How Russians are keeping their foreign cars running despite sanctions

Russia’s cars are getting older, and repairing them has become increasingly slow and expensive — especially for owners of foreign models whose manufacturers left the country in 2022. With no direct supply of original parts, the biggest challenge for repair shops is simply getting the components they need. The independent outlet iStories reported on why Russians aren’t replacing their foreign-made cars and how they’re keeping them running. Meduza shares a summary in English.

No out with the old

Russia’s passenger-car fleet has been aging in recent years. According to Avtostat, the average age of cars rose from 14 to 15.5 years between early 2022 and early 2025. Russia’s minister of industry and trade, Anton Alikhanov, says that figure is set to reach 16 years by the end of 2025. The trend reflects how few new cars Russians are buying — and there are several reasons for that.

For one thing, prices have surged. In November, the average price of a new car hit a record 3.54 million rubles ($44,500). Over the past five years, prices have doubled, while real disposable incomes have risen by only about a quarter. Financing is difficult, too. Although government subsidies have kept average interest rates on loans for new cars at around 11 percent — well below the Central Bank’s 16.5 percent policy rate — approval is a major obstacle. In October, 82.9 percent of all auto-loan applications (for both new and used cars) were rejected.

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What’s more, many drivers are reluctant to abandon the foreign brands that left Russia. Instead of switching to new Russian or Chinese models, owners often choose to repair the older cars they already trust. Some are still hoping their preferred brands will return; high prices for parallel-imported vehicles and the absence of official dealerships are keeping them from buying for now.

Experts say Russia’s car fleet is likely to keep aging. To stabilize the trend, annual new-car sales would need to reach 2–2.2 million; to reverse it, around 3 million, says Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of the car magazine Za Rulem. But in the first 11 months of 2025, just 1.23 million new cars were sold — a 19 percent drop from the previous year — meaning the aging cars made by departed brands will continue to deteriorate, and their owners will keep repairing them.

Keeping it running

Repairs are becoming more common — and much more expensive. Service visits were up 13 percent year-over-year in August, and the average repair cost rose 2.5 times between late 2022 and April 2025, reaching 50,000–55,000 rubles ($630 to $690). Auto-service prices overall have climbed by nearly a third this year.

To save money, most drivers avoid official dealerships. In 2024, only 8 percent used authorized service centers (a few still exist for foreign brands), 38 percent went to independent shops, and 54 percent repaired their cars themselves or used freelance mechanics.

More than half of car owners now install non-original parts, according to a recent survey by the insurance company Ingosstrakh. A new trend is that roughly 30 percent of customers show up with their own parts — but because defect rates can reach 20 percent, about half of service stations refuse such jobs.

The rising cost of repairs is tied directly to the aging fleet: older cars break more often and are harder to fix. But repair shops themselves are also raising prices due to higher taxes, rent, equipment costs, utilities, software fees, and a growing labor shortage. Owners are having to raise wages, especially for skilled mechanics.

Russians with foreign-brand cars also face another problem: parts shortages.

New routes for parts

After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, European, American, Japanese, and South Korean carmakers left the Russian market and stopped supplying parts. This triggered a short-term components crisis: parts became scarce and prices surged. The situation eased by mid-2022, according to Tatiana Ovchinnikova of the Fit Service repair network, but the underlying problems remain unresolved in 2025.

In March 2022, the Russian government legalized parallel imports — allowing parts to be brought in without manufacturers’ approval. Suppliers had to rebuild their logistics chains. For brands that exited Russia, direct shipments now come only from South Korea, while parts from Europe, the U.S., and Japan are routed through third countries. Over the past three years, Turkey and the UAE have become the main transit hubs for original components.

Demand for original parts, however, is falling. In August, they accounted for just 20 percent of the spare-parts market — the lowest share in three years. Prices are one reason; another is the decline in parallel-imported new cars from the departed brands. Counterfeit parts are also proliferating: by last year, they made up roughly 30 percent of the market.

Original components are increasingly replaced with cheaper analogues from third-party manufacturers. But those, too, must be imported. Because of tightening sanctions, suppliers report constant disruptions in logistics and serious difficulties making payments. Repair shops say delivery times for many parts have stretched to 45–60 days. Electronic components — keys, safety systems, multimedia units — are hardest to source, and there are persistent shortages of windshields, body panels, and headlights.

The parts shortage is also reflected in a surge in complaints about missed repair deadlines under compulsory civil liability auto insurance (OSAGO). The law gives repair shops 30 days to complete work, but many can’t meet the requirement because they’re waiting for parts. A 2022 decision allowing non-original parts for OSAGO repairs hasn’t solved the issue. Insurers now want permission to use used parts — currently allowed only with the owner’s consent.