Time to resell: why the love of cars from China has been living for three years
Russians are trying to sell a Chinese car before it turns three years old. Half of the used market is accounted for by "three-year-olds," according to data from the analytical agency Autostat. Izvestia found out whether this indicates disappointment in the Chinese car industry.
Sales of Chinese used cars increased by 44% in five months, to almost 100,000 units, said Sergey Tselikov, General Director of Autostat. Half of this number (49.8%) is accounted for by cars under three years of age. Geely (17.3%), Chery (17.2%), Haval (17.1%), Changan (8.4%) and Exeed (7.8%) cars are most often sold before the age of three. The leaders in resale sales are Haval Jolion, Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max and Geely Monjaro.
Chinese "yearlings"
According to Tselikov, this is due to the fact that many owners of Chinese cars try to replace them with new ones before the end of the warranty period. However, not everyone wants to wait three years. The CEO of Autostat told Izvestia that in five months more than a thousand almost new Haval Jolion crossovers, more than 600 Geely Monjaro, as well as almost 500 Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max and Lixiang L7 produced in 2024-2025 were resold. At the same time, according to the agency's analysts, the average ownership period of Lada cars is 8.3 years, other mass—produced brands — 7.4 years, and premium cars - 5.7 years.
— We see that people are disappointed in such cars because they sell them with a fairly low mileage. That's a fact. Otherwise, what's the point of selling a new car that's driven 30,000 miles? [km], — says Anton Shaparin, Vice-president of the National Automobile Union (NAS). He also drew attention to the "huge number" of offers for the assignment of leasing or for the sale of a loan car.
— Of course, many "do not export". In addition, many people realize that in modern cities it is less and less convenient to operate a car. If you live in a "human house" where you can't park a car, then why do you need it in principle? Many people who move into new apartments decide to kill two birds with one stone: sell the car, which can no longer be used, and partially close the mortgage payment, Shaparin notes.
He drew attention to the fact that there is not much demand for such cars, as often used cars are not much more expensive than new ones, taking into account discounts.
Parallel window of opportunity
Cars from Chinese manufacturers are being radically updated, while not becoming more expensive, says Vadim Chernousov, director of the Rolf Used Cars Department. This also affects the renewal of the park.
— The buyers are obviously not disappointed in the Chinese cars. Specifically, it is not the quality of cars or the country of origin that has the greatest impact on current supply and demand, but the exchange rate difference, which means that cars that can be imported in parallel, new or used, have actually become cheaper by almost 30%. This is a window of opportunity to improve the class of a future car for the same money," the expert said.
How Chinese cars are getting cheaper
Alexander Kornev, head of the Importer Department at Gazprombank Automotive Leasing, notes a significant loss in price, which is why Chinese models are trying to sell earlier than other foreign cars.
The purchase of a new car from China can no longer be considered as an investment due to the noticeable loss of value in the "secondary market". In "Auto.<url>" calculated specifically for Izvestia: only in the period from January to May 2025, the average cost of popular Chinese crossovers in the segment of used cars decreased by 8 to 15%.
Thus, Haval Jolion aged up to two years fell in price by 8.2%, from 2 million to 1.8 million rubles. Chery Tiggo 7 Pro — by 7.6%, from 2.2 million to 2 million, Geely Monjaro — by 10%, from 3.8 million to 3.4 million rubles. The premium hybrid Lixiang L7 dropped by one million in five months, from 7.4 million to 6.3 million rubles (minus 15%). In the three- to five-year segment, the same cars are expected to have lost more noticeably in price. Thus, Jolion on average fell in price by 12.5%, from 1.9 million to 1.6 million rubles, Tiggo 7 Pro — by 8.8%, from 1.9 million to 1.7 million rubles, Geely Monjaro — by 12.9%, from 2.9 million to 2.5 million rubles.
The rapid "devaluation" of Chinese brands compared to Japanese or Korean ones is one of the factors encouraging some owners to sell earlier, before the cost drops too much, according to Irina Frank, CEO of Frank Auto. However, this factor is closely related to other reasons, such as guarantees and loans.
Explosive growth and leasing
Although Irina Frank acknowledges cases of individual owners' disappointment, for example, with the quality of cars or service, she explains the massive appearance of cars on the secondary market at the age of two or three years primarily by the explosive growth of primary sales and the planned renovation of corporate fleets.
— After the departure of many Western brands, Chinese brands have taken the lion's share of the market. Naturally, after one or three years, a significant part of these cars begins to appear en masse on the "secondary market". The more new ones were bought, the more they are being resold now. The role of corporate sales and leasing is especially important. Many companies and leasing operators upgrade their fleets precisely after a period of two to three years: the warranty period ends, the lease period ends, and the car still retains its marketable appearance and residual value. This is a global practice for business parks," Irina Frank said.
Since 2022, about 2 million passenger cars from China have been sold in Russia.
"Not because we trust"
There is nothing surprising in the fact that Jolion was in the first place, it is the best-selling Chinese car in our market, says Igor Morzharetto, partner of Autostat.
— If you look at the secondary market in general, half of all cars there will be Lada. Not because we trust or don't trust, but because this is the most massive car," the expert said.
Autostat's statistics confirm the development of the car market, and the fact that cars under three years old now account for half of the total resale volume of Chinese cars is quite logical, according to Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem.
— Our Chinese car market developed significantly only in 2023, in 2021 the share of new Chinese cars was less than 7%, only in 2022 it began to grow, and in 2023 it jumped. There are already a large number of two- to three-year-old cars on the market, and there are people who, for various reasons, are starting to sell these cars. Regardless of whether they are Chinese or not. Someone didn't like the car, someone couldn't pay off the loan, someone looked for a more interesting car, someone needs money for construction, health, payment of another loan, - Maxim Kadakov told.
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