From June 1, 2026, owners of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in Russia may face a new problem. Such a car will not be able to simply be parked in a regular spot in an underground parking lot if it is not prepared according to new fire safety requirements.
According to the new rules of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, electric vehicles and rechargeable hybrids must be parked separately from conventional cars. They must be placed in groups of no more than 10 vehicles, separated by fire-resistant partitions, fire curtains or gates, and such areas must be equipped with fire extinguishing systems, including sprinklers.
Charging zones also fall under the new requirements, and the rules for underground parking lots are especially strict: there, as a rule, only slow charging up to a certain power is allowed. The Ministry of Emergency Situations explained that the requirements apply to newly designed facilities, as well as existing buildings, if major repairs, reconstruction, technical re-equipment, or a change in functional purpose are planned there.
Because of this, a regular parking space for an electric vehicle can become a violation. As Armen Safaryan, chairman of the Association of Manufacturers and Operators of Electric Charging Stations, explained, two categories of spaces are effectively introduced inside enclosed parking lots: for cars with internal combustion engines and for electric vehicles. If the parking lot is built or rebuilt according to the new rules, and the owner parks an electric vehicle in a regular spot, a fire inspector may draw up a report.
The first time a warning is possible, but repeated violations threaten a fine: for citizens - up to 50 thousand rubles, for officials - up to 100 thousand, for individual entrepreneurs - up to 110 thousand, for legal entities - up to 2 million rubles. In the most serious cases, the court may even suspend the activities of an individual entrepreneur or company.
Responsibility is divided between the management company and the car owner. The management company must ensure that the parking lot complies with the norms, that special places are allocated for electric vehicles, and that the infrastructure is properly accounted for and safely maintained. The car owner must comply with the rules of the specific facility.
The main reason for the tightening is the peculiarities of electric vehicle batteries. The Ministry of Emergency Situations previously stated that the growth in the number of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure carries additional fire risks. In 2024, 120 fires involving all types of electric transport were recorded in Russia, including not only electric vehicles, but also trams, electric motorcycles, and electric scooters. Extinguishing such vehicles is difficult due to high-voltage systems, difficult access to the battery, the risk of re-ignition, and toxic gases.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 40% of fires occurred during storage and 30% during charging. Among the known cases are the Leapmotor C11 fire in Uzbekistan on May 26, 2026, the Nissan Leaf in Vladivostok in April 2025, and a major Mercedes EQE fire in an underground garage in Incheon in August 2024, where more than a hundred cars were damaged. At the same time, some experts believe that the new rules do not take into account modern systems for early detection of overheating and localized fire extinguishing, and also point out that ICE vehicles, according to foreign experience, burn up to seven times more often than electric vehicles.
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