Against the backdrop of increasingly restricted imports of new cars and rising taxes and fees, Russian buyers are more actively looking for cars from China car sources...

According to Russian automotive expert Sergey Tselikov disclosed on his Telegram channel, in the first four months of 2026, Russia imported28,900 usedpassenger cars from China, a 2.4-fold increase from 12,000 in the same period last year and a year-on-year increase of 140%. This set of data is quite eye-catching in the Russian used car market and also shows a reality: against the background of increasingly restricted imports of new cars and rising taxes and fees, Russian buyers are more actively looking for cars from China car sources.

From the perspective of brand structure, not all the cars Russians bought from China were China brand cars. On the contrary, familiar faces such asVolkswagen, Audi, and Toyota aremore popular. Data shows that among the used cars imported from China in the first four months, Volkswagen ranked first;Audi 3654 cars followed closely; andToyota 3059 cars ranked third.There are also2266 Honda vehiclesand1910 BMW vehiclesbehind. This shows that the Russian market is more receptive to models that are "circulated in China but have high brand recognition," especially German and Japanese cars, which are still the most stable direction for transactions.

The share of used cars that truly belong to China brands is not high. Zelikov said that among the used passenger cars imported from China to Russia in the first four months, China brands accounted for less than 12.4%, totaling3660 vehicles. Among the brands with more presence are Haval, Jetta and Geely. This also reminds China exporters that the Russian market is now buying more "global models that are suitable for circulation in the China market, in condition and price," rather than just focusing on China's own brands.

From the perspective of models, Russian buyers 'preferences are still very clear: they must be familiar with the brand, but also be able to suppress the displacement and taxes.

The top ten most popular used car models in China are ranked as follows:

1. ToyotaCorolla-2136,

2. VolkswagenTayron-1988,

3. AudiQ3- 1574,

4. AudiA3- 1432,

5. VolkswagenTharu-1205,

6. VolkswagenGolf-1130 vehicles,

7. HyundaiElantra-1965 vehicles,

8. HondaVezel One 928 vehicles,

9. BMWX1- 875,

10. VolkswagenT-Roc-841.

It can be seen that Russian buyers still buy the most compact, urban-type and brand-recognized used cars.

It is worth noting that this round of increase in used cars from China is almost simultaneous with Russia's recent restrictions on high-horsepower models. According to reports, with the increase in "restrictive" recovery fees, Russia's imports of vehicles with more than 160 horsepower have directlyshrunk eightfoldin the first four months of 2026, leaving only 5400 vehicles. After high-power models are blocked out by taxes and fees, the market will naturally focus on models with small and medium-sized displacements, well-known brands, and easier prices. This also explains why cars like the Corolla, A3, and Vezel continue to be popular.

written in the end

Russia's imports of used cars from China have surged sharply. On the surface, demand has returned, but in fact, it is more like the result of a joint screening of taxes and supply structures: high-power cars have been suppressed, and models with high brand awareness and friendlier displacement have been pushed forward. For China exporters, this is not a market where "whoever has a car can sell it", but a market that is increasingly focused on product selection and accounting. Whoever can understand model positioning, displacement control, document compliance and arrival costs will be easier to stabilize the volume in Russia.

Source: Guangdong Good Car

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