Used Motor Vehicle Parts Wholesalers NAICS 423140

Unlock access to the full platform with more than 900 industry reports and local economic insights.
Get access to this Industry Profile including 18+ chapters and more than 50 pages of industry research.
Industry Summary
The 1,400 used motor vehicle parts wholesalers in the US purchase used and damaged vehicles, dismantle them, and resell the related parts. Major revenue categories include used automotive parts, accessories, and equipment; and new and rebuilt automotive parts and supplies. Firms may also offer generic auto parts and supplies, refurbished parts, or warranties. Some companies offer related services, such as towing or repair.
Uneven Supply
Supply of salvaged vehicles varies over time and firms face increasing competition for vehicles from overseas buyers.
Dependence On Auto Industry And Driving Trends
The used motor vehicle parts industry is dependent on vehicle accidents and mechanical failures to both drive demand for replacement parts and provide a source of supply for recycled and refurbished parts.
Recent Developments
Jul 22, 2025 - Top Tire Distributor Shedding Customers
- American Tire Distributors (ATD), one of the largest wholesale distributors of tires in the US, is finding little relief after reorganizing and emerging from bankruptcy late last year. The tire and wheel aftermarket industry has struggled mightily in the past year - low demand as consumers look for cheaper tires, supply chain disruptions brought on by a US trade war, and increased labor and product costs. Retailers like Advanced Auto Parts are closing hundreds of stores, while distributors like ATD filed for bankruptcy, and still others closed shop altogether. ATD customers continue to drop the distributor, even after it emerged from Chapter 11, spurred by an ill-advised operational expansion after the tire market boomed post-Covid in 2021. ATD had already lost Goodyear in 2018, and now Michelin North America followed suit, pulling popular tire brands such as Michelin, BFGoodrich, and Uniroyal from ATD’s network.
- After the Trump administration’s 25% tariff on imported auto parts went into effect in late April, the government altered the levies to soften price shock and give the industry more time to adjust. The new auto part tariffs offer a partial reimbursement to manufacturers during the next two years if the final assembly of an automobile is in the US, regardless of the parts’ origin. The rebate will be 3.5% relative to the sales price for domestically assembled vehicles for the first year, and then fall to 2.5% for the second year. It also prevents secondary tariffs on other products, like aluminum and steel, from stacking up on an automaker. Despite this, automobile cost hikes will still be significant due to the tariffs, anywhere from $2,000 for the least impacted cars up to $15,000 for the most, according to an Anderson Economic Group analysis.
- Struggling retailer Advanced Auto Parts is aggressively moving on a corporate restructuring in early 2025 to turn around years of floundering sales and ranking fourth among its competitors. Its closing of 700 corporate-owned and independent stores represents 10% of corporate locations and 20% of indies. It is also closing four distribution centers and simplifying its supply chain from big distribution hubs to smaller regional hubs in order to get the vast amount of parts the company must carry to customers as quickly as possible. With recession worries looming, auto parts retailers typically benefit from consumers putting off new car purchases in favor of repairing a current vehicle. But the ping-ponging tariff war between the US and its North American neighbors is a wild card that could increase costs and blunt any gain to be had in the auto parts industry.
- With the Trump administration's trade policies and tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico, the automotive market anticipates significant disruption and price hikes in 2025 as a result. There is no such thing as an automobile fully made in the US. Virtually all cars contain parts from Mexico and Canada, and billions of dollars worth of auto merchandise crosses North American borders every year. Industry analysts expect tariffs to increase a car’s price by an average of $3,000, which encourages consumers to keep their current autos longer. That bodes well for the used car parts and repair industries, but even they will have to deal with price increases given that many car parts are imported.
Industry Revenue
Used Motor Vehicle Parts Wholesalers

Industry Structure
Industry size & Structure
The average used motor vehicle parts wholesaler operates out of a single location, employs 16 workers, and generates $10.6 million annually.
- The used motor vehicle part wholesale industry consists of 1,400 firms that employ about 22,900 workers and generate about $14.9 billion annually.
- The industry is somewhat fragmented; the top 50 companies account for 64% of industry revenue.
- Large companies with auto salvage operations include LKQ and Schnitzer Steel (doing business as Radius Recycling).
- While some large companies have operations in foreign countries, Internet trading allows firms of all sizes to buy and sell used motor vehicles for parts from almost any location.
Industry Forecast
Industry Forecast
Used Motor Vehicle Parts Wholesalers Industry Growth

Vertical IQ Industry Report
For anyone actively digging deeper into a specific industry.
50+ pages of timely industry insights
18+ chapters
PDF delivered to your inbox