Used cars in Russia

Main article: Automotive market of Russia

2024

Mileage car sales up 19% for the year to reach ₽7 trillion

At the end of January 2025, a joint study by Gazprombank Avtolizing and the Avtostat agency showed an increase in the financial capacity of the used car market by 19% to ₽6,95 trillion in 2024.

According to the study, in 2024, ₽2 trillion was spent on the purchase of cars under the age of 5, which is 28.7% of the total. The share of such machines decreased by more than 3% compared to 2023.

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Фото: Freepik

The executive director of the Avtostat agency, Sergei Udalov, noted that the financial capacity of the secondary market set a new record for the ninth year in a row.

The cost of buying used cars increased by 19% due to an increase in the weighted average price by 13% and an increase in the volume of the secondary market by 6%, - explained Alexander Kornev, head of the importer department at Gazprombank Avtolizing.

Russians spent ₽2,19 trillion on cars aged 5 to 9 years, their share rose to 31.5%. The largest costs fell on cars over 10 years old - ₽2,76 trillion, their share reached 39.8%.

The costs of used cars of Chinese brands increased 2.3 times to ₽273,2 billion, their share increased from 2.1% to 3.9%. Russian brands increased their share from 7.5% to 9%, Korean - from 14.4% to 14.9%.

Crossovers and SUVs retained their leadership in costs in the secondary market - ₽3,31 trillion or 47.6% of the total. In second place are B-class cars with an indicator of ₽1,15 trillion and a share of 16.5%.

In the C- and D-class segment, costs amounted to ₽765 billion and ₽670,4 billion, respectively. These four segments accounted for about 85% of the total financial capacity of the market.

The share of Japanese brands decreased to 31.3%, European - to 35.5%, American - to 5.3%. ₽2,46 trillion were spent on the purchase of used European stamps, Japanese - ₽2,17 trillion, American - ₽368,5 billion. ��334,3 billion and ₽308,3 billion were spent on E-class and MPV cars, respectively, and ₽118,5 billion on F-class cars. The results of other segments amounted to less than ₽100 billion each.^[1]

Used car sales increased by 6% to 6 million cars

In 2024, more than 6 million cars were sold on the Russian secondary market of passenger cars, which is 6% more than a year earlier. This was announced on January 21, 2025 by the Avtostat agency.

The leader among brands is still domestic, Lada showing sales growth of 19% and reaching 1.5 million sold cars. The second place was taken, Toyota whose sales decreased by 8%, amounting to 619,546 cars. The third and fourth positions are held Kia Hyundai with an increase in sales volumes by 10% and 5%, respectively. The top five closes - Nissan this brand sold 282,667 cars, which is 5% less than a year earlier.

According to Avtostat, the main reason for the growth in sales was the increased cost of new cars. The increase in customs duties, the increase in logistics costs and components significantly affected prices. As a result, the average cost of used cars in 2024 amounted to ₽1,17 million, while in 2023 this figure was ₽1,04 million. In addition, reduced availability of new cars due to import restrictions and higher prices for new models contributed to an increase in demand for used cars.

Particularly significant growth was noted in December 2024. During this period, 522,890 cars were sold in the secondary market of Russia, which is 25% more than in December 2023. However, compared to November 2024, sales slightly decreased by 0.3%. The most popular in December was the Lada 2107 sedan, which retained its leadership among used cars.

Analysts note that in 2025, Russians are likely to own their current cars longer in anticipation of an improvement in the macroeconomic situation. This can lead to a decrease in sales in the secondary market by 3-5%.^[2]

"Twisting" by resellers of residual battery life in electric vehicles

A new fraud scheme has been identified on the Russian electric vehicle market - unscrupulous sellers began to adjust the indicators of the residual resource of traction batteries before selling. The use of special devices for data distortion was recorded in October 2024.

According to Avtostat, in the first half of 2024, 5164 used electric cars were sold in Russia, which is 10% more than in the same period in 2023. The largest market share is occupied by Nissan (37%) and Tesla (21%) brands.

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Фото: Freepik

Fraudsters use remotely controlled devices that temporarily overestimate the remaining battery capacity during the buyer's inspection of the car. After the transaction is completed, the equipment is turned off, and the real battery parameters, as a rule, are below 50% of the original capacity.

Such manipulations are most often recorded on Nissan Leaf electric vehicles, where information about the state of the battery is displayed directly on the dashboard. In the first half of 2024, 1885 cars of this model were resold.

Experts from the Union of Car Services emphasize that the battery is the most expensive component of an electric car and a key indicator of its wear and tear. Manipulations with residual resource indicators allow unscrupulous sellers to significantly overestimate the cost of used electric cars.

