In 2025, Russia's car market hit a record, with 6.2 million used vehicles sold—the highest figure in 19 years. Such sales numbers were last seen in 2014.
Several factors underlie this trend. The market for new vehicles dropped by 16%. New cars have become unaffordable for most Russians, with the average price reaching 3.3 million rubles—a historic high.
After 2022, international brands such as Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, and Ford left the Russian market. As a result, these brands are no longer officially sold, and there is no warranty or service support. However, demand remained, resulting in a surge of parallel imports—vehicles brought in from third countries.
In 2025 alone, around 500,000 cars entered Russia via this method, increasing their end price. The segment of Chinese cars has also expanded quickly—they now represent 60% of new sales, though often fall short in quality and reliability and are difficult to resell or maintain.
Lada remains the market leader for used vehicles, especially the 2107 model. More than 60% of cars sold are over 10 years old, reflecting the aging of Russia’s car fleet. Buyers are turning to older cars mainly due to limited access to auto loans: The average auto loan rate has reached 25%, while the Central Bank of Russia raised its key rate to 21%.
Banks have tightened borrower requirements further, so most cars are bought for cash or purchases are delayed altogether. Market activity is centered in the largest cities: Moscow, Moscow region, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar and Kaliningrad. In other regions, even buying a used car is becoming increasingly difficult due to lower incomes and logistics issues.
Chinese manufacturers continue to enter the Russian market, but their vehicles are often just as expensive as European or Japanese ones. Russian manufacturers, like AvtoVAZ, remain dependent on imported components, up to nearly 60% of the car's value.
Thus, the used car market is setting records, but this does not indicate growth—it’s a sign of economic difficulties in the country.