The first month of 2022 was not successful for the Ukrainian car market. In January, there was a decline in both domestic resales and imports of used cars from abroad. Experts from the Automotive Market Research Institute analyzed the dynamics, identified the reasons for the market decline and compiled a rating of the most popular used cars.
In general, in January on the secondary market Ukrainians bought 111.8 thousand cars with mileage. Of this number — 79.4 thousand domestic resales, 32.4 thousand — the first registrations of cars that arrived from abroad.
Compared to January 2021, the total market volume increased by 22.5%.
Compared to the previous month (December 2021), the total market volume decreased by 25.3%. Imports of used cars fell more (by 34%), domestic resales — less (by 21%). The share of imports of used cars in the structure of the secondary market decreased from 32.8% to 29%.
Among the reasons for the negative dynamics of the market in January 2022 are:
- The period of «holidays». Seasonal decline in sales in the first month of the year is observed every time.
- Rising prices of used cars abroad and the difficulty of buying them due to shortages. Ukrainians are not yet accustomed to higher prices and are not ready to overpay. Interestingly, domestic prices have hardly changed.
- Rising prices for customs clearance of used cars. Although the laws have not officially changed, the customs began to evaluate imported cars with more mileage. As a result, the amount of taxes to be paid at customs clearance has increased. As a result, imports fell significantly.
- General uncertainty in the market. When there is no confidence in the future, buying a car is postponed and the business pauses. This is influenced by both information about the threat of a possible military invasion and the rise in price of used cars abroad, as well as problems with determining the customs value of imported cars.
The most popular models, domestic resale
The rating of the most popular used cars in the domestic market from month to month almost does not change. The preferences of Ukrainians remain stable.
The top five most popular cars in January repeat the selection of December. In the second half of the top 10 there were only minor changes, the most notable of which was the fall in sales of Skoda Fabia by two steps. However, no model dropped out of the rankings by the end of the month.
The average age of cars in the domestic market in January 2022 was 14.8 years.
- Lanos & Sens * — 3 243
- Volkswagen Passat — 2,995
- Skoda Octavia — 2 563
- Volkswagen Golf — 1 930
- VAZ 2109/99 — 1 754
- Renault Megane — 1 327
- Ford Focus — 1 299
- Opel Astra — 1 153
- Chevrolet Aveo — 1 107
- Skoda Fabia — 1 091
The most popular models imported from abroad
Despite the decline in imports of cars with mileage, the preferences of Ukrainians when buying a used car from abroad proved to be stable. The ranking of the most popular used cars from abroad completely repeats the statistics of December, with one small change: Renault Scenic overtook Ford Focus.
The average age of imported cars with mileage in January 2022 was 11.3 years.
- Volkswagen Golf — 1,818
- Volkswagen Passat — 1,784
- Skoda Octavia — 1 453
- Renault Megane — 1,282
- Renault Scenic — 1 017
- Ford Focus — 975
- Opel Zafira — 789
- Opel Astra — 738
- Skoda Fabia — 611
- Volkswagen Touran — 598
It is important to use analytics and forecasting to keep abreast of change and earn more in the car business. The Automotive Market Research Institute can help with this. Write to us at [email protected] !