In June 2024, the aftermarket volume of electric vehicles decreased by 5% to 925 units compared to May, when 1111 cars were sold. Among the most popular models after Nissan Leaf are Tesla Model 3 (529 units), Zeekr 001 (341 units), Tesla Model Y (219 units) and Hongqi E-HS9 (186 units).

When buying a used electric car, experts recommend diagnosing the battery in specialized service centers to obtain objective data on its condition.^[3]

2023

Growth in exports of used cars from Chinese Suifenhe

In March 2023, through the experimental SEZ Suifenhe, the export of used cars from China to Russia is gaining momentum.

Sales growth in January-February by 16% to 868,257 cars

Sales of used cars in Russia in January - February 2023 increased by 16% compared to the same period last year. A total of 868,257 cars were sold. In total, in January - February, 634,485 foreign cars (+ 18%) and 233,772 Russian used cars (+ 10%) were sold in Russia.

35% of cars sold had their mileage twisted

The share of cars with twisted mileage of the total number of used cars sold in 2023 was 35%. This was reported in January 2024 by the Russian Automobile Dealers Association (ROAD). The damage to consumers is estimated at more than 600 billion rubles.

According to representatives of car sales sites, the share of cars with twisted mileage was highest in the Krasnodar Territory (24% of all secondary cars sold), as well as Samara, Chelyabinsk, and Rostov regions (23%). According to the vice-president of the National Automobile Union (NAS) Jan Heizeera, you can get on a car with twisted mileage both on the Internet site and at dealers.

The share of cars with twisted mileage was 35%

The likelihood of purchasing such a car in large cities is less than on the periphery, since local services do not have sufficient qualifications and diagnostic equipment, Heizeer added.

ROAD Association President Alexei Podshchekoldin also focused on the impact of mileage on price. For example, Renault Logan with a real mileage of 329 thousand kilometers could cost 300 thousand rubles cheaper than if its mileage corresponded to the declared one of 32.9 thousand km. For other cars, for example Audi A8, the difference in price due to mileage can be several million rubles. The total amount of damage to buyers, according to ROAD estimates, is 612 billion rubles.

At the same time, the managing director of Frank Auto, Irina Frank, believes that the share of cars with twisted mileage may be even greater, since in 2021 the mandatory maintenance at certified stations was canceled.

In general, thanks to the development of online services for checking cars, vehicles with non-real mileage, there are fewer, said MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS Russia To Moscow Petr Shkumatov, a member of the Public Council at the State University. He claims that earlier the number of such cars reached 100%, which is why even honest sellers had to twist the mileage, since it was impossible to sell the car differently.^[4]

2022

Reduction in sales of supported cars for the year by 18.8% to 4.86 million

In 2022, 4.86 million used cars were sold in Russia, which is 18.8% less than a year earlier. This is evidenced by the data of Avtostat, published in early February 2023.

The top three regions in terms of sales of used cars in 2022 included Moscow (303.1 thousand units; - 12.4% by 2021), Moscow region (299 thousand units; -18%) and Krasnodar Territory (251.4 thousand units; -16,9%).

The fourth largest in the country - the secondary market of St. Petersburg - decreased by 13.2% to 195.1 thousand units. The top five is closed by the Rostov region, whose residents in January - December purchased 145.6 thousand used cars (-14.5%).

Sales of used cars in Russia for the year decreased by 18.8%

Almost the entire top 30 regions leading in terms of the volume of the used car market ended 2022 with negative dynamics. The exception was only the Chechen Republic, whose secondary market in 2022 increased by 0.7%. The largest secondary market in 2022 fell in the Perm Territory (-26.1%).

In all other Russian regions, there is a fall in the secondary market, and in the vast majority it is expressed in double digits. The exception was only Dagestan (-0.4%), [[Kabardino-Balkar Republic |Кабардино-Балкария]] (-5,2%) и Karachay-Cherkessia (-8.8%), Primorsky Krai (-9.4%). The largest secondary market fell in Chukotka (-37.9%).

The main reasons for the fall in the used car market are the unstable political and economic situation in the country, people simply have no time for cars, Sergey Tselikov, head of Avtostat, explained to Forbes. And yet, in his opinion, the used car market feels more confident than the market for new cars.

According to the expert, the supply channels for new cars, interrupted with the beginning of the "special operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, have not been restored. There are practically no new cars, but there is a choice among used cars, so the demand has moved from new to used cars, he said in a conversation with the publication^[5]

Rise in prices for used cars amid sanctions over conflict in Ukraine

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