4 Best Cars To Buy During Trump’s 1-Month Tariff Break for Vehicles
Written by
Terence Loose
Edited by
Amber Barkley
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If you’re in the market for a new car, the decision just got more difficult to fit into your budget. Or at least, more urgent, especially if you have your heart set on one of the approximately 30 car models, per Cars.com, that face potential price hikes thanks to President Donald Trump’s planned 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
The tariffs were supposed to go into effect at the beginning of March. However, after meeting with Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, Trump paused the tariffs for a month. They are now set to take effect on April 2, 2025, CBS News reported.
Because tariffs are paid by the importer — the American business — not the country exporting the item, they have the potential to drive up the price of goods being imported. In this case, it would be any car — or car using a significant amount of parts — made in Mexico or Canada. And while there is no way to predict how much of the 25% tariff will be passed onto American consumers by American auto dealers, most experts say car prices will increase.
CBS News projected the price increases to be $6,200 on a small car, $8,000 on pickups, $9,000 on full-size SUVs and $12,200 or more on electric crossover vehicles.
Taking all that into consideration, here are four cars you might want to buy before next month, including their model’s current starting MSRP and their potential MSRP if the full 25% tariff were added into the vehicle’s price.
Honda CR-V
- Current Starting MSRP: $30,100
- Potential MSRP With a 25% Tariff: $37,625
Chosen by Car and Driver as 2025’s best compact SUV, if the price jumps significantly in a month, picking up this favorite will look like buying Apple stock in the 90s. That’s especially true when you consider that, according to CarEdge, the Honda CR-V holds its resale value well.
Toyota Tacoma
- Current Starting MSRP: $31,590
- Potential MSRP with a 25% Tariff: $39,488
Here is a popular truck that holds its resale value well — CarEdge wrote, “The Toyota Tacoma mid-size pick-up is perhaps the best vehicle on the road for holding its value.”
Their data indicates that the model loses only 28% of its value over five years. That makes those coming tariffs look like a current buying opportunity.
Honda Civic
- Current Starting MSRP: $24,250
- Potential MSRP with a 25% Tariff: $30,313
Another Car and Driver top pick, this time as No. 1 in best compact cars, the Honda Civic has long been known as a solid choice that holds its value.
For instance, according to Kelly Blue Book, the 2022 Civic is in the top 10% for depreciation among all sedans, with a depreciation of only $4,776 over the past three years. That’s over a thousand dollars less than the potential $6,063 25% tariff on the 2025 base model.
Mazda3
- Current Starting MSRP: $24,150
- Potential MSRP with a 25% Tariff: $30,188
While Car and Driver ranks the Mazda3 fourth in best compact cars, U.S. News & World Report has the model as No. 1 in the category. Either way, the Mazda3 gets high marks for its nice interior, zippy engine and cool styling. Its low entry price also makes it an affordable car — for now, anyway.
Editor’s note on political coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on GOBankingRates.com.
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