Leasing companies in Russia are preparing a large-scale sale of used cars. A large number of seized vehicles have accumulated in warehouses. Further storage is becoming unprofitable due to increased rent, and sales through dealerships are difficult due to high markups. Companies intend to develop their own trading platforms to speed up the sales process and reduce prices, market representatives told Izvestia.
According to them, lessors are switching to a hub sales model. Seized vehicles are concentrated in large parking lots and partner service stations. This simplifies the display of cars, pre-sale preparation, and standardizes the quality of the exposition. This approach reduces costs and allows selling cars directly to end customers.
According to Sergey Shishkin, Director of Legal Affairs and Problem Debt Management at Interleasing Group, it is much easier to organize the sale of seized vehicles at specialized sites. The company is piloting a hub approach to sales and has already increased the number of managers involved in this area tenfold compared to 2022.
Gazprombank Autoleasing reported that the company opened its first parking lot for 300 vehicles in Rostov-on-Don in the fall of this year. In the near future, the experience is planned to be scaled up and similar sites will be launched in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other major cities. The company expects that its own sales format will at least double the sales volume compared to previous indicators.
A similar solution is being developed at Alfa-Leasing. In early 2026, several sellers plan to open up to ten trading hubs in different regions of the country.
What Cars Will Be on Sale
Both trucks and cars will be sold through the new platforms. We are talking about vehicles that were previously used in commercial fleets, taxis, last-mile delivery services, as well as in organizations and enterprises. These cars were returned to lessors in 2025 due to non-compliance with the terms of the contracts.
According to a representative of one of the leasing companies, the total volume of seized vehicles on the Russian market exceeds 50 thousand units. In 2025, the largest number of seizures in the cargo segment occurred on Shacman, FAW, SITRAK, KamAZ and Foton. In the segment of special equipment, XCMG, LiuGong, LGCE, SANY and Lonking were the leaders. Among passenger cars, Lada, Geely, Exeed, Changan and Haval cars were most often seized.
Trucks account for about 44% of the stock, trailers for 21%, and special equipment for 14%. Passenger cars and commercial vans account for another 21%.
Discounts, Competition and Market Impact
According to sources of the publication, idle equipment continues to generate losses, since it was initially financed by banks and payments continue to accrue on it. Therefore, companies are interested in selling cars as quickly as possible - either through re-leasing or through direct sale.
Alexander Ganchev, Deputy General Director of VTB Leasing, said that the used car segment turned out to be oversaturated. According to him, two-year-old cars are sold with a noticeable discount, and work with seized equipment is already integrated into the company's overall sales system. The average discount, according to sources, is 17–22% of the market price, but in some cases it may be higher.
Leasing companies are increasingly competing for buyers in the used car market. Depending on the type of equipment and the duration of exposure, the discount may vary from 5 to 40% so that the offer remains in the lower price median of the market. At the same time, as Alexander Ganchev emphasized, an important advantage of such transactions is legal purity: the leasing company, as the original owner, guarantees the transparency of documents and the absence of hidden encumbrances.
Market participants note that in the commercial transport segment, the influence of leasing companies is already noticeable: they are attracting buyers from dealers due to lower prices. In the used car market, the influence is weaker due to the limited supply and the characteristics of cars, which are often used intensively, including in taxis.