After several years of continuous growth, the used car market in Russia has begun to cool down for the first time. According to the magazine "Za Rulem", average prices are gradually decreasing, and in 2026 the market may face a real collapse.
According to auto expert Sergei Zinoviev, the previous scheme of "sell the old one - buy a new one on credit" no longer works: auto loan rates reach 26% per annum, which makes buying new cars unprofitable. Against the background of falling demand, sellers are forced to lower prices, although strong distortions remain in the market. For example, a three-year-old Skoda Octavia often costs more than a new one imported through parallel imports, and a ten-year-old Toyota Camry with a mileage of 300 thousand kilometers is estimated at 2.7 million rubles.
A sharp drop in value is expected in the spring of 2026 - it is then that the law on taxi localization will come into force. Tens of thousands of used foreign cars with expiring licenses will enter the market from car parks, which may lead to a decrease in prices by 15–20% for relatively new cars and up to 40% for cars with high mileage.
Thus, the end of winter and the beginning of spring 2026 may be the most profitable time to buy a used car in recent years.