A new US tariff regime took effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on July 24, 2026. If you follow car import newsletters, you have probably already seen the headline: Section 122 is gone, Section 301 is in, and the rates changed by country. It is real news. It is also not your news, if the car you are moving is going from the United States to Hungary.
What actually changed on July 24
Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 let the President impose a flat import surcharge for up to 150 days. The administration used it in February 2026 to add a 10 percent charge on most goods entering the United States, after the Supreme Court struck down the earlier tariffs that had relied on emergency powers. That 150-day clock ran out on July 24. In its place, the Office of the US Trade Representative rolled out a new Section 301 tariff tied to findings on forced labor, covering roughly sixty trading partners at either 10 or 12.5 percent depending on origin.
Which direction this tariff actually taxes
Both Section 122 and Section 301 are collected by US Customs and Border Protection when a vehicle, or anything else, enters the United States. They apply to cars coming into America from Europe, the UK, Japan, and elsewhere. A US-origin car leaving Florida for Hungary never crosses that line. It is exported, not imported, and none of this regime touches it at any point in the process.
What actually governs your import
The regulation that matters for a US car headed to Hungary is the one on the other end of the ocean. From 1 July 2026, qualifying U.S.-origin passenger cars can receive 0% EU customs duty under Regulation (EU) 2026/1455 when the required origin and transport evidence supports the claim. We covered what counts as proof of US origin in an earlier article, since that part still trips people up. That regulation, not anything coming out of Washington this week, is what shapes your landed cost.
Why the two get confused
2026 has produced an unusual amount of tariff news for cars specifically: Section 232 on finished vehicles, the IEEPA ruling, Section 122, now Section 301, plus the EU side changes from the Turnberry deal. Most of it involves the same handful of words, tariff, duty, import, Section [number], and skimming a headline without checking which government issued it and which direction it taxes is an easy way to end up worried about a number that was never going to touch your shipment.
Frequently asked questions
Does the new Section 301 tariff apply to my car import to Hungary?
No. Section 301 is a US import duty collected when goods enter the United States. A car shipped from the US to Hungary is an export from the American side and an import on the EU side, governed by EU customs rules, not this regulation.
So what tariff should I actually be watching?
The EU duty on US-origin vehicles, currently 0 percent under Regulation (EU) 2026/1455, and the proof-of-origin requirements tied to it. Those determine what you pay when the car clears customs in Europe.
Could a change like this ever affect outbound shipping from the US?
Not through this mechanism. Section 122 and Section 301 govern what enters the US, not what leaves it. A future change to US export controls or EU import rules could matter, and we track both, but this particular tariff regime is not one of them.