Bentley’s Tariff Solution Isn’t Great For Impulse Buyers

Bentley has found a creative solution to American tariffs on imported cars, which will help the company comply with the United Kingdom’s negotiated volume restrictions on imported vehicles. For the foreseeable future, the British luxury automaker will only export customer cars to the U.S., meaning dealer stock of the popular Bentayga and stylish Continental GT will be kept to a minimum. Furthermore, Bentley committed to keep its prices steady through the end of June, announcing pricing for 2026 models next month, so if you’re not waiting for any particular reason, it might be a good idea to go order your high-lux Brit as soon as possible.

Not Much Time For Tire Kickers

As first reported by Automotive News, Bentley has halted much of its exports to the U.S. as its native country of Britain had negotiated some tariff alterations with the Trump administration. By exporting only vehicles that have already been sold, Bentley will help the nation’s auto exports stay under the 100,000-unit mark that will allow cars to be tariffed at 10 percent instead of a full quarter. While it may seem like Bentley, whose cheapest model commands more than $200,000, wouldn’t have much of an effect on that 100,000-vehicle export cap, the luxury carmaker sold more than 13,000 machines in the U.S. last year.

The customer-car-only export plan will have some unusual effects on stateside Bentley dealers. According to Automotive News, American retailers had a total of around 370 new Bentleys sitting on showroom floors, a number that’s expected to dwindle as cars get snapped up without being backfilled by imports of fresh dealer stock. It’s not clear if Bentley’s retail network will maintain a fleet of corporate-owned demonstration vehicles to satisfy the curiosities of would-be shoppers, but that seems like a safe bet. The new export strategy will also alter the way many Americans buy cars, forcing customers to sit down with a sales manager and select exactly which color, upholstery choice, and option packages they want to buy rather than choosing from a limited set of in-stock options.

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Expect Prices To Rise For 2026

Although Bentley committed to keep prices stable on its 2025 vehicles through the end of June, don’t expect 2026 models to enjoy the same courtesy. The U.K.’s negotiated tariff rate of 10 percent is still four times higher than the previous 2.5 percent. The economies of both the U.S. and its longtime trading partner across the pond are experiencing a projected inflation rate of about 3 percent, meaning prices on most products are rising without a commensurate increase in wages for the people buying them. And although the wealthy are typically more insulated from such economic factors than low- and middle-class folks, Bentley could still probably expect to see vehicle sales fall a bit as prices rise.

The company’s total sales this year will likely be even less than they were for 2024, which marked the end of a four-year boom for Bentley. For starters, exports to the U.S. stopped for a bit in the aftermath of Trump’s first tariff announcements, and it remains to be seen if sales have picked up now that the automaker has resumed sending cars here.

Source: Automotive News via Car and Driver

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