Tariffs have been all over the news recently. As part of efforts toward a larger trade deal, the U.S. and U.K. reached a tentative agreement establishing tariff rates on imported British vehicles. To summarize, the first 100,000 vehicles imported from the U.K. to the U.S. each year, regardless of automaker, will be taxed at a 10% tariff rate. Any vehicles exceeding the initial 100,000 will have a 25% tariff. According to the BBC, the vehicle number was agreed upon because it roughly corresponds to the number of U.K. vehicles imported in 2024.
Regardless, both figures are well above the previous 2.5% tariff, which will impact prices. However, many car buyers may not be aware of what vehicles this agreement affects. Although it doesn’t make the most headlines, the U.K. is one of the major vehicle exporters to America, ranking sixth in 2024 at 4.5% of all vehicles. The U.S. was also the nation’s fastest-growing export market for the same year.
To help future buyers and curious enthusiasts, we did a deep dive to find the most notable cars imported from the U.K. to the U.S. From hybrid sedans to supercars, plenty of vehicles driven on U.S. roads begin their lives on U.K. soil. I’ll also add some thoughts on how I think the new tariff agreement might affect production and sales.
Land Rover
All Land Rover vehicles are made in Halewood, Merseyside. The company then imports the Defender L663, Discovery, and Range Rover to North America. Furthermore, many U.S. customers seek out the original Land Rover Defender L316, which was only sold in North America from 1993 to 1997 before being pulled from the market due to federal safety requirements. It remains a popular vehicle for private off-road use, though, and models over 25 years old are much easier to import. According to Hagerty and Top Gear, these old Land Rover Defenders are the most imported U.K. vehicles.
Toyota Corolla Hybrid and GR
Although the hybrid edition of the Toyota Corolla is mainly sold in Europe, it’s also available in the U.S. Each vehicle is manufactured in Burnaston, a village of Derbyshire, which has also housed the headquarters of Toyota Manufacturing U.K. for over 30 years. In 2025, Toyota also announced it would start producing 10,000 Toyota Corolla GR vehicles at the Burnaston plant each year, as Japanese manufacturing couldn’t keep pace with the sports car’s popularity. Beyond this, older vehicles like the Toyota Supra A80 and MR2 MkIII are popular imports.
Bentley
Although Bentley Motors is now owned by the German Volkswagen Group, this legendary British marque continues to produce all its current vehicle models in its Crewe, England, homeland. These include the Continental GT hardtop and convertible, the Bentayga crossover, and the Flying Spur luxury sedan. As of 2024, about 30% of Bentley vehicles were imported to the U.S., but the company has stated it will not release such figures going forward.
McLaren
This supercar nameplate is another exclusive for U.K. manufacturing. McLaren makes all its vehicles at a plant in Woking, Surrey. About one-third of said vehicles find their way to the U.S. In particular, the McLaren 750S has seen high U.S. interest in coupe or Spider convertible form. The McLaren Artura and GTS are also currently sold stateside.
Rolls-Royce
Few names are more associated with automotive luxury than Rolls-Royce, which has made high-end vehicles for high-end buyers since 1906. Like rival Bentley, Rolls-Royce is now owned by a German car giant, BMW AG, but still manufactures all vehicles in its U.K. homeland. Each year, the U.S. is the leading destination of the 5,000-plus Rolls-Royce cars produced in Goodwood, West Sussex. These sales undoubtedly helped spur an early 2025 announcement that Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is investing £300 million (over $400 million) into upgrading and expanding its plant.
Aston Martin
This legendary sports car maker joins Rolls-Royce as being U.K.-based, but enjoying its highest percentage of sales in the U.S. Aston Martin has two U.K. manufacturing plants, one in Gaydon, Warwickshire, and the other in St. Athan, Wales. For 2024, about one-third of Aston Martin’s revenue came from U.S. vehicle sales. Along with new models like the DB12, Valhalla, DBX, and Valkyrie, U.S. enthusiasts also import older Aston Martin vehicles, notably the DB11.
MINI
BMW AG reports that Americans bought more than 26,000 MINI vehicles in 2024. These include multiple models manufactured in Oxford, a city in Oxfordshire. This plant builds the two- and four-door gas-powered MINI Cooper models, as well as the MINI Cooper convertible and the MINI Countryman.
Lotus
This niche car maker has never had high sales volume, but a good amount of the vehicles they make land in the U.S. Each is manufactured in Hethel, Norfolk, where the company has been based since 1966. Models available stateside are headlined by the Emira, which is slated to be the last Lotus with a true combustion engine (it’s available with a turbo I-4 or V6). There’s also the Lotus Emeya coupe and Eletre SUV, which are spearheading the transition to hyper-EVs.
Morgan Motor Company
This manufacturer has been handcrafting cars since 1091 at its Malvern, Worcestershire facility. Morgan is so old-school that it still uses wood to frame the body shell when pretty much every other automaker has ditched this material. The Super 3, Super 3 Origins, and Plus Four continue the tradition of retro open-top British style and performance. Just be aware that there is typically a waiting period of six to 12 months because of the deliberate process and low volume.
Gordon Murray Automotive
The namesake of this new British automaker on the block designed the McLaren F1 supercar and many Formula 1 race cars, giving it instant credibility. In 2022, Gordon Murray Automotive announced it would offer its supercars to U.S. audiences. The vehicles, which cost well over £1 million, are made in Highams Park, Surrey, and delivered to Florida for distribution. The initial production run of the T.33 and T.50 has all been sold, but the company expects to offer more models in the future.
Final Thoughts
How will sales and production be affected by the new tariffs? After seeing what’s out there for British vehicle imports, I think there may not be much impact. The reason is that almost all the vehicles in question are either cars that are already very expensive and have a specific clientele, or cars that were never sold in the U.S. and that people are willing to jump through hoops to get their hands on.
In each case, I don’t think an extra 7.5% in cost is going to deter most buyers. After all, under the previous deal, a $500,000 car would cost $512,500 after tariffs. If someone was already willing and able to pay that, then they’re probably willing to pay $550,000 under the new agreement.
The only way I see the new tariff deal impacting this market is if imports are on pace to well exceed the 100,000-vehicle threshold. Should that happen, automakers may need to raise prices to account for the added costs or halt production to stay under this milestone, which may also drive prices up due to limited supply. Keep an eye on reported sales numbers over the first half of each year and future tariff talks, as those will tell the tale of future U.K. vehicle imports.
