Russia imported approximately 32,600 used passenger vehicles in March 2026, a 9% year-on-year increase, with imports via China increasing by 115% year-on-year…
According to Russian media outlet Profile, Russia imported approximately 32,600 used passenger vehicles in March 2026, a 9% year-on-year increase.
The market growth was mainly driven by changes in import routes: used car imports via China increased by 115% year-on-year, while imports via Belarus increased by 94%; however, imports from South Korea experienced a precipitous decline, decreasing by 66% year-on-year, equivalent to a reduction of two-thirds.
Sergey Tserlikov, head of the automotive data agency Avtost, disclosed that in March, Japan remained the dominant source of used cars entering Russia, accounting for approximately 59.9% of “foreign brands”; China ranked second at 19.7%; South Korea’s share dropped to 7.2%; followed by Belarus (4.9%) and Georgia (3.2%). In terms of brands, Russian statistics show that the top-ranked imported used cars in March were Toyota (22.6%), Honda (20.7%), Volkswagen (9.9%), Suzuki (5.6%), and BMW (4.2%).
Specifically, the report highlighted popular models including the Toyota Corolla (1109 units), Volkswagen Tayron (551 units), Audi Q3 (422 units), Hyundai Elantra (329 units), and Audi A3 (323 units). Right-hand drive vehicles, long popular in Russia, are still dominated by Japanese models. The most imported right-hand drive vehicles in March were the Honda Freed (1707 units), Honda Stepwgn (1464 units), Honda Fit (1237 units), Corolla (1109 units), and Suzuki Jimny (1060 units). It is worth noting that structural changes are underway. Tserkov noted that among the top-selling brands, Volkswagen saw the largest year-on-year increase (+145%), followed by Suzuki (+85%); however, imports of brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Kia declined by over 40%.
Russia attributes this change to the tightening of the preferential scrap tax policy—from December 1, 2025, Russia’s preferential scrap tax for vehicles imported by individuals will only apply to models with engine power not exceeding 160 horsepower; exceeding this threshold will be subject to a higher commercial scrap tax, directly altering the import costs of high-powered vehicles.
Profile also mentioned that Russian President Putin had previously stated that the increase in the scrap tax “may not be a permanent measure.” However, for business people, whether a policy is “temporary” is often less important than its “current implementation”—at least based on March data, 160 horsepower has indeed become a watershed affecting the import structure.
According to Russian statistics, Russia imported nearly 66,000 vehicles in March (including new and used cars), with Geely and Toyota ranking among the most popular models.
