Chasing the air: what is happening in the used car market
The used car market sank after the new car market after months of growth. In February, less than 400,000 used cars were sold. In addition, buyers began to be interested in cheaper cars — "Sevens", "Matiz" and the like. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
The decline has begun
Sales of used cars began to decline in February after months of growth. In March last year, they increased to 500 thousand units and continued to be at this level, and in October they briefly increased to 600 thousand. The market continued to grow in January 2025, although sales fell below 500,000. In the first month of the year, 420.3 thousand used cars were sold, one third more than in January 2025. In February, sales decreased by 5.5% compared to January and returned to the level of the end of winter 2023-2024.
In total, according to the analytical agency Autostat, 397,103 cars were sold, which is only 0.6% less than in February 2024. All brands from the top 10 were in the red, including Lada, which nevertheless remains the undisputed leader of the segment with a mileage of 105,967 cars (-4.7%). The top 3 popular foreign brands also brought no surprises — Toyota (42.4 thousand), Kia (21.1 thousand) and Hyundai (20.7 thousand). Also included in the list of the most popular brands in February were Nissan, VW, Chevrolet, Renault, Ford and Honda.
Toyota, the leader among foreign cars, simultaneously shows a serious drop in sales — minus 7.9% compared to last month and minus 7.1% compared to last year. Kia and Hyundai sank less — by 6.7 and 5.7% compared to January and by 0.9 and 3.2% compared to last year.
From the "Seven" to the "Camry"
The Lada 2107 sedan has held the title of the leader in the segment of used cars since last year — 9825 units. In second place is the Lada 2114 hatchback from the Samara family. Kia Rio and Hyundai Solaris are in third and fourth places with very similar figures — 7698 and 7636 cars, respectively.According to Autostat, the list of the most popular models for February also includes the classic Niva 4x4, Lada Priora, Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla, Lada Granta, Toyota Camry.
The Camry sedan, which closes the top ten, is the largest, most expensive and most prestigious car among the best-selling models on the secondary market. It also sank more than others in February compared to January — 8.6%. Sales of more affordable models did not decrease as much over the same period. Lada 2107 lost 1.7%, Kia Rio — 3.6%, and Hyundai Solaris — 2.5%, and compared to February 2024, all these models even turned out to be in the black. Until recently, the Ford Focus was the leader of the secondary segment, but now it is losing ground and, according to the results of last month, took only seventh place.
Metropolitan chic
The main volume of the used car market is occupied by age-related cars, mainly made in Russia. According to the NAPI marketing agency, which counted used cars by region and taking into account the year of manufacture, the top 5 popular cars on the "secondary market", minus the Moscow region and St. Petersburg, almost entirely consist of 13-17-year-old Prior.
In Moscow, the situation is different: according to the results of two months, there is not a single model of the Volga Automobile Plant in the top five. The first place is taken by the fifteen-year-old Daewoo Matiz, which is popular with couriers. The other four are relatively fresh, four—year-old Toyota Camry, Kia K5, Kia Rio and Mercedes-Benz GLE. However, sales of these five models, according to NAPI estimates, do not exceed thousands of units and are lost against the background of the total market volume.
"Most of it is junk"
There are fewer and fewer cars in good condition on the secondary market, Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem, told Izvestia.
— For example, Ford Focus cars have disappeared from large cities and disappeared into small towns and villages. Cars age, gradually drop out and settle down with the last owners," Kadakov explained.
Moreover, over the past year, a huge number of cars have appeared on the market in terrible condition, the expert notes.
— You can still find Samaras and Sevens in good condition on sale, but most of them are junk for 50-100 thousand rubles, which has started to move. They add volume to the market, but it's an empty volume. This is the air that is being driven around the market, and no one profits from it, neither the market nor the budget. Dealers don't deal with them, because you can't make money on such a car," said Maxim Kadakov.
— There are almost a third of Zhiguli cars in the fleet, they are the most massive. They are bought not because people like them, but because they are affordable and maintainable. Matiz can also be bought cheaply. New cars are becoming more expensive, and for many, buying a used car is the only possible option," said Igor Morzharetto, partner at Autostat.
According to him, there is currently a shortage of relatively "fresh" cars aged 3-7 years. This was due to the fact that the average tenure increased from 4.5 to seven years.
The market is refocusing on budget models, says Irina Frank, CEO of Frank Auto.
— The sagging Toyota Camry is most likely caused by rising prices for the premium segment. The 2021-2022 Toyota Camry in Moscow costs from 3.5 million rubles, almost like its new Chinese counterparts. In general, a trend has emerged: in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the demand for compact foreign cars (Kia Rio, Hyundai Solaris) is growing, while old Lada cars dominate in the regions. This confirms the hypothesis: Russians are more likely to choose cheap cars, but in large cities their preferences are shifting to "young" foreign cars from 2018-2021," said Irina Frank.
Why are sales declining
The decrease in sales of used cars in February 2025 compared to January is due, according to Irina Frank, to several factors. Firstly, seasonality played a role - after the New Year's rush, demand traditionally decreases. Secondly, the average cost of used cars in dealerships increased to 2.12 million rubles (+8% per month), which forced many to postpone the purchase of a car.
— Of course, many citizens are expecting lower prices — the strengthening of the ruble has raised hopes for cheaper cars, especially imported ones. Further dynamics depend on pricing policy: if dealers reduce margins, demand will stabilize, Irina Frank believes.
The used car market has been slowing down since February, said Roman Titov, Deputy General Director of Avilon AG for used cars.
— March traditionally shows higher rates compared to January and February, but this year the situation is different. A number of factors influence the decline in sales. The main one is the high key interest rate, which has led to an increase in the cost of loans. Currently, loans for supported cars are issued at 30-33% per annum. At the same time, we expect a slight increase in prices for used cars. This is due to the fact that the number of high—quality used cars on the market is decreasing - for more than three years it has not been replenished in sufficient volume with such cars, which leads to a decrease in supply. As the demand for such cars increases, their cost will increase," said Roman Titov.
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