On December 1, an updated scheme for calculating the recycling fee for passenger cars of category M1 came into force in Russia. The base rate is now determined not only by the volume, but also by the engine power: the higher the indicator, the larger the coefficient. In fact, this makes powerful foreign cars significantly more expensive upon import, especially if they are processed under gray import schemes.
For cars up to 160 hp, a preferential procedure has been retained — 3.4 thousand rubles for new cars and 5.2 thousand rubles for vehicles older than three years. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, such models make up more than 80% of the Russian fleet, and the authorities are not going to increase the fee for them. The department directly states: the updated system is needed to block the import of cars for resale under the guise of personal use.
The new rules were supposed to come into force back in November, but the start was postponed so as not to hit buyers who had ordered cars more powerful than 160 hp in advance or faced logistics delays. Now the transition is complete, and all deliveries fall under the new coefficients, which may significantly change the structure of imports in the coming months.
