Once again, Russia has established itself as the world's largest importer of Chinese cars, after passenger car imports reached almost $800 million in August. The news, which comes from Chinese customs data, shows a significant recovery in demand after the market suffered a serious decline earlier in the year.
In 2025, imports of Chinese cars into Russia decreased dramatically - from $9.15 billion to $4.1 billion. The main reason for this was the increase in the recycling fee - a one-time payment imposed on every car imported or produced in Russia. This measure had a strong impact on prices and temporarily displaced Russia from the leading position as an importer.
In April, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates even overtook it, which changed the dynamics of the market for the first time in two years. However, Russia is now regaining its position, with car imports increasing by a quarter in August alone compared to July.
Despite the upturn, experts foresee new challenges. The next revision of the recycling fee in November may again lead to an increase in the price of imports, as popular models are expected to increase in price again.
Against these changes, China's total exports continue to grow, reaching $10.2 billion in August 2025. This shows that even with fluctuations in individual markets, global demand for Chinese cars remains strong.