End-of-Life Tires (ELTs) are a global problem due to their slow decomposition, the high costs of managing this waste, reverse logistics and the environmental impacts generated by different disposal methods. However, even though Ecuador adopted an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) model for the management of ELTs, the results in the first years have been poor. An important limitation for the management of ELTs in Ecuador is the characteristics of the tire market. Specifically, although the country produces and exports tires, only 30% of the total tires circulating in the country are locally produced, while 70% are imported from other countries. In this research we used an econometric model to find the factors that affect tire imports in Ecuador, considering that most of the supply is imported. Our findings show that economic growth and the number of imported vehicles maintain a positive relationship with the level of exports. On the other hand, the vehicle price index and the price of Chinese tire imports are variables that negatively influence the number of imported tires in Ecuador. These results can be useful for the development of policies that improve the results of the national model for the management of ELTs.