By Ekaterina Janashia | 2026-01-21

For many Russians, the question is no longer whether they can afford a new car, but how much longer the old one will hold together. With prices climbing and loans increasingly out of reach, drivers are sinking time and money into vehicles that now average 16 years old.

That figure marks a sharp break from just a few years ago. Data from Avtostat and the Ministry of Industry and Trade show the average age of a passenger car rose from 14 years in early 2022 to a projected 16 years by the end of 2025 -- the oldest fleet Russia has recorded.

The shift follows the rapid contraction of Russia's new-car market after Western automakers exited in 2022. With supply shrinking, prices surged and financing tightened, leaving many drivers with few realistic options beyond extending the life of vehicles already on the road.

New cars out of reach

Buying a new car has become unattainable for much of the population. By late 2025, the average price of a new passenger vehicle reached 3.54 million RUB ($44,500). Over five years, car prices doubled while real disposable incomes rose only about 25%.

"Simply put, the people have run out of money," said Yan Khaitseer, vice president of the National Automobile Union, according to a March rpeort in Komsomolskaya Pravda.

Loans offer little relief. Government subsidies have helped keep some auto loan rates near 11%, below the Central Bank's 16.5% key rate, but approvals are rare. In October 2025, banks rejected 82.9% of auto loan applications.

Money is not the only barrier. Many drivers remain loyal to European, Japanese and South Korean brands that left Russia in 2022. Rather than switch to domestic Ladas or newer Chinese models, owners are choosing to repair what they know. Some hope their preferred brands will return; others trust a decade-old Volkswagen or Toyota more than an unfamiliar replacement.

"Even if it's old, I'll never switch to a Chinese or locally produced car, because they are all junk," Svetlana, 62, from Saint Petersburg, who drives a 12-year-old Volkswagen Tiguan, told Kontur.

Online forums echo that sentiment.

"For me, it's better to repair an old car now than to get into debt for a new Chinese one that will rot in five years. And loans are a deeply unprofitable trap," wrote a user identified as Shturman47reg on a Russian automotive site.

Industry experts say the aging trend will continue.

Maxim Kadakov, editor in chief of Za Rulem, has said Russia would need to sell more than 2 million new cars annually just to stabilize the fleet. Sales in the first 11 months of 2025 totaled only 1.23 million, down 19% from a year earlier.

Repair bills soar

As cars age, breakdowns multiply. In 2025, service visits rose 13% from the previous year, and repair costs surged. Between late 2022 and early 2025, the average repair bill increased 2.5 times, reaching 50,000 to 55,000 RUB ($630–$690).

To cope, drivers have revived Russia's garage culture. Only 8% now use authorized service centers. About 38% go to independent shops, while 54% rely on freelance mechanics or do repairs themselves.

"I recently had the suspension replaced and paid 150,000 rubles -- about $2,000," Svetlana told Kontur. "The parts are Chinese, but they told me and promised they're good quality."

She said dealerships offered better components at double the price. "My car is old, so I'm just grateful it still runs," she said.

A riskier practice has also spread. Nearly 30% of customers now arrive at repair shops with their own parts, purchased online or through gray-market dealers. Defect rates for such components can reach 20%, prompting many professional shops to refuse the work.

Repair businesses face their own pressures. Rising taxes, rent and a severe labor shortage have forced owners to raise wages to keep mechanics from leaving. Those costs pass directly to customers. The price of a standard wheel alignment has nearly doubled since early 2022.

Parts and delays

The biggest bottleneck remains spare parts. When global automakers exited Russia in 2022, they took official parts supply chains with them. The government legalized "parallel imports," allowing goods to enter without brand approval, but the system relies on layers of intermediaries.

Original parts from Europe, the United States and Japan now travel circuitous routes -- often by truck to Turkey or the United Arab Emirates, then by sea to ports such as Novorossiysk -- before reaching warehouses. Delivery times for critical components commonly stretch to 45 to 60 days.

As a result, original parts now account for only about 20% of the market. Cheaper analogues and counterfeits, estimated at roughly 30% of supply, have filled the gap. Even these substitutes face delays as sanctions complicate payments to foreign suppliers, triggering returns and stalled orders.

Shortages hit electronic components and body parts hardest, including keys, safety systems, windshields and bumpers. The delays have rippled into the insurance sector. Under the mandatory OSAGO liability system, repairs must be completed within 30 days. With parts unavailable, shops routinely miss the deadline.

Insurers are now seeking legal permission to use used parts without a car owner's consent -- a measure that shows how strained Russia's automotive ecosystem has become, and how long drivers may be stuck keeping the past running.