Nigerians spend N1.58 trillion importing foreign cars in 2025

Nigeria’s passenger car imports rose to N1.58 trillion in 2025, reflecting a rebound in demand, even as vehicles accounted for a small share of the country’s total import bill.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that imports of passenger motor cars increased by 24.64% YoY, from N1.26 trillion in 2024 to N1.58 trillion in 2025.

On a two-year basis, imports rose by 6.89% compared to N1.47 trillion recorded in 2023, indicating a recovery after a decline in 2024.

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**What the data shows **

Despite the increase, passenger cars represented only 2.34% of Nigeria’s total imports, which stood at N67.35 trillion in 2025.

Total imports grew by 11.14% YoY, from N60.59 trillion in 2024, suggesting that while car demand is rising, it is being outpaced by growth in other import categories.

A further breakdown of Nigeria’s vehicle import sources shows a clear dominance by the United States, particularly in the used vehicle segment, with values rising consistently through 2025.

In Q1 2025, Nigeria imported used vehicles worth N93.51 billion from the United States, far ahead of other countries.

South Africa followed with N25.84 billion, although this was largely for goods transport vehicles rather than passenger cars. Other notable sources included the United Arab Emirates at N8.48 billion, Taiwan at N4.84 billion, Canada at N3.72 billion, and the United Kingdom at N2.81 billion.

By Q2 2025, imports from the United States increased to N99.18 billion, maintaining its lead. The United Arab Emirates remained a key secondary source at N8.83 billion, while the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Canada recorded relatively close values of N3.13 billion, N3.12 billion, and N3.08 billion, respectively.

South Africa continued to feature prominently with N21.43 billion, again driven by non-passenger vehicle imports.

The trend intensified in Q3 2025, where imports from the United States surged to N184.21 billion for high-capacity diesel vehicles, alongside an additional N38.15 billion for mid-range engine vehicles.

Combined, this puts total US-origin vehicle imports well above N220 billion in the quarter alone. The United Arab Emirates followed distantly at N13.67 billion, while other vehicle categories, including CKD petrol vehicles, accounted for N12.68 billion.

In Q4 2025, imports from the United States rose further to N197.90 billion, the highest quarterly figure recorded in the year.

The United Arab Emirates contributed N9.48 billion, while Canada, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Italy posted N6.27 billion, N5.52 billion, N4.95 billion, and N4.54 billion, respectively.

South Africa recorded N22.14 billion combined across different goods transport vehicle categories.

Across all quarters, the data shows that Nigeria’s vehicle import market, particularly for used high-engine-capacity vehicles, remains heavily dependent on the United States.

**Transport equipment imports surge 37.1% YoY **

Imports under the Transport Equipment and Parts category rose significantly to N6.54 trillion in 2025, representing a 37.07% YoY increase from N4.77 trillion in 2024, and more than double the N3.15 trillion recorded in 2023.

This category accounted for 9.71% of total imports in 2025, highlighting its growing weight in Nigeria’s trade structure.

Similarly, imports classified under “Vehicles, aircraft and parts thereof; vessels etc.” increased by 31.84% YoY to N5.92 trillion in 2025, up from N4.49 trillion in 2024.

**Industrial transport drives bulk of import growth **

A breakdown shows that growth in transport imports was largely driven by non-consumer segments.

Imports under the “Other” transport equipment category surged by 55.99% YoY to N3.39 trillion in 2025, from N2.17 trillion in 2024.

**Within this segment: **

• Industrial transport equipment rose by 64.63% YoY to N2.66 trillion (from N1.62 trillion)
• Non-industrial transport equipment increased by 30.92% YoY to N728.59 billion (from N556.51 billion)

Meanwhile, imports of parts and accessories climbed by 18.01% YoY to N1.57 trillion in 2025, up from N1.33 trillion in 2024.

**What this means **

While passenger car imports are recovering, they remain a relatively small portion of total imports.

The bulk of import growth is concentrated in industrial and commercial transport equipment, suggesting stronger demand for logistics, infrastructure, and production-related assets.

This indicates that Nigeria’s import expansion in 2025 was driven more by economic activity and supply-side investments than by consumer spending on personal vehicles.