If you ordered a Mercedes Sprinter before April 2025, you locked in pricing from a different world. Twelve months later, the math on importing that same van has changed materially — and most DSP operators haven't updated their fleet replacement budgets to reflect it.
In April 2025, the U.S. government imposed Section 232 tariffs that raised import duties on foreign-manufactured vehicles and components from 2.5% to 27.5%, according to fleet consultancy Mike Albert Fleet Solutions. A separate Section 232 proclamation extended 25% tariffs to medium and heavy-duty vehicles across Class 3 through Class 8, effective November 1, 2025, as reported by law firm Clark Hill PLC. Together, those two actions affect most of the commercial cargo vans that DSP operators run.
Which Vans Are Exposed — and How Much
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is assembled in Germany and carries no USMCA protection. The full vehicle value is subject to elevated import duties. Mercedes-Benz has been absorbing the tariff impact to hold Model Year 2025 pricing steady, a position confirmed by Automotive News and communicated directly to U.S. dealers. But MY25 inventory is finite, and MY26 models are expected to reflect actual tariff costs. According to the ENR 1Q 2026 Cost Report, commercial vehicles are already seeing 9% to 12% MSRP increases driven by tariffs. Applied to a full-size Sprinter cargo van, that range represents a substantial per-unit addition that compounds quickly across a fleet replacement cycle.
The full-size Ram ProMaster is assembled at the Stellantis plant in Saltillo, Mexico, according to Gallatincdjr.com. Because it qualifies under USMCA, operators may be able to access partial tariff relief — procedures implemented in February 2026 by the U.S. Commerce Department, as detailed by Clark Hill PLC, allow tariffs on qualifying USMCA vehicles to be assessed only on non-U.S. content. The key variable is how much of the ProMaster's total value comes from non-U.S. parts and labor, and that number requires a direct inquiry to Stellantis or your fleet dealer to determine accurately.
The Ford Transit holds a different position. Ford assembles the Transit at its Kansas City Assembly Plant in Missouri, a domestic production site that qualifies for tariff exemption on the vehicle itself, as confirmed by Ford's own dealer communications. Parts sourcing still introduces some tariff exposure at the component level, but the total per-vehicle cost impact is significantly lower than for imported alternatives.
Supply Constraints Are Adding a Second Problem
Price increases don't tell the full story. Both Spacekap and fleet resource firm Pace Van Hire have reported that the commercial van shortage that plagued fleets in 2022 and eased by 2024 is beginning to re-emerge. Delivery timelines for customized Sprinter configurations are stretching to multiple months — and in some cases up to a year. The combination of tariff-driven cost increases and extended lead times is particularly damaging for operators who wait until a van fails before ordering its replacement. You can't run a route on a vehicle that hasn't shipped yet.
One More Variable: The ProMaster City Is Coming Back
Ram unveiled the 2027 ProMaster City at Work Truck Week 2026 in March. According to WardsAuto, the van will be built at a Stellantis joint venture facility in Bursa, Turkey. For operators considering smaller-cargo urban routes, that's a new tariff exposure variable to model into future acquisition planning — Turkey sits outside USMCA, so the same full-rate import duty math applies.
What This Means for Your Numbers
Fleet replacement is a capital decision that ripples through your cost-per-mile, depreciation schedules, and cash flow. The operators who track their van cycle — miles to replacement, maintenance cost curves, residual value by make — have the data to make a timing decision while options still exist. Those who don't are going to discover the new pricing at the moment they can least afford to negotiate: when an aging van has already failed and they need a replacement the same week.
The tariff environment that produced these numbers is unlikely to reverse in the near term. Operators who build the current cost structure into their replacement planning have more runway than those who absorb it as a surprise.
Sources: Mike Albert Fleet Solutions, Clark Hill PLC, Automotive News, ENR 1Q 2026 Cost Report, Gallatincdjr.com, Spacekap, Pace Van Hire, WardsAuto, Ford dealer communications (McGee Ford VT)