A guide on how to buy a car as Trump's auto tariffs take effect

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- If you are in the market to buy a new or used car, you might want to pull the trigger in the next few days on that purchase as prices are set to rise in the coming months.

President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on all cars shipped to the United States will kick in Thursday at midnight, which will mostly likely cause a sharp increase in the price of purchasing a car.

MORE: Should you buy a new car before Trump's new auto tariffs take effect?

These will apply to imported passenger vehicles, including cars, SUVs, minivans, cargo vans and light trucks.

Assuming you can't move fast enough to buy a new car this week, here are some tips and tricks to consider to help you get the best deal while the tariff war wages on.

Private sellers

According to market watchers, if tariffs stick and stay around long term, it might price some buyers out of the new car market and push them into the used car segment, which in turn will also raise prices there.

Among those selling used cars, bargains are more likely to be found among private sellers.

"Private sellers usually look to close the best-priced deals at the earliest possible date, keeping prices at the lowest values," says Arthur Jones, a representative from Kelly Blue Book.

Kelly Blue Book, a consumer resource that provides data on new and used car prices, trade-in values, and market trends, recommends using their affiliated AutoTrader website.

"Visit the AutoTrader.com website, there are a lot of used vehicles from private sellers. If you compare the prices on Kelly Blue Book, you can see which vehicle is available and priced to your needs. If you have a set budget, you can also filter out the vehicles based on car prices, model and location," Jones said.

AutoTrader.com also has new cars listed. Currently, 21,823 new vehicles are listed on the platform.

"Dealerships are selling them, but you can compare prices across them to find who's selling the same model at the best price," Jones said.

As of March 31, 2025, AutoTrader.com aggregates about 3.5 million new, used, and certified pre-owned cars from 40,000 dealers and 250,000 private owners.

MORE:Trump announces 25% tariffs on imported cars, ratcheting up global trade war

Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) cars are a great option to brand new

Educating yourself on the options in the vehicle market could help you get a car that is as good as brand new without the price tag of one.

Manufacturer-certified cars, also known as Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicles, are used cars that have passed a rigorous inspection process by the manufacturer and come with a manufacturer-backed warranty, offering buyers peace of mind and potentially lower risk compared to buying a regular used car.

"There are a lot of certified pre-owned programs that dealers have. They're those vehicles that are maybe only a year or two old, that may not have that many miles on them," says John Irwin, Supply Chain Reporter at Automotive News.

"It's effectively, for a lot of intents and purposes, close to a new vehicle. I think that's also something for car buyers to consider, but I think casting a wide net is something too, it's a good piece of advice, kind of given all the uncertainty right now," Irwin says.

Be flexible on the car you want

Irwin recommends taking a flexible approach in choosing the next car, as supply chain issues are expected to make some cars unavailable or only available at unaffordable prices.

"The most common projections (of a price increase) that you see from people in the industry are somewhere in the range of $3,000 to $10,000 depending on the specific vehicle and how exposed they are to the tariffs," Irwin says.

"Prices are already, at this moment, kind of hovering near all-time records. If you added $3,000 to $10,000 to the average price of a new vehicle, all of a sudden, that number surges well past $50,000. And you're talking about prices that maybe several years ago might have, on an average level, been considered unthinkable," Irwin says.

"Especially for a lot of entry-level vehicles, we're already seeing, even before the tariffs, prices rising. But let's say you're looking for an entry-level vehicle. If prices go up because of tariffs, all of a sudden you might be into a range where it may make more sense to buy another vehicle, kind of in that price range that isn't technically entry level at that point. You might see automakers spread the cost impacts around to try to keep the gap between entry level and medium luxury where it is right now."