Sri Lanka spent US$188 million on vehicle imports in September 2026, 34% less than in the same month last year — while the number of vehicles actually registered rose 18% over August.
The spending figure comes from the Central Bank’s external sector performance report for September, Hiru News reported on Monday morning. It covers private and commercial vehicle imports, and sits close to August’s US$189 million. The Daily FT puts the decline more precisely at 34.4%.
Over the nine months from January to September, total vehicle import spending reached US$1,871 million. The Daily FT sets that against merchandise imports of US$18.7 billion for the period — meaning vehicles accounted for roughly one rupee in every ten spent on imported goods.
The divergence
Registrations moved the other way. Citing JB Securities, both filings report that vehicle registrations rose from 45,811 in August to 54,214 in September, an increase of 18%. The month-on-month arithmetic confirms the figure: 54,214 against 45,811 is a rise of 18.3%.
The increase was driven mainly by two-wheelers and three-wheelers. Motorcycle registrations reached 38,747 in September, up from 33,498 in August, according to the Daily FT — which adds that 38,178 of those were brand-new vehicles.
Why the two numbers can move in opposite directions
Neither filing explains the divergence, and it is worth stating plainly that import spending and registrations measure different things at different moments. Spending records dollars leaving the country when a vehicle is brought in; registration records a vehicle entering service, which can happen weeks or months later and may draw on stock already landed.
A month in which cheaper vehicles — motorcycles rather than cars — make up most of the registrations will also show a low import bill alongside a high unit count. The composition reported here is consistent with that: motorcycles account for about 71% of September’s registrations.
Context
This desk reported on Sunday that Sri Lanka’s fuel import bill is on course for an all-time record despite monthly spending declining, drawn from the same Central Bank release. The rupee’s 6.8% year-to-date depreciation is also reported in that document.
Not reported
Neither filing gives the September 2025 base figure against which the 34% fall is calculated, breaks the US$188 million down by vehicle class, or states how many of the 54,214 registrations were of vehicles imported in prior months. No filing gives a registration figure for three-wheelers separately, though both name them as a driver of the increase.
