In Russia, prices for new cars have quadrupled over the past 14 years
The average price of a new car in Russia has more than quadrupled over the past 14 years, while the size of the auto market has halved. This was stated by Alexei Podshchekoldin, president of the Russian Automobile Dealers Association (ROAD).
According to him, in 2012, the average price of a new car was about 800,000 rubles, while by the end of the first half of 2026, it had reached 3.3 million rubles. At the same time, the annual volume of the Russian auto market decreased from nearly 3 million to approximately 1.5 million cars.
Podshchekoldin noted that high prices were the main reason for the drop in demand. Among the factors contributing to the rise in car prices, he cited the Russian Central Bank’s high key rate, the ruble exchange rate, VAT, the recycling fee, and logistics costs. According to him, shipping cars from China now costs five times as much and takes longer than previous shipments from Europe.
Sergey Tselikov, CEO of the analytical agency “Autostat,” stated that the Russian automotive market has already reached the limit of effective demand. In his opinion, the situation can only change if household incomes rise or prices fall.
Anton Shaparin, vice president of the National Automobile Union, also warned that the planned increase in the recycling fee by 2030 will make Chinese imported cars even less affordable for Russians. He noted that localizing the production of Chinese brands in Russia will require significant investment, which will also affect the cost of the vehicles.
Earlier, ROAD Vice President Andrei Petrenko stated that the Russian auto market is increasingly focused on domestic brands, and by 2030, imported cars could become a “luxury for the few.”
According to estimates by the dealers’ association, the affordability of new cars for the general public will continue to decline. While in 2014 it took about 30 average monthly salaries to purchase a new car, today it takes more than 40. ROAD predicts that by 2030, only 5–7% of Russia’s population will be able to afford new cars.
Source: The Moscow Times.
As a reminder, German automaker BMW stated that cars of its brand continue to be assembled in Russia without its permission. The company emphasized that such vehicles do not undergo official quality control or certification, and therefore urged buyers to be cautious.
Russian oil companies have asked Indian refineries to increase gasoline shipments to Russia. At least one shipment of Indian fuel is already on its way to Russia, with more expected to follow; however, Russian oil companies are requesting larger volumes, as they have lost about 40% of their refinery capacity due to drone attacks.
