Among the main technical parameters of the car, in addition to the type of engine and gearbox, the drive is no less important — that is, which wheels will be driven: front, rear or all four. Each of the three options has its advantages and disadvantages, and this affects the buyerʼs decision when choosing a car model. Experts of the Institute of Car Market Research have determined which vehicle Ukrainians prefer when selling used cars on the Internet, and how preferences have changed over the past year. The basis of the analysis was the sale announcements of the Automoto.ua aggregator , which collects the sale announcements of ALL cars from 100 auto sites in Ukraine. It turned out that the preferences of Ukrainians are quite stable.
The most front-wheel drive cars
At the beginning of the year, in January 2022, the majority of passenger cars sold on the Internet were front-wheel drive — 85.5% of the total number of ads. There were 9.9% all-wheel drive cars, and only 4.6% with rear-wheel drive. In February, the share of front-wheel drive cars reached a maximum ( 85.8% ), and rear-wheel drive cars reached a minimum ( 4.4% ).
Noticeable changes began to take place in May 2022, which coincides with the beginning of the so-called "zero" customs clearance, when more than 200,000 used cars from abroad entered Ukraine. The share of front-wheel drive cars began to gradually decrease, while the share of all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive cars began to grow.
It is interesting that the share of front-wheel drive cars in sales has been decreasing for the third month in a row, while the shares of rear-wheel drive and 4×4 cars are growing at the same time: 14.8% and 15.1%, respectively. These are the highest figures for the last 12 months.
Rear-wheel drive cars are the oldest
During the analysis of sales offers, it turned out that the average age of cars differs significantly depending on the type of drive. Rear-wheel drive cars turned out to be the oldest, and their average age has been increasing for three months in a row. So, in January 2022, this indicator was at the level of 21.4 years, and in January 2023 — already 27.2 years.
According to the experts of the Institute of Car Market Research, this situation is related to the increase in the share of such cars due to the increase in the number of ads for the sale of older Soviet and Russian cars, which were mainly manufactured with such technical characteristics.
The average age of passenger cars with front-wheel drive at the beginning of 2022 was 16.9 years, it was as low as possible in July 2022 due to the appearance on the market of a large number of "freshly driven" cars subject to "zero" customs clearance (15.7 years). Subsequently, it began to grow, during September-November 16.7 years, and in January-2023 it returned to the indicator of 16.9 years.
All-wheel drive passenger cars turned out to be the "youngest". At the same time, their average age was quite stable during the first half of 2022, and began to grow in November and reached a maximum in January: 13.3 years.
All-wheel drive cars are the most expensive
At the beginning of 2022, the average median price of rear-wheel drive and front-wheel drive cars was almost the same: $5,600 and $5,500, respectively. All-wheel drive passenger cars cost an average of $15,750; during the last 12 months, their average price decreased, and in January 2023 it was $12,614.
The average price of front-wheel drive cars also decreased slightly: to $4,900 in January-2023, but the price fluctuations were not as significant as in the other two categories.
However, this indicator changed most noticeably in cars with rear-wheel drive : first it increased from $5,200 in February to $6,500 in May, then it began to gradually decrease, and at the end of January it amounted to $1,800. The increase in the price of such cars also coincided with the beginning of the "zero" customs clearance, so the increase in the average cost of cars with rear-wheel drive may also be its consequence: the brands of Western manufacturers with such a design entered the market — in particular, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. After the import taxes were returned, the balance shifted: now most rear-wheel drive cars are VAZ, GAZ, Moskvich, etc. models.
What drive is chosen in the regions
The largest share of passenger cars with front-wheel drive, if we exclude Luhansk and Donetsk regions covered by active hostilities, was found in Zaporizhzhia (88.2%), Kherson (88.2%) and Chernihiv regions (87%).
The share of cars with rear- wheel drive was the largest in Chernivtsi (9.4%), Odesa (9.1%) and Mykolaiv (9%) regions, and the most four-wheel drive cars were counted in Kyiv and Kyiv region (17.3%), Odesa ( 14.1%) and Lviv (13.8%) regions.
It is interesting that a clear dependence is observed: the share of all-wheel drive cars, the average cost of which is significantly higher than others, is the largest in those areas where the most expensive cars are sold.
Top 15 front-wheel drive cars
Most of the most popular models on the Ukrainian car market made it to the top 15 front-wheel drive cars, because front-wheel drive is the most popular in the modern automobile industry.
- Volkswagen Passat
- Volkswagen Golf
- Skoda Octavia
- VAZ 2109/21099
- Daewoo Lanos
- Renault Megane
- Opel Astra
- Ford Focus
- Skoda Fabia
- Opel Vectra
- Chevrolet Aveo
- Audi A6
- Toyota Camry
- Audi A4
- Mazda 6
Top 15 rear-wheel drive cars
Rear-wheel drive cars are the least common in the modern model range of most car manufacturers. Therefore, the list included mainly BMW and Mercedes-Benz, as well as almost all models of classic Russian-Soviet VAZs: from 2101 to 2107.
- BMW 5 Series
- BMW 3 Series
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- VAZ 2106
- VAZ 2107
- VAZ 2101
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- Mercedes-Benz Vito
- Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
- Opel Omega
- VAZ 2105
- VAZ 2104
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class
- BMW 7 Series
- VAZ 2103
Top 15 all-wheel drive cars
Since the average cost of four-wheel drive cars is the highest, more expensive and newer models are also included in the list of models. Mainly — SUVs and crossovers, which today in Ukraine are the most popular segment among sales of new passenger cars.
- Mitsubishi Outlander
- Audi Q7
- Honda CR-V
- Hyundai Tucson
- BMW 5 Series
- Subaru Forester
- Nissan X-Trail
- BMW 3 Series
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class
- Subaru Outback
- Subaru Legacy
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- Lexus LX
- Toyota Highlander
- Land Rover Range Rover Sport
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