In the second quarter of 2026, the tire industry will set off a new round of large-scale price increases.
According to incomplete statistics in the industry, more than 80 tire manufacturers, including foreign giants and local leaders, have followed up with price adjustments. Related topics have also triggered extensive discussions on social platforms. Some netizens even joked about the suggestion, “You can stock up on a few tires with closer dates.”
This round of price increases began in March this year.
At the end of March, Zhongce Rubber, the leader in China’s tire industry, sent three letters in a row, announcing price adjustments for a full range of products including passenger tires, truck and bus tires, and off-highway tires. This action was regarded by the industry as a bellwether for price increases in the industry, and subsequently triggered intensive follow-up by many tire companies.
On April 14, Bridgestone (China) issued a notice that starting from May 1, the price of passenger car tires will increase by 3%-5%.
Subsequently, mainstream domestic brands such as Sailun Tire and Wanli Tire, as well as foreign brands such as Michelin, also announced official price adjustments.
Among them, Tengsen Rubber has achieved the largest increase in this round. Since May 1, the prices of its entire product line have increased by 10%.
The reasons for this price increase by tire companies are basically the same, that is, “the prices of the main raw materials for tire production continue to be high, and at the same time, the costs of freight, logistics and energy are also rising, resulting in a significant increase in the overall tire manufacturing cost.”
Linglong Tire and Sailun Tire mentioned in their 2025 annual reports that natural rubber, synthetic rubber, carbon black, steel cord, etc. are the main upstream raw materials for tire production. Tire prices are mainly affected by raw material prices and changes in the market environment.
According to Zhuochuang Information monitoring, the three core raw materials of natural rubber, synthetic rubber, and carbon black account for more than 70% of tire production costs.
Among them, synthetic rubber has been affected by fluctuations in international crude oil prices and the situation in the Middle East. With the surge in raw material butadiene, prices have continued to rise since March this year, with a maximum increase of nearly 8,000 yuan per ton in a single month. The main futures contract once shot up to around 17,470 yuan/ton, and there was even an unusual phenomenon of prices exceeding natural rubber.
Natural rubber is mainly affected by factors such as supply and demand mismatch and delayed opening of production areas, with the spot price reaching a maximum of 17,900 yuan/ton.
“The upstream raw materials such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, and carbon black have soared, and the rising energy and logistics costs have led to an overall rigid increase in costs.” said an automotive aftermarket practitioner.
So, does the increase in tire prices mean that the cost of tire replacement for car owners will also increase?
“I received an official price adjustment notice from Michelin in late April. Different tires have different price increases.” A Michelin tire dealer in Guangdong recalled that starting from May 1, passenger car and light truck tires have increased by 15 yuan to 30 yuan each. After the price increase, it will cost approximately 60 yuan to 120 yuan more to replace four tires.
Another Michelin tire dealer recorded detailed price increase information: tires of 19 inches and below increased by 15 yuan each, and tires of 20 inches and above increased by 20 yuan.
However, not all sales channels immediately followed up with the price increase.
Online and chain car maintenance platforms rely on their large-scale procurement and inventory advantages to temporarily maintain original prices or launch discounts to seize market share.
For example, on the e-commerce platform, take a Michelin tire Renyue enhanced version as an example. The above-mentioned Michelin dealer said that the official price is 510 yuan per piece, and the price after discount in stores is 490 yuan per piece, and the price after discount on Tmall platform is about 470 yuan; another Michelin Hanyue tire is about 382 yuan after discount on Tmall platform, and on the Tuhu car maintenance platform, the price after discount is 350 yuan per piece.
Tuhu Car Owner stated that it has learned about the rising cost of raw materials in the upstream of the industry. Tuhu and tire manufacturers are directly purchasing on a large scale, and prices are relatively stable.
Tuhu Automobile has stocked up its products in time in the first half of this year. Based on the current stocking situation and the cooperation framework with tire manufacturers, it can withstand part of the rising cost pressure in the short term and maintain stable online and offline consumer prices.
“We will continue to pay attention to cost trends, but there are currently no plans to adjust terminal prices.”
A relevant practitioner in the tire industry said that the current overall supply of the domestic tire market exceeds demand, and demand is on a downward trend.
At the same time, there is still a lot of inventory in the warehouses of both retailers and agents.
Although some tire companies have announced price increases, downstream companies can choose not to purchase or purchase less. It is expected that this round of price increases will be digested.
In addition, the tense situation in the Middle East has blocked overseas orders for some manufacturers, and this part of the production capacity has been forced to shift to the domestic market for digestion, further intensifying the already fierce domestic competition.
