The share of hybrids and electric cars in Russia may grow to 5% by the end of the year.

By the end of 2025, the share of electric vehicles and hybrids in the Russian market may grow to 5%. This was stated by Alexander Nikonov, CEO of Avilon AG, according to a correspondent of Izvestia from a press conference on April 17.

"This segment starts to grow exponentially when its share becomes 10%. According to our estimates, the share of hybrids and electric vehicles in Russia will be 4-5% this year, and this is already a lot. But the potential is very high," Nikonov said.

In 2024, compared with 2023, the share of electrified cars in the Russian market increased threefold. In the first quarter of 2025, sales of such cars did not decrease compared to the same period last year, while the entire Russian car market sank by 25%, he noted.

Hybrids and electric vehicles are chosen and bought for their dynamic qualities, as well as innovation and efficiency, despite their high price. Hybrid cars are now in demand in Russia more than fully electric ones, the top manager shared.

"We are investing in this area, even though it is not profitable. It's not about money. It's about customer segment retention, innovation, and prospects. After increasing the market share to 10%, explosive growth begins, because many buyers stop being afraid," he noted and pointed out that there are already more than 3,000 charging stations in Moscow, and transport tax benefits apply to such cars in more than 30 regions of the Russian Federation.

According to the analytical agency Autostat, by the end of 2024, 62.8 thousand new hybrid passenger cars were sold in the Russian Federation. This is 2.9 times more than a year earlier. Last year, hybrids accounted for 4% of all new passenger cars sold in the Russian Federation, in 2023 this figure was half (2%).

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Why has the purchasing activity of Russians decreased?

The day before, it was reported that the BMW X5 crossover became the most sought-after used car among premium brands in Russia. BMW also became the most popular brand in the segment, followed by Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Audi and Land Rover (5.6%).

Also on this day, it became known that, as dealers and analysts said, up to 10 Chinese car brands may leave the Russian market in 2025. In their opinion, the brands Oting, Kaiyi, SWM, Livan, VGV and MG were in the risk zone.