5 Car Stocks That Could Benefit From Trump's 'Liberation Day'

The calendar may have flipped to April, but trade drama is still driving the markets. President Trump’s April 2 “Liberation Day” announcement is only the latest White House effort to make imports more expensive.

One of the largest yet was the 25% import tax on cars and car parts announced in March. This has already changed how Americans shop, as car buyers raced to the lots last month to purchase new vehicles under the wire. Economists estimate that the price of a new car could jump by as much as $10,000 to $20,000, depending on the make and model. That’s likely to make people hang on to older cars for longer, or buy new ones as soon as possible.

However, with every shakeup comes an opportunity, and some companies may benefit from changing trends in the automobile industry. In this article, we'll review five car-adjacent stocks that could see tailwinds from auto tariffs.

Here are five car-adjacent stocks that could benefit from all this car trade drama.

AutoZone Inc.

AutoZone Inc. AZO found its way onto one of our lists last year when Trump first began musing about tariffs and tailwinds for DIY auto parts stores, which have only increased with this new round of import taxes. AutoZone does source significant merchandise from Canada and Mexico, another pair of Trump trade targets. Still, company executives previously mentioned they expect to pass tariff costs back onto consumers with minimal pushback. 

AutoZone is one of the ‘big three' auto parts brands in the United States, along with O’Reilly Automotive and Advance Auto Parts. In our view, AutoZone has the most promise, thanks to its strong margins, reasonable valuations and catalysts from changing consumer trends. The stock trades at 22.5 times forward earnings (compared to 28.9 for ORLY) and received two recent analyst upgrades, including one from Goldman Sachs's Kate McShane, a long-time AZO bear. The company's stock chart also looks promising, with a strong uptrend above the 50-day and 200-day moving averages and an 86.96 Momentum rating on Benzinga Edge's rankings. 

CarMax Inc.

If new car prices rise, more consumers will turn to the used car market, where price hikes are expected to be less impactful. In this scenario, it would benefit to be the largest seller of used cars and trucks on the market – a title still held by CarMax Inc. KMX despite stiff competition from online startup Carvana.

CarMax has the largest fleet of pre-owned vehicles available, and more than 80% of its revenue comes from the sale of used cars and trucks. While selling used vehicles is typically a low-margin business, CarMax has narrowed the gap with Carvana and posted a higher profit margin (1.77% vs. 1.54%) in Q4 2024. CarMax also has a robust financing department that should benefit later this year if the Federal Reserve continues cutting rates and loosening financial conditions. The company trades at 20.2 times forward earnings and just 0.47 times sales (compared to 3.32 P/S for Carvana) and recently triggered a technical buying signal with a bullish MACD crossover. Technical traders should keep an eye on the 200-day moving average for signs of resistance; a breakthrough above this level could trigger more upward momentum.

Ferrari N.V.

A premier Italian automaker might not be a typical choice to benefit from forceful US auto tariffs, but Ferrari N.V. RACE is far from your typical car manufacturer. The typical Ferrari owner is not someone who buys a car for practical reasons, like commuting or hauling cargo. A Ferrari buyer is purchasing a collectible, a rare and expensive vehicle driven for pleasure (and to show off to other rich people). And collectors with the means to purchase a Ferrari aren't going to let tariffs deter them.

Ferrari has some of the strongest margins in car manufacturing- the company reported an impressive 22.8% profit margin in the most recent Q4 earnings call. It also projects 14.5% EPS growth over the next 12 months. It received a solid 69.79 Growth and 79.7 Quality scores on Benzinga Edge rankings. RACE was upgraded from Equal-Weight to Overweight by analysts at Barclays on March 28. The three most recent price targets from UBS, JP Morgan and Evercore indicate a potential upside of nearly 17% from present levels.

Valvoline Inc.

Valvoline Inc. VVV primarily sells oil and lubricants for cars and trucks through retail stores or its own chain of quick-service franchises, such as Jiffy Lube or Valvoline Instant Oil Change. Valvoline's fast service and products enable outsized profits, and its margins are some of the best in the auto repair industry.

Traders will notice a potential double bottom pattern forming on the VVV stock chart, as the price has now twice dropped back to the $35 level that served as resistance in January. The stock also has a 16.82 P/E ratio and expects to grow EPS figures by 18% over the next 12 months. And if consumers are going to hold onto their cars longer, they'll need to take better care of them, which means no longer ignoring that pesky every-3,000-mile oil change.

The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.

Selling tires isn't exactly a high margin business either, but Goodyear GT makes our list thanks to expectations of future cost reductions, recent analyst upgrades, and a high domestic production rate. And once again, if consumers hold onto their vehicles longer, replacing wear-and-tear parts like tires will become more imperative.

Goodyear received an upgrade from Deutsche Bank on the final day of March, plus a price target boost from $10 to $13, indicating a potential upside of 45%. Deutsche cited the company's chemicals division divestiture and sale of its off-road tires business as tangible cost-cutting measures. The stock trades at just 4.7 times forward earnings and 0.14 times sales. Benzinga Edge also gives GT an 89.90 Value score, as the stock price appears to be consolidating around the $9 mark. Look for shares to break out of their long-term range for the next leg up.

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