The used car market in May exceeded the mark of 0.5 million cars

The used car market in May exceeded the mark of 0.5 million cars sold, which was a record since December 2021. Dealers note that a shortage in the new car market is supporting sales of used cars. Analysts point to the growth of used car imports, which reached 10% of the market in May.

Sales of passenger cars with mileage in May grew by 53.7%, up to 501.9 thousand units, calculated “Autostat”. Despite the May holidays, which traditionally slowed down sales, the result was 1.3% higher than in April (495.5 thousand vehicles). Moreover, the used car market reached a maximum for the entire crisis and even exceeded the results of the beginning of 2022 – last year, sales did not exceed 470 thousand cars per month. Only December 2021 was higher, when 513,000 used cars were sold.

In the context of a shortage of new cars, the demand for the range of the secondary market is regularly growing, especially for high-quality cars, says Denis Migal, founder of the Fresh car marketplace.

In May, demand is constantly increasing due to the upcoming holiday season. The majority of those looking to buy a new car typically list their current car for sale in the last month of spring, he continues. higher than in January-February 2023”. But the main influence, according to Mr. Migal, was the exchange rate. In April, parallel imports slowed down because the dollar was quite high, he explains: “In early April, there was an outflow of purchases, but at the end of the month – early May, the rate stabilized a bit, and everyone began to actively buy from other countries again – we saw an influx of cars , and the demand for quality cars has not gone anywhere.

“In the first half of June, as in May, we continue to record a stable demand for used cars in general,” says Nikolai Baskakov, director of Avilon Used Cars. Earlier, Rolf told Kommersant that “usually June shows an increase of 15% compared to May, and this year will not be an exception” (see. “Kommersant” from June 6). “Customers’ interest in buying is mainly associated with the diversity of the model range and the gradual expansion of the offer. We can expect that in the coming months these factors will continue to influence sales dynamics in the secondary segment,” says Mr. Baskakov.

Sergey Udalov from Avtostat points out that about 51,000 cars older than three years were imported into the Russian Federation in May, and 37,000 in April. older than 10 years,” the expert continues. “Due to the import, the lack of more recent cars is partially compensated, since there is a demand for them, and the terms of ownership are growing.”

Now customers prefer cars with a minimum mileage of three to five years, says Vladimir Zhelobov, sales director for used cars at Avtodom and Avtospectsentr.

Mr. Zhelobov points to a shift in interest in the mass segment towards Chinese used cars, explaining this by the low purchasing power of the population. Vitaly Khvatov, development director for Rolf used cars, notes that now the market is rapidly changing “and it is quite difficult to understand what liquid offers are – liquid is everything that corresponds to two parameters – price and condition.”

Suspension of deliveries to the Russian Federation of new cars of most foreign brands does not reduce their popularity for resale. Thus, according to Avtostat, Ford Focus remains the most popular model on the market – sales increased by 59.1%, to 10.8 thousand units. The passenger car Ford left the Russian market in the spring of 2019, and even up to this point, the model had not been in the top new sales for several years already (the last time in 2014 was in 23rd place, 27.9 thousand cars sold). The second place in the model rating in May was taken by Hyundai Solaris (9.87 thousand units), the production of which in Russia has been suspended since last year. The third place is taken by Lada 2114 Samara (growth by 11%, up to 9.86 thousand units).

Olga Nikitina