From January to September 2026, Russia imported a total of approximately 635,300 new and used cars. Among them, 334,300 used cars were imported and 301,000 new cars were imported. Imports of used cars exceed new cars...

According to data released by Sergey Udalov, executive director of Russian automobile analysis agency Avtostat, at the CarX 2026 Forum, from January to September 2026, Russia imported a total of approximately 635,300 new and used cars. Among them, 334,300 used cars were imported and 301,000 new cars were imported. The import volume of used cars exceeds that of new cars. This structure is particularly worthy of attention for China used car exporters.

The import of new cars was 301,000, a year-on-year increase of 25%, and 70% came from China

Data shows that Russia imported a total of approximately 301,000 new passenger cars in the first three quarters of 2026, a year-on-year increase of 25%.

In terms of brand, Geely has become the brand with the largest import volume; but in terms of a single model, the Mazda CX-5 ranks first.

From the perspective of source countries, China is still the absolute main force in Russia's new car imports, accounting for 70.9% of all new car imports, or about 213,000 vehicles.

Ranked second is Kyrgyzstan, accounting for 18%, with approximately 54,000 vehicles. Belarus ranks third, accounting for 3.1%, with approximately 9300 vehicles.

The fact that Kyrgyzstan accounts for such a high proportion is mainly related to the trade pattern in which some China cars have been transferred to Russia through Kyrgyzstan in recent years.

Imports of used cars were 334,300 units, a year-on-year increase of 4%, with Japan still the largest source

In terms of used cars, Russia imported a total of 334,300 used passenger cars in the first three quarters of 2026, a year-on-year increase of 4%.

The import volume of used cars not only continues to grow, but also the total volume has exceeded the import of new cars during the same period.

In terms of brand, Toyota is the most popular brand among Russian used car imports, and the best-selling single model is the Toyota Corolla.

From the perspective of source countries, the geographical structure of used car imports is completely different from that of new cars.

Japan remains Russia's largest supplier of used cars, accounting for 57.5%, or approximately 192,000 vehicles. China ranks second, accounting for 25.2%, with approximately 84,000 vehicles. South Korea ranked third, accounting for 7.6%, with approximately 25,000 vehicles.

Japan has long been an important source of Russian used car imports, especially Japanese right-hand steering cars entering the Russian market in large numbers through the Far East. The Toyota brand's reputation among Russian used car consumers and its parts supply system are relatively mature, which is an important reason why it continues to rank first in used car imports.

As the second largest source country, China accounts for about a quarter of the total. This ratio itself shows that the Russian used car market's acceptance of China's car sources continues to increase.

Russia's new car market has generally recovered, with sales increasing by 7.2% in the first three quarters

From the overall market perspective, from January to September 2026, sales of new passenger cars in Russia reached 960,100 units, a year-on-year increase of 7.2%.

The recovery of the market has provided demand support for import growth. The 25% growth rate of new car imports is significantly faster than the 7.2% growth rate of overall sales, indicating that the proportion of imported cars in new car sales in Russia is still increasing.

Although the year-on-year growth rate of 4% in used car imports is lower than the growth rate of new car imports, the absolute number has exceeded the import of new cars, indicating that Russian consumers still have strong demand for second-hand imported cars with more advantageous prices.

written in the end

This set of data sends several signals to China's used car export practitioners.

First, Russia's used car import market is already large. There were 334,000 vehicles in the first three quarters, and it is expected that the whole year may approach or exceed 450,000 vehicles. This is a real and growing market.

Second, China is already Russia's second largest source of used cars, accounting for more than 25%. This shows that China's car sources already have certain recognition and channel foundation in the Russian market, and are not starting from scratch.

Third, Japanese cars still dominate Russia's second-hand car imports. Models like the Toyota Corolla rely on long-term accumulation of ownership, parts supply and maintenance convenience. If China wants to further increase its share of used cars, in addition to price advantages, the construction of after-sales parts and maintenance networks is equally important.

Fourth, we must pay attention to the continuous changes in the cost of Russia's import policy. The combination of factors such as increased recovery fees and stricter export management means that profit margins may be gradually compressed. Just because you can do it now does not mean you can do it at the same cost next year.

Overall, the Russian used car market is still worth continuing to operate, but practitioners need to gradually shift from being able to sell as soon as they own cars to refined operations: choose the right model, control costs, do a good job in after-sales, and manage risks.

Source: Guangdong Good Car

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