MTD Exclusive: PLT Brand Market Shares Today vs. 10, 20 Years Ago

Feb. 4, 2020

Approximately 30 brands – or more specifically, their manufacturers – shipped enough units in 2019 to qualify for positions on Modern Tire Dealer’s latest U.S. Replacement Passenger Tire Brand Market Share list, which appears in MTD’s recently published 2020 Facts Issue. Of those 30, the four highest ranking brands – Goodyear, Michelin, Bridgestone and Firestone – have a combined share of more than 35% of the replacement passenger tire segment.wenty-eight brands qualified for MTD’s 2019 U.S. Replacement Light Truck Tire Brand Market Share list, which also appears in MTD’s 2020 Facts Issue. Both lists are pictured to the left.

In both categories – passenger and light truck – brands must have at least 1% of the market, in terms of shipments, to be listed.

10 years ago 

How do today’s lists compare to market share numbers that MTD published 10 years ago? In 2009, the “top 10” replacement passenger tire brands in the U.S., according to MTD’s 2010 Facts Issue, were:

  • Goodyear (14.5%)
  • Michelin (8.5%)
  • Bridgestone (7.5%)
  • Firestone (7.5%)
  • BFGoodrich (5%)
  • Cooper (4.5%)
  • Hankook (4.0%)
  • General (3.5%)
  • Kumho (3.0%)
  • Uniroyal (3.0%)

Rounding out that year’s list – in descending order – were: Falken (2.5%), Toyo (2.5%), Yokohama (2.5%), Continental (2%), Dayton (2%), Dunlop (2%), Hercules (2%), Multi-Mile (2%), Cordovan (1.5%), Mastercraft (1.5%), Pirelli (1.5%), Sigma (1.5%), Big O (1%), Delta (1%), Douglas (1%), Fuzion (1%), Kelly (1%), Nitto (1%), Sears (1%) and Sumitomo (1%.) In the case of a percentage “tie,” brands were listed alphabetically.

Ten years ago, the “top 10” replacement light truck tire brands were:

  • Goodyear (12%)
  • BFGoodrich (9%)
  • Bridgestone (8%)
  • Michelin (7%)
  • Cooper (6%)
  • Firestone (6%)
  • Multi-Mile (5%)
  • Toyo (4%)
  • General (3.5%)
  • Yokohama (3.5%)

The rest? Hankook (3%), Cordovan (2.5%), Kumho (2.5%), Uniroyal (2.5%), Kelly (2%), Mastercraft (2%), Dayton (1.5%), Hercules (1.5%), Pirelli (1.5%), Big O (1%), Continental (1%), Delta (1%), Dunlop (1%), Falken (1%), Laramie (1%), Maxxis (1%), Sears (1%) and Sigma (1%.)

20 years ago

Approximately two decades ago, the “top 10” U.S. replacement passenger tire brands – as published in the MTD’s 2000 Facts Issue – were:

  • Goodyear (15.5%)
  • Firestone (10.5%)
  • Michelin (7.5%)
  • BFGoodrich (5%)
  • Cooper (5%)
  • Sears (4.5%)
  • General (4%)
  • Bridgestone (3.5%)
  • Kelly (3.5%)
  • Multi-Mile (3%)

Dayton (2.5%), Uniroyal (2.5%), Cordovan (2%), Dunlop (2%), Hercules (2%), Delta (1.5%), Kumho (1.5%), Mastercraft (1.5%), Toyo (1.5%), Yokohama (1.5%), Big O (1%), Continental (1%), Cornell (1%), Hankook (1%), Laramie (1%), Lee (1%), National (1%) and Pirelli (1%) rounded out the rest of the list.

On the replacement light truck tire side, the top brands in the year 1999 were:

  • Goodyear (12.5%)
  • BFGoodrich (8.5%)
  • Firestone (8.5%)
  • Cooper (6%)
  • Michelin (6%)
  • Multi-Mile (5.5%)
  • Bridgestone (5%)
  • General (5%)
  • Kelly (4.5%)
  • Sears (4%)
  • Cordovan (4%)

They were followed by Mastercraft (2.5%), Uniroyal (2.5%), Dayton (2.5%), Dunlop (2%), Toyo (2%), Delta (1.5%), Lee (1.5%), Pirelli (1.5%), Yokohama (1.5%), Big O (1%), Eldorado (1%), Hercules (1%), Laramie (1%), National (1%) and Remington (1%.)

Stay tuned for more exclusive data from MTD's 2020 Facts Issue!