Top selling used car brands in Russia

The Russian used car market has maintained a robust growth trend in 2025, driven by policy adjustments and rigid consumer demand for cost-effective vehicles. With the change of market supply structure, the preference of Russian consumers for used car brands is more inclined to practicality, low maintenance costs and easy access to spare parts. Local brands, Japanese and Korean classic brands still dominate the market, while Chinese auto brands have achieved explosive growth in the Russian used car market with high cost performance and rich configurations, becoming a new core growth pole of the market. This article will detail the top-selling used car brands and their hot models in Russia in 2025, and interpret the consumption characteristics and market trends of the Russian used car market, providing a valuable reference for cross-border used car trade practitioners.

As the iconic local auto brand of Russia, Lada has an unshakable leading position in the country’s used car market, and it is the absolute first choice for Russian consumers in all mainstream price ranges. In October 2025 alone, Lada’s used car sales in Russia exceeded 156,300 units, far ahead of other brands, and its market performance fully reflects the high recognition of Russian consumers for local brands.

The core competitiveness of Lada lies in its perfect after-sales service system, low maintenance costs and strong adaptability to Russian road conditions. Spare parts of Lada models are widely available in the Russian market, and ordinary maintenance can be completed in local auto repair shops at a low price, which is in line with the practical consumption concept of most Russian consumers. Its hot-selling models cover all price segments, forming a full-range product layout: the Lada 2114 is the classic entry-level choice for the price range below 299,000 rubles, meeting the basic travel needs of low-income groups; the Lada Granta is the benchmark of cost performance in the range of 300,000 to 799,000 rubles, and its facelifted version has become the first choice for mainstream family car purchases with updated design and balanced configuration; the Lada Vesta and Lada Niva Legend are the dark horses in the mid-range and off-road segments respectively, with the Lada Vesta’s sales surging by 20% in October 2025, becoming a representative of the structural upgrade of Lada’s models; the Lada Niva Legend is a rigid demand for off-road enthusiasts in Russia with its excellent off-road performance.

In the Russian used car market, Lada’s models of various ages have stable demand, especially the 3-5 year old vehicles with low mileage, which are the most popular among consumers due to their high cost performance and reliable quality.

Japanese auto brands have always been the first choice of Russian consumers for imported used cars, relying on their excellent durability, high value retention rate and low failure rate, and they are deeply loved by consumers who have long-distance travel and complex road condition needs. Among them, Toyota is the absolute leader of Japanese used cars in the Russian market, accounting for more than 20% of the total volume of used cars imported into Russia from China in 2025, and its market share and demand far exceed other Japanese brands.

Toyota’s hot-selling used car models in Russia form a multi-level layout covering family cars, SUVs and medium and high-end business cars. The Toyota Camry is the top-selling used car model under 5 years old in Russia in 2025, with 10,960 resale units, and it is the benchmark of medium and high-end used cars in the Russian market with its comfortable riding experience and excellent business attributes. The Toyota Corolla, as a classic family car, has stable sales with its low fuel consumption and reliable quality, and is the first choice for urban commuting. In the SUV segment, the Toyota RAV4 and Prado are the absolute mainstream: the Toyota RAV4 has 7,757 resale units under 5 years old, and is the top-selling urban SUV in the Russian used car market; the Toyota Prado is a hard-core off-road vehicle loved by Russian off-road enthusiasts, with strong passability and adaptability to the complex natural environment of Russia. In addition, Toyota Harrier, Highlander and C-HR also have stable market demand, forming a rich product matrix of Toyota in the Russian used car market.

In addition to Toyota, Honda is also an important Japanese brand in the Russian used car market, accounting for 12.6% of the volume of used cars imported into Russia from China. Its hot-selling models such as Honda Breeze, CR-V, Vezel, Civic and XR-V cover compact cars and SUVs, and are favored by young consumers with their flexible handling and fashionable design. Nissan ranks fifth in the list of the most popular used car brands in Russia, with its Sylphy and X-Trail models having stable sales, and it is a classic choice for family car purchases with its large space and comfortable riding experience.

Korean auto brands represented by Kia and Hyundai are the core backbone of the Russian used car market, second only to local brands and Toyota in market share, and are the first choice of Russian consumers for urban commuting used cars with their high cost performance, balanced configuration and fuel economy. In October 2025, Kia’s used car sales in Russia reached 42,500 units, and Hyundai’s sales were 39,800 units, ranking third and fourth in the market respectively, with stable market performance.

