October 2025 became historic for the Russian market of plug-in hybrids: according to Avtostat, 6,294 new PHEVs were sold - 62% more than in September, and 54% higher than last year's result. This surge in demand was directly related to the upcoming increase in the recycling fee on electric vehicles and hybrids with a capacity of over 160 hp, which comes into force on December 1.
Sergey Melyukh, Director of Avilon Electro, explained that customers were trying to buy cars before the price increase. For some brands, the increase in the recycling fee will be significant: for Li cars, personal imports will become more expensive by more than a million rubles. At the same time, official suppliers, according to the expert, will adjust prices more carefully, and the main jump will result in the "gray" import segment. For example, Zeekr, which has not yet been officially presented in Russia, may add about 1.5 million rubles for the Zeekr 001 model.
After the new recycling fee rules come into force, sales will inevitably decline compared to the peak in October. The recovery rate will depend on the arrival of official batches of popular hybrids and electric vehicles. Additional uncertainty is created by China's plan to restrict the export of new cars under the guise of "used cars" until 180 days of registration are reached, which may slow down the return of volumes in the unofficial market.