The auto expert called the consequences of lowering the key rate for the market

Reducing the key rate by one percentage point will not significantly affect the current situation in the Russian automotive market, but it gives hope for a revival of sales by the end of the year. Maxim Kadakov, the editor-in-chief of Za Rulem magazine, told Izvestia about this on June 6.

"This will not fundamentally change the situation in the automotive market. The decrease is not that noticeable. However, this decision may give hope for a further reduction in the key rate — in this case, it is likely that sales of new cars will "revive" closer to the autumn of this year," Kadakov said.

On June 6, the Central Bank announced a reduction in the key rate to 20%. Before that, the last change in the indicator occurred at the end of October last year, when the Central Bank raised the rate from 19% to 21%, and it reached a historical record.

They are tired: why car sales are falling in Russia

Which brands are gaining popularity in Russia

On June 4, it became known that by the end of May 2025, 91.2 thousand new passenger cars were sold in Russia, which is 28.3% less than in the same month last year. Lada accounted for 28% of the market at the end of spring, which in quantitative terms amounts to 25.6 thousand copies sold.

Lada Granta led the Russian car market among all models in May. In the last month of spring, 12 thousand Granta machines were sold, including those produced on its basis. This is 35.1% less than a year ago. Also in May, the Lada Niva Legend model entered the top three best-selling crossovers and SUVs in Russia (the SUV segment) for the first time in 13 months.