Carmakers use stealth price hikes to cope with Trump’s tariffs

The trade war is already boosting US auto prices, often in ways nearly invisible to consumers.

The average sale price for a new car jumped 2.5% in April, the steepest monthly increase in five years, according to the Kelley Blue Book car buying guide.

Car buyers racing to get ahead of President Trump’s tariffs face an uncomfortable truth — the trade war is already boosting US auto prices, often in ways nearly invisible to consumers.

The sticker price on a particular make and model may not have changed, at least not yet. But automakers have been quietly cutting rebates and limiting cheap financing deals, adding hundreds of dollars to buyers’ monthly payments even as the companies say they’re holding the line on pricing.

Several have boosted delivery charges — a fee everyone must pay when