Imports of used cars in 2022 were reduced by a quarter, but still exist. Top 25 models of the year

In 2022, Ukrainians brought and registered 404,800 units. passenger cars with mileage from abroad. More than half of this amount was imported during the period of the so-called "zero" customs clearance. During the war, mobility proved to be extremely important, thanks to which the demand for cars remains at a high level, and the figures for 2022 turned out to be only 24.2% lower than the record 2021. Experts from the Institute of Car Market Research determined in which regions and which cars were brought from border the most during the last 12 months.

Dynamics of import of used cars

In December 2022, Ukrainians brought 16,100 cars with mileage from abroad. This is 2.5% less than in November and -67.1% less than in December 2021.

In total, since the beginning of the year, Ukrainians have imported 404,080 used cars. This indicator turned out to be only −24.2% worse than the most successful year in the history of the Ukrainian car market, 2021. This was achieved thanks to the introduction of the so-called "zero" customs clearance in April-June 2022.

Before the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainians brought about 50,000 cars with mileage from abroad every month. After the start of a full-scale war, imports stopped. In March, only 8,600 cars passed customs clearance, most of which were in customs control zones and seaports as of February 24. In mid-April, the so-called "zero" customs clearance became operational, thanks to which imports significantly increased. Thus, in May, 82,700 used cars were registered for the first time in Ukraine, and the peak occurred in June: 87,200 cars received Ukrainian license plates. After the repeal of the law, the rate of import of used cars from abroad has significantly decreased, and currently the volume of used car imports has stabilized at the level of about 16,000 cars per month.

Who imported used cars

In January and February 2022, legal entities and individuals imported used cars from abroad approximately equally. For example, in January, 50.8% of cars were brought by legal entities, 49.2% by individuals. It is about import, and not further registration for the company, because most of the vehicles imported "for the company" are later sold to the final buyers — individuals who receive Ukrainian license plates and become the "first owners" of these cars in Ukraine.

After the introduction of "zero" customs clearance, the number of cars registered by individuals increased and reached a maximum of 63.6% in May. After the refund of import taxes, the number of cars imported by individuals began to decrease, and as of December 2022, it is at a minimum: 30.1% of the total number (4.9 thousand units). That is, as of today, companies import used cars from abroad in the majority (69.9%).

In which regions are the most used cars bought from abroad

In 2022, the largest number of used cars imported from abroad were registered in the Lviv region (58.8 thousand). In 2021, Volyn Oblast rose from eleventh place to second (34,000), and Rivne Oblast rose from eighth to third (32,400).

According to the results of 2022, the city of Kyiv dropped from first to fourth place (30.5 thousand). Rounding out the top five is the Ivano-Frankivsk region (24.4 thousand), which rose one level higher compared to 2021.

If compared quantitatively, in 2022, the registration of used cars increased in three regions and decreased in all others. Compared to 2021, the number of registrations increased the most (by 51.1%) in the Volyn region. In the Lviv region, there were 23.3% more first registrations of used cars from abroad, and in the Rivne region — by 17.5%. It is worth noting that we are talking about registration at the Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and not customs clearance or the buyerʼs place of registration.

On the other hand, registrations of "freshly driven" cars decreased in the regions affected by the war: Donetsk (-86.3%), Kherson (-80.9%), Kharkiv (-68.6%), Luhansk (-65.7%) and Zaporizhzhia (-63.8%).

The most popular brands of used cars from abroad

Volkswagen became the first brand among passenger cars that, according to the results of 2022, Ukrainians brought from abroad the most. 77.1 thousand of them were registered, which is 19.1% of the total number. Compared to the previous year, 2021, the share of the German mark increased slightly (from 17.6%).

The Renault brand, as in 2021, took second place with an almost unchanged share of 8.7% (32.3 thousand). Ford took the third place (7.2%, 28.9 thousand). Opel rose to fourth place (6.7%, 27,000), and Skoda accordingly fell to fifth (6.3%, 25,500).

In general, there have been no drastic changes in the preferences of Ukrainians, they remain quite stable even during the war.

The most popular models of imported cars with mileage

The long-time leader of this market segment — the Volkswagen Passat — was the first among the "freshly driven" passenger cars from abroad in 2022. During the last 12 months, 22.7 thousand of them were brought. At the same time, we are talking about both the classic European version of this car and the American one.

The popular Volkswagen Golf took second place (21.9 thousand), and another brand of the VAG group, Skoda Octavia, came third (15.8 thousand). Fourth place was taken by Renault Megane (12.8 thousand), and Renault Scenic (10.9 thousand) rose from sixth to fifth place. And this is the only change in the ranking, if compared with the results of 2021. That is, the preferences of Ukrainians are stable both in the domestic market and in the import segment.

Although further in the ranking there are noticeable changes, provoked mainly by two events: "zero" customs clearance and a change in the logistics ways of supplying used cars from American countries. The first event "raised" certain car models from Europe to the top, often premium brands, but not "young" years of production ( Volkswagen Touareg, +23 positions; Toyota Avensis, +19 positions; Ford C-Max, +16 positions; Mercedes- Benz E-Class, +14 positions; Volkswagen Touran, +7 positions). Another event, on the contrary, led to a decrease in the number of imported cars from American countries ( Nissan Rogue, -13 positions; Volkswagen Jetta, -5 positions; Ford Fusion, -5 positions).

1. Volkswagen Passat — 22,655 units.
2. Volkswagen Golf — 21,914 units.
3. Skoda Octavia — 15,746 units.
4. Renault Megane — 12,763 units.
5. Renault Scenic — 10,866 units.
6. Ford Focus — 9,858 units.
7. Volkswagen Touran — 9,077 units.
8. Audi A4 — 8,718 units.
9. Opel Zafira — 8,548 units.
10. Opel Astra — 8,454 units.
11. Audi A6 — 7,522 units.
12. BMW 3 Series — 6,522 units.
13. Skoda Fabia — 5,994 units.
14. Toyota Avensis — 5,173 units.
15. Nissan Qashqai — 5,057 units.
16. BMW 5 Series — 4,863 units.
17. Mercedes-Benz E-Class — 4,682 units.
18. BMW X5 — 4,291 units.
19. Volkswagen Tiguan — 4,086 units.
20. Ford Fusion — 3,618 units.
21. Volkswagen Jetta — 3,445 units.
22. Volkswagen Touareg — 3,341 units.
23. Ford C-Max — 3,314 units.
24. Hyundai Santa Fe — 3,286 units.
25. Nissan Rogue — 3,260 units.

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