Since the start of the war, the price of new cars in Russia has surged by around 46 percent. What was once an average price of 2.4 million rubles before the conflict - roughly 26,400 euros - has now climbed to about 3.5 million rubles, or approximately 38,500 euros. The Russian car market has seen sharp and sustained price increases.

As a result, Russia has become one of the most expensive places in the world to buy a car. Sergey Tselikov, head of the analytics agency Autostat, summed it up by saying that cars in Russia are now among the priciest globally, according to the Moscow Times.

The steep rise is weighing heavily on consumers. Faced with higher prices, many Russians are postponing new purchases and holding on to their existing vehicles longer. Autostat data shows that 1.3 million new passenger cars were sold in 2025, marking a 16 percent decline compared to 2024.

According to analysts, prices continued to rise across the market in early 2026 as automakers sought to offset increased taxes and recycling fees. Tselikov attributes much of the surge to government customs policies. Beginning in 2024, Russia significantly raised its scrappage fee on imported vehicles. In some cases, the charge increased by at least two and a half times - from 300,000 rubles to over 800,000 rubles - and in certain categories it rose three to four times. Preferential tariffs for vehicles with more than 160 horsepower were also scrapped in December 2025.

An employee at a major dealership told the Moscow Times that preferential duties are being phased out while the overall tax and customs burden on companies continues to grow.

Despite the challenging environment, Lada remains the top-selling car brand in Russia. The company primarily manufactures smaller, mass-market models in the B and C segments, catering largely to domestic buyers.