The US was the UK’s largest export partner again last year as it purchased £59.3 billion of UK goods ahead of President Donald Trump’s new tariff rules, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Friday that the US represented 16.2% of all UK exports in 2024, with particularly strong demand for machinery and cars.
The fresh data comes weeks after Mr Trump announced a new tariff regime, which is set to place a blanket 10% tariff on UK exports to the US.
The UK imported £57.1 billion of goods from the United States (incl. Puerto Rico) and exported £59.3 billion of goods in 2024.
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) April 25, 2025
Machinery and transport equipment is the main commodity traded, £20.1 billion of imports and £29.1 billion of exports.
➡️ https://t.co/296Jd91PgL pic.twitter.com/GaENlOaKas
He also announced a 25% tariff on all US imports of cars, car parts, steel and aluminium.
Last year, exports from the UK to the US decreased by £2.3 billion, or 3.7%, to £59.3 billion, compared with 2023.
It is not known exactly how much of this would be impacted by the tariff rules.
The figures showed that the US was the UK’s largest export partner for cars during the year, with £9 billion of trade. It represented 27.4% of total car exports.
Meanwhile, machinery and transport equipment was the biggest category traded with the US, with £29.1 billion of exports.
The ONS also revealed that the UK imported £57.1 billion of goods from the US, reflecting a £1.2 billion, or 2%, decrease from 2023.
The US is the UK’s third largest import partner, behind Germany and China.
