Car owners will find it easier to service their cars at independent service centers. The State Duma adopted a law that obliges car manufacturers to provide service stations with technical documentation for vehicles.

The amendments were made to the Law "On Protection of Consumer Rights". The document was adopted by the State Duma in the third reading. If approved by the Federation Council and the President of Russia, the new rules will come into force on March 1, 2027.

According to the amendments, car manufacturers will have to provide service centers not only with spare parts, as previously stipulated, but also with special materials for car repair and maintenance – the so-called manuals.

This obligation will be valid for ten years from the date of transfer of the car to the buyer. The requirements will also remain in effect for the service life of the car after the model is discontinued.

The explanatory note to the bill states that the measure is related to market specifics. In particular, the document says that the commercial practice of Chinese car manufacturers, unlike companies from Western countries, Japan, and South Korea, did not involve providing service centers with documentation necessary for car repair and maintenance.

Therefore, it was proposed to amend Russian legislation and enshrine the obligation of manufacturers to provide such information.

The new rules will apply not only to cars. Amendments to the Law "On Protection of Consumer Rights" also affect other categories of goods. The specific procedure for information transfer, terms, and composition of documentation will have to be determined by the government.