Russia imported approximately 32,600 used passenger cars in March 2026, a year-on-year increase of 9%. The import of used cars entering the country through China increased by 115% year-on-year...

According to Russian media "Profile", Russia imported approximately 32,600 used passenger cars in March 2026, a year-on-year increase of 9%. The market increase mainly comes from "channel changes": imports of used cars entering through China increased by 115% year-on-year, and imports through Belarus increased by 94%; while imports of used cars from South Korea experienced a cliff-like decline, a year-on-year decrease of 66%, equivalent to "shrinking by two-thirds."

Sergey Telikov, head of the automotive data agency "А в т о с т ат", disclosed that Japan is still the absolute main force in the source country structure of used cars entering Russia in March, accounting for about 59.9% of the "foreign brands";China ranked second, accounting for 19.7%;South Korea' s share dropped to 7.2%; followed byBelarus (4.9%) andGeorgia(3.2%).

At the brand level, Russian statistics show that Toyota (22.6%), Honda (20.7%), Volkswagen (9.9%), Suzuki (5.6%) and BMW (4.2%) ranked top in used car imports in March. In terms of specific models, the popular cars named in the report include Toyota Corolla (1109), Volkswagen Tayron (551), Audi Q3 (422), Hyundai Elantra (329) and Audi A3 (323). The right-hand steering cars that have long been popular in Russia are still dominated by Japanese models. The most imported right-hand steering models in March were Honda Freed (1707 vehicles), Honda Stepwgn (1464 vehicles), Honda Fit (1237 vehicles), Corolla (1109 vehicles) and Suzuki Jimny (1060 vehicles).

It is worth noting that structural changes are taking place. Telikov mentioned that among the brands with the top import volume, Volkswagen had the largest year-on-year growth (+145%), and Suzuki also had significant growth (+85%); but imports of brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Kia fell by more than 40%. Russia attributes this change to the tightening of the "preferential scrapping tax" policy-starting from December 1, 2025, Russia's preferential scrapping tax on vehicles imported by individuals from abroad will only apply to vehicles with engine power of no more than 160 horsepower; Beyond this threshold, a higher commercial scrapping tax will apply, and the cost difference directly changes the import ledger of high-power models.

The "Profile" also mentioned that Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously stated that the increase in scrapping tax "may not be a permanent measure." But for business people, whether a policy is "temporary" is often not as important as the "current implementation"-at least from March data, 160 horsepower has truly become a watershed affecting the import structure.

According to Russian statistics, Russia imported a total of nearly 66,000 cars (including new and used cars) in March, with Geely and Toyota at the top of the list of popular models.

written in the end

The signal behind this data is clear: the significant increase in imports from China indicates that the value of the channel is rising; and the 160-horsepower threshold has squeezed the profit margin of a number of high-power models. For China's second-hand car exporters, if they target the Russian market, the next thing that will be easier to run may be models with power stuck within the policy line, transparent vehicle conditions, and clean procedures. For high-end, large-displacement routes, taxes and terminal affordability must be re-calculated, and old account books should not be used to create new markets.

Source: Guangdong Good Car

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