On December 1, updated rules for calculating the recycling fee came into force in Russia. Let's figure out in simple words what has changed and what to expect for motorists.
What was changed?
- Now the rate depends not only on the volume of the engine, but also on its power.
- Preferential recycling when importing cars by individuals. The license remains, but it is valid only for cars up to 160 hp. Everything that is more powerful is considered at commercial rates, which are many times higher.
- The changes also affected electric cars/hybrids — the total power of the power plant is taken into account for them.
What do the experts say?
Analysts are confident that prices will rise for all brands. But the growth will be different: somewhere symbolic, somewhere so significant that the import of cars will lose its meaning. Even cars up to 160 hp will also rise in price — an increase of 5-10% is expected by the end of 2025.
The changes will particularly affect:
- cars more powerful than 160 hp and with a volume of more than 2.0 liters,
- hybrids and electric cars for parallel imports (Li Auto, Aito Seres). In these segments, the price increase may amount to hundreds of thousands or even millions of rubles.
What do the authorities say?
- The government is confident that the Russian-built models will hardly suffer.
- The preferential coefficient for the import of cars "for own needs" has also been maintained.
- According to officials, most cars with engines up to 160 hp (which is more than 80% of the fleet) should not increase significantly in price.
