Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia Anton Alikhanov assured that changes in the mechanism for calculating the recycling fee will not have a significant impact on the prices of cars produced in the country. According to him, previous changes in tariffs did not lead to a sharp increase in prices. He again pointed to the influence of "gray" schemes on the market.
According to Alikhanov, the share of domestically produced cars in the market increased from 44% in 2024 to 55% in the ten months of this year. The Ministry aims to return the share of the domestic auto industry to 80% by 2035.
In terms of the availability of official cars, we also always say and guarantee that adjustments to the recycling fee do not have a significant impact on the cost of domestic cars.
In 2025, the market became more susceptible to "gray" import schemes. This is due to the formation of unfair advantages for individuals compared to official importers. The share of car imports by individuals increased from 37% to 76% in a year: in the third quarter, private individuals imported 179.6 thousand cars, while legal entities imported only 57.6 thousand. This led to a shortfall in tax revenues to the budget, which Alikhanov described as one of the reasons for the change in the recycling fee mechanism. The recycling fee was increased from December 1, 2025.
