If you’re not looking to buy a new or used car anytime soon, you might be thinking that the tariffs everyone’s lighting up over don’t involve you. But if you own a vehicle – any car – you’re quite wrong. Experts, myself included, predict that the tariffs will bleed over into many related areas…and trickle down to drivers.

Car repair costs will go up when tariffs turn on

While many drivers are aware that the Trump administration’s 25% tariffs on imported cars will certainly increase whole vehicle sticker prices, there’s more to it.

The tariffs include imported car parts.

This means that maintenance and repair parts required to keep cars on the road coming in from other countries will get the same 25% punishment.

As such, if you drive a vehicle that uses parts made outside the country, you’re in for higher maintenance costs. To give you an idea of how global the automotive parts industry is, the list of cars that use parts built outside the U.S. is…pretty much all of them.

Even Tesla, which touts the most “American-made” vehicles, issued a warning letter to the White House explaining that it relies on imported parts to build its EVs.

This could affect anyone seeking something as simple as an oil change

Basic filters, brake parts, suspension parts, belts, hoses, spark plugs, sensors, switches…the list goes on and on. For the most part, these are all manufactured outside the U.S. and imported by manufacturers and retailers to sell to drivers.

Of course, 25% on a $12 oil filter doesn’t seem too bad. But if you need a larger factory-scheduled maintenance package or a more serious vehicle repair, brace for impact.

Higher repair costs trigger insurance premium increases

Many U.S. states are already experiencing a car insurance crisis. Due to continuously rising costs of vehicle repair, most notably skyrocketed by heavier trucks, SUVs, and EVs – our favorites – the average American pays more than $200 a month for full coverage (per Bankrate).

If car repair costs continue to rise, so will insurance premiums. And as we all know, you don’t have to have any claims on record for your insurer to increase your rate.

The average age of a vehicle on U.S. roads crossed 12 years. Folks here are already hanging onto their used cars longer.

The thought that new and used cars will get even pricier for Americans means fewer automaker sales…a disastrous prospect for Ford, GM, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Tesla, and others.

I could be wrong; maybe Americans, who are seemingly so comfortable with incredible debt, will simply sign up for longer-term, higher-interest loans. Financial experts already warned of the record number of car loan defaults in the mix…and tariffs haven’t even hit us yet.

I’m not saying certain market elements should be corrected. I actually support building more cars and vehicle parts stateside. The disruptions triggered by the tariffs, however, will certainly pain us. My hope is that these pressures will encourage state and local officials to turn to better, more modern public transportation options, which are a dire need in many areas of the country.