High Prices, Tight Loans, Shortage of Models – the Car Market of the rf Is at an Impasse

2026 will be even more difficult for russia’s car market than 2025. Prices for new cars will continue to rise, and even the hypothetical return of foreign brands will not lead to lower prices. According to dealers’ estimates, the price plank formed due to parallel imports has become the new norm, and there will be no return to affordable cars of previous years.

Mass-market models have finally left the budget segment. Cars such as the Hyundai Solaris can no longer cost around a million rubles: real prices have settled at 2.5 million rubles and above. Even in 2027, there is virtually no chance of the situation improving.

The market is being dealt an additional blow by the tightening of car loans. Starting in 2026, banks will be required to request official proof of income, which will automatically cut off a significant portion of potential buyers. According to conservative forecasts, in the first months of the year, the volume of car loans issued may fall by 20-50%, and up to 40% of customers risk being denied.

Against this background, even the secondary market does not seem to offer a solution. There is a shortage of high-quality used cars, while operating costs are rising rapidly. Service companies expect repair and maintenance costs to increase by 20–25% by the end of 2026 due to the dominance of imported spare parts and the wear and tear of the vehicle fleet.

The structural degradation of the market is also reflected in the reduction of the model range. In 2025 alone, about 30 Chinese models, including electric and hybrid vehicles, disappeared from the russian market. Some brands left the country completely, while others sharply reduced their range, recognizing the unprofitability of operating in conditions of falling demand and rising costs.

As a result, russia’s car market is entering 2026 with high prices, limited choice, and increasingly inaccessible financing. Buying a car is turning from a mass commodity into a complex financial transaction for a narrow circle of customers, which only emphasizes the depth of the crisis in the industry.