Foreword from the CEO – Fourth Edition
Darren Lindsey, Chief Executive, BTMA
Foreword
As we publish the fourth BTMA quarterly update, the replacement tyre market has moved firmly into recovery, with the first half of 2026 pointing to the strongest replacement market performance in several years. The recovery has been led by the following consumer categories: car tyre volumes rose by 24%, SUV fitments by 31% and light truck tyres by a striking 44%, lifting the combined consumer segment 27% above a weak first half last year. Truck tyre volumes grew a more modest 2.5%, in line with the gentle recovery in freight activity, while Motorcycle & Scooter volumes were broadly flat at +1.6%. The smaller specialist categories moved against the trend, with Agricultural volumes down 21% and Earth Mover down 9%. Some of this headline growth reflects the downward restatement of the 2025 baseline and the unwinding of last year’s destocking, but even allowing for that, the underlying picture is one of genuine recovery in sell-in demand.
But the headline figures only tell part of the story of what has been an unusually busy quarter for the Association itself, and I wanted to use this foreword to set out what BTMA has been doing on behalf of the industry and members and where our attention is turning as we head into the second half of the year.
We held our AGM and Board Meeting in London in June, a constructive session at which I was pleased to welcome Tracey Mortimer (Continental) as a new member of the Board.
Trade and Regulation: Two Battles at Once
Two issues have dominated our regulatory agenda this quarter, and both matter. First, the EU’s anti-dumping investigation into Chinese passenger car and light truck tyre imports reached a major milestone: the Final General Disclosure Document, updated in July, confirmed that dumping is causing material harm to the EU industry and set out sharply differentiated duty levels depending on exporters’ cooperation. Second, the UK government has signalled its intention to align with the EU Deforestation Regulation, which covers rubber among its listed commodities. We have already opened a dialogue with DEFRA, and we will work with the NTDA to unpick the practical cross-border compliance challenges this raises.
End-of-Life Tyres: A Safety Story
Work also continued on end-of-life tyres (ELT) and extended producer responsibility (EPR), including two meetings with the global Tire Industry Project (TIP) to see how other countries are tackling traceability and export standards. One strand of this work uncovered a genuine safety concern: baled tyre exports to India, where they are frequently repaired and refitted to older vehicles. The UK industry is now exploring whether to move away from exporting whole baled tyres altogether, in favour of crumb or shredded rubber, and we will take this forward with international stakeholders at a meeting in Amsterdam at the end of September.
Road Safety: Making the Industry’s Case
Road safety remained a strong focus this quarter. Our Charity Golf Day at The Belfry on 11 June was a great success, both as a fundraiser for TyreSafe and as a chance to bring the industry together. BTMA and the NTDA also took our case to the TyreSafe forum, presenting tyre-related MOT advisory statistics and arguing for an interim MOT check tied to safety-critical tyre advisories. That work continues, with a webinar and a visit to Westminster later this year to put the industry’s case directly to government.
What’s Coming Next
Mark your diary: our Remanufacturing & Safety Forum returns on 14 September, co-hosted by the NTDA and sponsored by Vaculug, at Coombe Abbey Hotel in Coventry. BTMA will also host a session exploring the collaborative role of UK academia and industry in closing the knowledge gap in tyre-related research after the closing session of the Tire Industry Project (TIP) Academic Research conference, held at Cambridge University from 8-10 December.