News on April 22: Recently, the tire industry has set off a new round of price increases, which has swept away foreign giants and local companies.
So far, more than 70 domestic and foreign tire companies have issued price increase notices, with the increases generally ranging from 2% to 5%.
The reasons for price increases given by many companies point to “the continued rise in raw material costs.”
Zhao Luyang, deputy manager of Zhejiang Industrial Rubber Department, said that the core driving force for this round of tire price increases is that rising raw material costs have squeezed tire profit margins, causing tire manufacturers to be forced to pass on cost pressures to consumers through price increases.
But currently, most tire dealers and stores are in a wait-and-see mode and have not increased prices yet.
Mr. Tan (pseudonym), who has run a professional tire repair shop in Yunnan for four years, said that there is sufficient inventory in the short term and fierce market competition, so he dare not increase prices for the time being.
“Will the price of tires increase?” Mr. Yu (pseudonym) from Sichuan posted a question on the social platform. Some netizens joked: “You can stock up on four tires with a closer date, wrap them in plastic wrap and store them.” Regarding the practice of stocking tires at an increase in price, Mr. Tan believes that it is “not necessary”. Tires are not fast-moving consumer goods like gasoline. It usually takes 5-6 years to reach the recommended replacement standard, and the service life is long.
However, Mr. Tan is also clearly aware that more tire manufacturers have recently announced price increases.
The first company to issue a price increase letter was Zhongce Rubber (603049.SH). On the last day of March, Zhongce Rubber announced price adjustments for a full range of products including passenger tires, truck and bus tires, and off-highway tires, with an increase of about 3% – 5%.
On April 14, Bridgestone, one of the world’s largest tire companies, officially announced that it will increase the supply price of passenger car tires by 3% – 5% starting from May 1.
Subsequently, domestic mainstream brands such as Linglong Tire (601966.SH) and Wanli Tire followed suit.
Tengsen Rubber announced that it will increase the price of its entire product line by 10% starting from May 1, setting the largest price adjustment in this round.
Sailun Tire (601058.SH) even bluntly stated that it “does not rule out the possibility of another price adjustment.”
On April 17, another tire giant Michelin also issued a price adjustment notice.
We learned from an official Michelin authorized service store in Shaanxi that the purchase price of passenger car tires and light truck tires has increased by 15 yuan to 30 yuan, and the retail prices will be adjusted accordingly starting from May 1.
According to statistics from the tire industry website, as of April 20, more than 70 domestic and foreign tire companies have issued price increase notices this round, covering all categories including passenger tires, truck and bus tires.
Will upstream manufacturers’ price increases affect consumers’ wallets?
Interviews with many tire dealers and stores revealed that there is a significant lag in terminal price adjustments, mainly due to factors such as sufficient inventory in the short term and fierce market competition.
Mr. Tan mentioned that in the short term, store pressure is not obvious. Its store inventory can last for half a year. It needs to wait until the inventory is digested to a significant extent, and price increases may be considered later.
On April 21, another dealer, Ms. Chen (pseudonym), also said that due to rising prices, there is greater pressure to stock up, but the market competition is fierce, so customers are still given the original price.
The person in charge of Tuhu Automotive’s tire business said that they will continue to pay attention to cost trends, but currently have no plans to adjust terminal prices. They have stocked up in time in the first half of this year, and can withstand part of the rising cost pressure in the short term and maintain stable online and offline consumer prices.
Behind this round of tire price increases, the main reason is the increase in raw material costs.
Price increase notices issued by many tire manufacturers mentioned that raw material prices have increased and production costs have increased significantly.
2026 will be a volatile year for commodities. The three largest tire raw materials are natural rubber, synthetic rubber and carbon black.
Public information shows that the prices of the above-mentioned core raw materials have entered an upward channel since the second half of 2025. Among them, synthetic rubber has been particularly affected by fluctuations in crude oil prices. International crude oil prices have continued to rise due to tensions in the Middle East, which has directly pushed up the procurement costs of synthetic rubber and chemical auxiliary materials.
“The price increase of tires is also a process of competition between tire manufacturers and consumers. Whether the increase can be digested by the market is more critical.” Zhao Luyang said that for the subsequent trend of tire prices, we need to pay attention to the impact of raw material prices, including weather conditions in production areas (El Niño, etc.), the impact of geopolitics on crude oil prices, and whether the price increases of raw materials can be effectively transmitted to consumers.
