Second-generation car: there is a shortage in the used car market
AVTOVAZ's legendary "seven" once again topped the used car market in March. Russians are looking for a cheap alternative to a new car and are willing to buy more or less "fresh" cars of bygone brands on the secondary market. In this regard, there is a shortage of such offers on the market and an increase in prices, experts say. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
The secondary market has started to grow
In March 2026, Russians purchased 475,000 used passenger cars, the analytical agency Autostat estimated. This is 15.3% more than a month earlier, and 6% higher than in March last year. And previously, Autostat called a different figure — 495 thousand cars.
The market leadership traditionally belongs to the Lada brand — 111.9 thousand such used cars were purchased in the first month of spring. Toyota is in second place, with an indicator of 50.3 thousand cars. Kia and Hyundai follow with a close result (25.3 thousand and 25.1 thousand cars, respectively).
Volkswagen closes the top 5 (21.4 thousand cars). The top ten most popular brands are Nissan, Chevrolet, Honda, Renault and Ford. All of them showed a noticeable increase compared to February. Compared to March last year, only Lada (-7.8%) showed negative dynamics, while Chevrolet (+26.9%) and Volkswagen (+24.5%) added the most.
The Trump "seven"
Lada 2107 became the best-selling used car in Russia for the first time this year. In January and February, the Seven lost to the Kia Rio and did not rise above the third position. In March, 9.4 thousand copies of this model were purchased in Russia. Kia Rio dropped to the second place (8,700 units), followed by Hyundai Solaris (8,600 units) with a minimal margin. The list of the most popular Lada 4x4, Toyota Corolla Ford Focus, Lada 2114 Samara-2 and 2170 Priora, Toyota Camry and Lada 2190 Granta.
Compared to February, all the listed models turned out to be "in the black." Compared to March 2025, only three Lada models are showing a decrease.: 2170 (-8,5%), 2114 (-16,2%) and 2107 (-20.8%).
Interestingly, according to the results of the first quarter, sales of the Seven decreased by almost 20%, while the used car market as a whole grew by almost 5%. Lada 2107 is inferior to both Solaris and Rio in three months.
The return of Lada 2107 to the first place is not a sensation, but the mathematics of the market, says Roman Titov, Deputy General Director for used Cars at Avilon Group. This model has a huge fleet across the country - at the beginning of 2026, there were 1.19 million units in Russia.
— The market voted not for nostalgia, but for an understandable, cheap and mass-produced product with a minimum "entrance ticket". When money is considered tougher, such machines naturally rise to the top," Roman Titov notes.
Dmitry Kozlov, founder of The12 Capital investment company, draws attention to the fact that Lada 2107 remains virtually out of competition in terms of price in the secondary market. It costs about 200 thousand rubles, while the price of the main competitor for the first place, Kia Rio, is in the range of 600-800 thousand rubles.
They're looking for a fresher place
Dealers are also seeing an increase in interest in more "fresh" used cars, as such cars are leaving the market faster. Avito Auto analysts, recognizing that cars over the age of 10 are in the greatest demand, note a significant increase in interest in cars aged 4-6 years (+26.7%) and 7-9 years (+26.9%). Moreover, excessive demand amid expectations of a change in recycling and a reduction in the key rate in the first quarter of 2026 created a certain shortage in the market.
The weighted average price also indicates an increase in interest in "fresh" cars — according to Autostat, it increased by 7% in March, to 1.21 million rubles.
Prices for cars older than 10 years, which make up the majority of the market, are practically stable, said Sergey Udalov, Executive Director of Autostat. They are rising due to inflation, but at the same time they do not allow the market to rise at a weighted average price. If the sales volume is growing, then the weighted average price is also growing, he said.
Which cars are in short supply
There is still a shortage of "fresh" cars on the market, Udalov noted. It's premature to talk about a systemic shortage, says Vadim Chernousov, head of the company's used cars division. However, in some segments there is a feeling of limited supply.
The shortage is observed primarily in liquid machines, said Roman Titov. First of all, these are 3- and 5-year-old cars of bygone Korean, Japanese and European brands.
"After the rules were changed and recycling was indexed, their import became less economically feasible, especially in the segment of cars older than 3 years and more powerful than 160 hp, so the supply in this part of the market is shrinking, and prices are under pressure," the expert noted.
As new cars rise in price, owners will shift the sale of their cars on the secondary market to a later date, Dmitry Kozlov suggests, as a result, supply and demand for "fresh" used cars may diverge even more with a corresponding price increase.
He cited data that in 2025, only 3% of used cars sold were less than three years old. The largest market share, 72%— was made up of used cars aged 10 years or more.
— The fact that the average age of a car has already crossed the mark of 15.5 years and is increasing directly indicates a shortage of "fresh" cars on the secondary market, Dmitry Kozlov noted.
"The market traditionally comes to life in spring"
The markets for new and supported cars are connected like communicating vessels, Igor Morzharetto, partner of Autostat, told Izvestia.
— Since the market for new cars is not growing, and prices are high, people are going to the used car market for affordable cars. Where prices are lower, there is still more choice, because there are no "Germans" or "Japanese" on the market for new cars. There are only those that were delivered unofficially," the expert noted.
Seasonality is a key factor in the growth of the used car market, Vladimir Chernousov pointed out.
— The market traditionally comes to life in the spring due to increased mobility of the population. Additionally, demand was influenced by the information background around changes in the rules for calculating the recycling fee and fluctuations in the exchange rate, which stimulate purchases," he explained. According to him, the high key interest rate and the tightening of credit conditions also affect the market: about 40% of transactions involve borrowed funds, so demand is shifting towards more affordable price categories.
Tight monetary policy with high interest rates has always reduced demand for new cars, shifting it in favor of the secondary market and the most budget-friendly options, Dmitry Kozlov noted. The expert said that although the share of used cars purchased on credit has been growing in recent years, it still stands at about 10%. This is significantly less than the sale of new cars on credit — almost 50%.
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