Russia’s used-car market is absorbing more Chinese vehicles as registrations of new Chinese-brand cars decline. From January through August 2026, 254,089 used Chinese cars changed hands, up 35.6% year on year, while 334,264 new Chinese-brand cars were registered, down 19.8%.
The shift is also visible in market share. Chinese brands accounted for 37.9% of new-car registrations in August, compared with 54.2% a year earlier. Their share of used-car registrations rose from 4.9% to 6.6%. Avtostat data puts Chinese brands’ used-market share at 5.8% in the first eight months of 2026, up from just over 2% in 2022; annual sales of used Chinese cars reached 283,000 in 2025, versus 103,000 in 2022.
Listings of Chinese cars aged three to seven on Avto.ru were 2.5 times higher in the first eight months of 2026 than a year earlier. By early September, they made up about 20% of listings in that age group. Some 69% were advertised for 1.5 million to 3 million rubles, compared with 41% of other foreign-brand cars of similar age. On Avito Auto, Chinese brands represented 27.6% of used-car listings during the first nine months; Geely, Haval and Changan were among the most common.
The article says the growing supply partly reflects cars bought during the 2022–2024 sales surge reaching replacement age. Russian media have also circulated claims that some owners are selling before warranty expiry because of transmission vibration or overheating after 60,000–80,000 km. Those reports cite a shared source and provide no survey or named expert, so the mechanical explanation is not verified. Buyers may also be concerned about parts and warranty support for brands that have left the market.