Kia’s core hot-selling model in the Russian used car market is the Kia Rio, which ranks second in the October 2025 Russian used car sales list with 14,298 units, and ranks third among models under 5 years old with 9,926 resale units, becoming the benchmark of economical compact cars. The Kia K5, as a medium-sized car, has 8,982 resale units under 5 years old, and is favored by middle-class consumers with its fashionable design and rich configuration. Hyundai’s core model is the Hyundai Solaris, which ranks fourth in the October 2025 sales list with 13,539 units, and ranks fourth among models under 5 years old with 9,096 resale units. It is a classic urban commuting car with its low fuel consumption and flexible body.

The core advantage of Korean used cars in the Russian market is that their price is lower than that of Japanese models of the same level, and the configuration is more abundant. The 3-5 year old low-mileage vehicles are the most popular, and the maintenance cost is moderate, which is in line with the consumption demand of Russian urban white-collar workers and young consumers.

2025 is a year of explosive growth for Chinese auto brands in the Russian used car market. From January to August 2025, the number of used passenger cars imported into Russia from China reached 38,000 units, a 4.5-fold increase over the same period last year. Chinese brands have broken the traditional market pattern dominated by local, Japanese and Korean brands with their high cost performance, rich configurations and diversified product layouts, and have become the most dynamic new growth pole in the Russian used car market. Among them, Haval, Geely and Chery are the core representatives, and their market share is close to that of luxury brands such as BMW and Audi.

Haval is the leader of Chinese brands in the Russian used car market, and its Haval Jolion ranks second among models under 5 years old with 10,131 resale units, second only to Toyota Camry, becoming the most popular Chinese used car model in Russia. It is favored by Russian consumers with its spacious interior space, excellent SUV passability and high cost performance. Geely has achieved double success in the compact SUV and medium and large SUV segments: the Geely Coolray ranks seventh among models under 5 years old with 7,520 resale units, and is the first choice of young consumers with its flexible handling and fashionable appearance; the Geely Monjaro ranks eighth with 7,208 resale units, and has become a new favorite of family car purchases with its large space and comfortable riding experience. Chery has entered the Russian used car market with joint venture and independent models: the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max ranks tenth among models under 5 years old with 5,588 resale units; at the same time, the Sino-Russian joint venture brand Tenet, which is based on Chery’s models, has achieved a leap in market performance, ranking third in the Russian new car market in November 2025, and its T4 and T7 models (based on Chery Tiggo 4 and Tiggo 7 L) have also driven the demand for Chery’s used car models in the Russian market. In addition, Changan has also entered the top ten of Russia’s used car import volume with a 4.4% market share, becoming an important force of Chinese brands in the Russian market.

The core reason for the popularity of Chinese used cars in Russia is that they fill the market gap left by the withdrawal of some European and American brands, and their product positioning is highly consistent with Russian consumer demand: the SUV models account for the main proportion, which is in line with the Russian consumers’ preference for SUVs; the configuration is more abundant than that of Japanese and Korean models of the same level, such as large screen, intelligent interconnection and panoramic sunroof, with higher cost performance; the 1-3 year old quasi-new cars have become the most popular products in the market with their low mileage and almost new car condition.

European brands represented by BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen still have a stable market share in the Russian used car market, mainly meeting the high-end consumption demand of Russian consumers for business and performance. Among luxury brands, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are the core representatives: BMW’s market share of used cars under 5 years old in Russia reaches 5.4%, a year-on-year increase of 47.4% in 2025, with its 3 Series and 5 Series being the hot-selling models in the high-end used car market, favored by business people with their excellent driving performance and high-end brand attributes; Mercedes-Benz accounts for 3.1% of the market share of used cars under 5 years old, with its C-Class and E-Class being the benchmark of high-end business used cars, with stable sales.

Volkswagen, as a mainstream European brand, accounts for 3.5% of the market share of used cars under 5 years old in Russia. Its Polo and Focus models are classic family cars with stable sales, relying on their excellent handling and reliable quality. In addition, Ford’s Focus also has a stable market demand in the Russian used car market, ranking sixth in the October 2025 sales list with 11,103 units, and is a favorite of consumers who pay attention to driving experience.

The demand for European and luxury used cars in the Russian market is mainly concentrated in big cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg, and the 3-5 year old low-mileage vehicles are the most popular. Consumers pay more attention to the vehicle’s maintenance history and original condition, and the after-sales service and spare parts supply are the key factors affecting their purchase decisions.