The average cost of a set of winter tires for a passenger car in 2025 has increased by almost a third and reached 28 thousand rubles. Auto experts attribute the price increase to shortages, rising raw material costs, and sanctions restrictions.
Price increase and shortage of offers
Since autumn 2023, prices for winter tires in Russia have increased by approximately 30%. Models of foreign brands, the supply of which has been significantly complicated by sanctions, have become especially expensive.
Maria Posenitskaya, director of the Avtosvita car repair company, noted that the situation on the market is developing unevenly.
Korean brands, and very good ones, have risen in price slightly - within 10%. But the products of those manufacturers who were affected by the sanctions and who still break through to us in various ways have risen in price significantly - from 40 to 60%. There is also a very large market for Chinese tires, but it does not yet inspire confidence, and few people order and install it.
With the approach of cold weather, car owners were advised to change tires in advance to avoid shortages and overpayments. According to forecasts, closer to November, tire prices will increase by a few more percent.
So why have winter tires become more expensive: the main factors
The main reason for the price increase is the shortage. Chinese suppliers have not yet been able to fully replace the volumes of departing European manufacturers. However, the shortage is also felt in the segment of Russian brands.
Anton Nosov, a member of the United Union of Auto Experts, explained that production is not coping, and import volumes are also insufficient.
Even Ikon tires, which are produced in Russia, are not enough. And if something is brought in, it is through roundabout routes, which affects the price. The same situation as with spare parts.
A separate problem is adaptation to non-standard wheel sizes, especially in imported cars. For example, a Volkswagen Tiguan purchased in China is equipped with non-standard R21 wheels, of which there are not so many on the market. Therefore, many people even buy used tires that are imported from Japan or Europe, Nosov explained.
Raw materials, logistics and seasonal demand
According to auto expert Sergei Danilov, the price increase is caused not only by logistical difficulties, but also by the rise in price of raw materials. The poor harvest of natural rubber in Southeast Asia and the increase in oil prices, from which synthetic rubber is produced, have led to an increase in the cost of all tire components.
The extraction of petroleum products and their processing, logistics are becoming more expensive. Accordingly, the entire market is becoming more expensive.
The increase in demand does not affect much. There are people who are willing to overpay for a brand of about 200 thousand rubles for a set of tires - the main thing is that it is in stock. And someone has tried Chinese tires on their own experience, which are more than affordable at a price of 35 thousand for a set of 20th radius, and it has proven itself perfectly.
What to do next
Analysts predict that prices for winter tires will remain high until the end of the season.
Drivers are advised to purchase winter sets in advance, as demand increases sharply closer to the first frosts, and with it the cost of installing tires.
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