and, so far, only automotive deal in place with the administration – is a diplomatic coup and provides a foundation on which to grow trade in the future.'

What the statements do and do not say

These are industry-body statements, not neutral assessments. The figures they carry — 10% on UK products, 25% on cars — are the tariffs as the SMMT described them on those dates, in the UK–US market context, and the 'first and, so far, only' characterization of the deal is the SMMT's own claim as of June 30, 2025. Neither statement sets out the agreement's detailed terms, such as quota arrangements, so this file does not either; the SMMT's words are the record here. Statements of this kind are lobbying positions as well as news, and the language — 'punitive', 'deeply disappointing', 'diplomatic coup' — reflects the perspective of a body representing UK-based manufacturers exporting to the US.

Provenance of the quotations

Both statements were published by the SMMT, the UK industry body, at smmt.co.uk under the headings 'SMMT statement on US trade tariffs' (dated 2 April 2025) and 'SMMT statement on UK-US trade deal kicking into gear' (dated 30 June 2025), covering the UK–US market; as captured on September 20, 2026, both pages were accessible and each carried its own date, and the quotations above are taken verbatim from those captures. The SMMT's statements record its position at those dates, and the tariff position between the UK and the US may have changed since June 2025.