In August 2024, 27,300 used cars imported from abroad were submitted for first registration. This indicator is 26.8% higher than it was in August 2023, and also significantly higher than it was a month earlier — by 34.3%. These volumes can safely be considered record-breaking, because there were more "freshly imported" within one month only in 2022, when the so-called "zero customs clearance" was in effect.
However, this time, it was not reduced taxes that encouraged them to import more, but rather the possibility of their increase (up to 15% of the cost of the car for the first registration), so some dealers and private motorists decided not to take risks and bring cars now, without waiting for the introduction of a new tax.
What was submitted for the first registration more often? Here are the Top 10 manufacturers, the demand for whose "freshly driven" cars was the greatest last month:
- Volkswagen — 3965 pcs.
- Audi — 2602 pcs.
- Nissan — 2036 pcs.
- Renault — 1903 pcs.
- BMW — 1716 piece
- Tesla — 1,608 pcs.
- Skoda — 1546 pcs.
- Ford — 1,511 pcs.
- Hyundai — 1135 pcs.
- Jeep — 874 pcs.
Similar to the rating of the domestic market, the first place went to Volkswagen, also with a considerable coverage — 14.5%. In addition to this German brand, Audi and Nissan also made it to the top three.
Among the individual models, the Volkswagen Golf has the lead, which is helped by the electric version of the e-Golf, 189 of which arrived. Although without them , Skoda Octavia, which is in 2nd place, would still not be able to win the championship this time. In addition to these passenger cars, the top three most popular "freshly driven" cars also include the Volkswagen Passat.
- Volkswagen Golf — 1,252 units.
- Skoda Octavia — 992 pcs.
- Volkswagen Passat — 756 pcs.
- Volkswagen Tiguan — 712 pcs.
- Renault Megane — 709 pcs.
- Audi Q5 — 695 pcs.
- Nissan Leaf — 682 pcs.
- Tesla Model Y — 614 pcs.
- Tesla Model 3 — 592 pcs.
- Audi A4 — 550 pcs.
What are the prospects for the import sector in the coming months? After all, a noticeable increase in volumes (by a third), caused by external influence on the market, may affect the statistics of the following periods. We invited Yuliya Rykovska, CEO of West Auto Hub , a company that imports auto equipment, and also helps dealers with delivery, paperwork, certification and registration of cars and special equipment, to comment on this point.
"The demand for cars from abroad, which we saw in August, should not be considered extraordinary in general — in the current circumstances, in my opinion, about half as many cars are being imported as there could be. The demand for cars without mileage in Ukraine remains high, but not everyone manages to realize it. In peacetime, as it was until 2022, 1.5-2 times more cars arrived every month, and this can be considered the real capacity of this segment. But, returning to current realities, and to the topic of the military levy for the first registration of cars, the Peopleʼs Deputies changed their mind about introducing it. That is, if there are no new proposals from the lawmakers, it can be assumed that in September and October the volumes of "enslavement" will be smaller than the statistical average (for this year), since a certain potential of this segment was realized in a hurry in August under the influence of the mentioned circumstances."
We thank Julia Rykovska for her comment, and we will supplement the import review with some more facts. In particular, in August , 8 Maserati, 3 Rolls-Royce, 2 Bentley, 2 McLaren, 2 Lamborghini and one Ferrari and Aston Martin were added to the Ukrainian car fleet. In addition to them, it is worth mentioning the first Tesla Cybertruck in Ukraine, which received Ukrainian "registration" thanks to the help of West Auto Hub specialists.
The average age of passenger cars that entered the Ukrainian fleet at the end of summer was 8.6 years, and by engine type, gasoline versions predominate — 45.1% of them. There is also considerable demand for diesel, which is confirmed by a share of 25.8%, and for electric cars, the presence of which is constantly increasing, and now in the import segment it is 19.8% — that is, in fact, 1/5 of all newly arrived cars. The rest were divided among cars with hybrid power plants (5%), equipped with HBO (4.1%), and "gas" LPI (0.2%).
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