Value of automotive imports and exports - United Kingdom (UK) 2018 and 2019

The value of automotive trade between the United Kingdom and the UK's trade partners exceeded 100 billion British pounds in 2018 and 2019. The value of automotive exports came to 42.4 billion British pounds in 2019. That year, the United Kingdom exported just over 80 percent of cars produced domestically. The chasm between the value of imports and exports continued to widen in 2019.

Economic contribution

The UK’s overall trade balance of goods was a negative 226 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. That same year, the motor industry contributed about 18.6 billion British pounds to the UK’s economy. This was a slight decrease compared with the peak in 2016 when the motor industry was responsible for adding 22 billion British pounds to the country’s gross domestic product.

Production figures

In 2019, the UK produced 1.3 million cars. This value fell below the one million unit mark in 2020, declining for the fourth consecutive year. UK car exports peaked at 1.7 million units in 2016.