The Critical Importance of the European Tyre Industry
Tyres keep Europe moving, but their importance reaches far beyond the road. This Oxford Economics report examines the jobs and economic activity connected to EU tyre production, the industries that rely on it, and the risks in global raw material supply. It shows how a disruption could affect everyday life.
Commissioned by Tyres Europe, this report follows the tyre supply chain from raw materials to the vehicles and services people rely on every day. Oxford Economics estimates that, in 2024, EU-produced tyres helped support 6.1 million jobs and €572 billion in economic value in customer sectors including passenger cars, commercial road vehicles, and farm tractors. It also shows how freight, farming, construction and passenger transport depend on a reliable tyre supply.
Moreover, the EU tyre industry imports all its natural rubber, leaving it exposed to shortages. To illustrate the stakes, the report models a severe, hypothetical supply shock: higher tyre costs and shortages ripple through the economy, reducing EU economic value by €250 billion over three years compared with a scenario without disruption. The report also considers how EU production, innovation and tyre re-treading can strengthen resilience and sustainability.
The experts behind the research
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Stephen ForemanAssociate Director, Economic Footprint & Sustainability
Stephen leads a team of economists who assess the economic and social footprint of a variety of different investments, companies, and industries at the global, national and local level. He has led engagements for corporations, financial institutions, government organisations, trade associations, charities, and universities across the world.
Stephen has also worked on Oxford’s Global Industry Service where he was responsible for forecasting the global transport sector, leading Oxford Economics' industry research, and managing consultancy projects for industrial organisations.
Stephen joined Oxford Economics from the UK civil service, where he worked on a range of macroeconomic, fiscal, tax and welfare policy issues across HM Treasury, the Office for Budget Responsibility and the Department for Work and Pensions.
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Daniel MoseleyAssociate Director - Scenarios and Macro Modelling
Dan is a Lead Economist in the Macro Modelling and Scenarios team, based in London. Since joining Oxford Economics in 2018, Dan has worked on a range of consulting projects, regulatory stress tests, bespoke scenario analysis and econometric modelling projects. Dan is responsible for the publication of our long-run macroeconomic scenario projections, the Megatrends Scenarios service.
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Doug GoddenLead Economist, Economic Footprint & Sustainability
Since first joining Oxford Economics in 2009, Doug has delivered a large number of economic impact studies concerned with companies, sectors, and investment projects. Recent studies that he has made a major contribution to include those for the Independent Schools Council (ISC), the head teachers’ professional association (HMC), the Railway Industry Association (RIA), ASOS, Reckitt, and Motability, as well as the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), European Steel Association (Eurofer), European motorcycle manufacturers’ association (ACEM), World Brewing Alliance (WBA), and several businesses and institutions across the Middle East.
He previously spent 20 years at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), culminating in positions as Head of Economic Analysis and Head of Economic and Fiscal Policy. He holds two degrees in economics—BSc(Econ) and MPhil—having studied at University College London and Brasenose College, Oxford.
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