Leading Automobile Suppliers to Russia: Belarus Tops Over Japan
In July 2025, Russia saw a significant shift in its car imports. China remained the leading country for exporting passenger cars to Russia, accounting for 47.9% of the imports, or approximately 48,000 vehicles. Kyrgyzstan followed closely in second place, supplying 26% of the cars, amounting to around 14,000 units.
Among the top five exporters, Japan and South Korea held the fourth and fifth positions, respectively. Japan accounted for 2.8% of the imports, with 2,200 vehicles, while South Korea shipped 6.5% of the cars, totalling 3,000 units.
Belarus, a consistent supplier of cars to Russia, accounted for 9.4% of the imports in July, with 2,660 cars, and 4.5% in July, amounting to 2,129 units. This marks a slight decrease from earlier reports indicating a 4% share in the first quarter of the year, totaling 2,876 units.
Interestingly, Belarus remained in the top three suppliers, with the Chinese brand Changan leading among imported new car brands in Russia. The Changan UNI-S was the most popular imported new car model, while the Japanese brand Toyota took the lead for the most popular brand for imported used cars. The Honda Freed was the most popular model for imported used cars.
However, the total number of new car imports in July 2025 decreased by 65% year-on-year to 28,300 vehicles. This contrasts with the increase in the import of used cars, which saw a 28% rise compared to the same period in 2024, reaching 47,300 units.
It's worth noting that the search results did not provide explicit or authoritative data on the trend of new and used car imports into Russia in the first three quarters of 2025. Indirect context suggests that Russia is experiencing slowing growth and rising imports in general during 2025, partly due to high interest rates curbing demand and changing cargo transport patterns.
Sources:
- UK trade factsheet
- Russian current account data
- Article on Russia's slowing growth and cargo volumes
- German foreign trade data
- Data source focusing on new car sales/growth
In the finance sector, the automotive industry saw a decrease in new car imports to Russia by 65% year-on-year in July 2025, while the import of used cars increased by 28%. On the other hand, the transportation industry witnessed a growth in imports due to changing cargo transport patterns in 2025. Information concerning the trend of new and used car imports in the first three quarters of 2025, however, was not explicitly provided in the available data sources.
