Almost half of Russian car owners are considering changing their cars due to the high cost of maintenance, and every fifth person is already determined to buy a more economical car in the next two years. These are the results of a joint survey by Rosgosstrakh and Auto.ru, conducted among 1,250 respondents in all federal districts of the country.
Car expenses for most people fall within a moderate range: 36% spend from 50 to 99 thousand rubles per year, 23% spend no more than 50 thousand rubles. However, every fifth respondent exceeds the mark of 150 thousand rubles annually - 10% spend from 150 to 199 thousand, another 9% - over 200 thousand rubles. Only 12% of respondents admitted that car expenses do not create financial difficulties for them.
When choosing a new car, Russians prioritize practicality. Reliability was named the key criterion by 62% of respondents, comfort - 54%, safety - 50%. Technical characteristics are important for 42%, while only 7% take into account the status of the car.
In practice, cars are changed rarely. A third of respondents have been using a car for more than ten years, 30% - from five to ten. According to Auto.ru for 2025, the average age of a used car put up for sale has grown to almost 14 years.
According to experts, the increase in the cost of spare parts forces owners of older cars to reconsider their attitude to voluntary insurance - comprehensive insurance ceases to seem like a luxury even for those who previously limited themselves to only compulsory motor third-party liability insurance.
The combination of high operating costs, more expensive spare parts and an aging car fleet creates a stable deferred demand for affordable and economical models - it is in this niche that both Chinese brands and revived domestic brands are now actively targeting.
