Hybrids and electric vehicles are gaining popularity in Russia

In the first quarter of 2026, sales of NEV (New Energy Vehicle — a term for vehicles powered by new energy sources that replace fossil fuels, including battery electric vehicles (BEV), plug-in hybrids (PHEV), and hydrogen vehicles (FCEV)) in Russia reached 19.9 thousand vehicles, an increase of 107% year-on-year. The growth was particularly noticeable in March: sales increased by 287% compared to March 2025.

Hybrid vehicles made the main contribution to the growth. Their share among new cars reached 7.6% at the end of the quarter and is expected to exceed 8% in the second quarter.

One of the leaders was the Voyah brand. In three months, 3041 vehicles were sold, which is 142.7% more than a year earlier. In March, 1282 cars were registered. The Voyah Free crossover sold 2466 units in the quarter and took first place among all NEVs in March, including parallel import models.

Voyah Dream and Voyah Passion were also in the TOP 20. All three models participate in the state subsidy program, thanks to which the starting price of Voyah Free is from 4.4 million rubles.

A separate growth was shown by the Russian-assembled Evolute i-Space. After the update, the model was included in the state program, and the starting price was reduced to 2.4 million rubles. At the end of the quarter, about 2000 such cars were sold, which ensured third place among hybrids. In March, i-Space became the leader with a result of about 1100 cars.

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