Ukrainians have drastically changed their preferences for imported cars: what are they bringing in most often now?
10 August 16:05
The Ukrainian used-car market is showing a noticeable shift in buyer preferences. In July 2026, gasoline-powered cars already accounted for more than half of all used passenger car imports, while the share of electric vehicles declined significantly. This is according to data from Ukravtoprom, as reported by "Komersant Ukrainian"
In total, 22,600 used passenger cars imported from abroad were added to the Ukrainian vehicle fleet during the month. This is only 1% more than in July of last year.
Gasoline-powered cars accounted for more than half of the market
The most notable change occurred not in the total number of imported cars, but in the structure of imports.
In July, 55% of all used passenger cars imported into Ukraine were gasoline-powered. By comparison, in July 2025, their share stood at 48%.
Thus, over the course of a year, the share of gasoline-powered cars increased by 7 percentage points.
The breakdown of used passenger car imports in July was as follows:
- gasoline-powered — 55%;
- diesel — 17%;
- electric vehicles — 15%;
- hybrids — 10%;
- cars with LPG systems — 3%.
Interestingly, as gasoline-powered cars grew in popularity, Ukrainians began buying hybrids more actively. Their share increased from 6% to 10% over the course of the year.
Diesel cars, on the other hand, lost some ground: their share fell from 19% to 17%.
The share of electric cars dropped sharply
Electric vehicles were affected the most by these changes.
While electric cars accounted for 24% of imported used cars in July of last year, this year they accounted for only 15%.
In other words, the share of electric vehicles fell by 9 percentage points over the course of a year.
A similar trend is observed in the new-car market. In July, electric vehicles accounted for 7.3% of new passenger cars, compared to 24.7% a year earlier.
At the same time, the share of hybrids among new cars increased from 21.2% to 31.2%, while gasoline and diesel cars together accounted for over 61% of the market.
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Which used cars do Ukrainians import most often?
The leader of the ranking of the most popular imported cars has also changed.
For the first time, the Volkswagen Tiguan took first place among imported used cars. A total of 937 such vehicles were registered in Ukraine during the month.
The Volkswagen Golf took second place with 862 cars, and the Audi Q5 rounded out the top three with 803 cars.
The top ten most popular models included:
- Volkswagen Tiguan — 937 cars;
- Volkswagen Golf — 862;
- Audi Q5 — 803;
- Nissan Rogue — 799;
- Skoda Octavia — 661;
- Renault Megane — 618;
- Tesla Model Y — 509;
- Ford Escape — 465;
- Tesla Model 3 — 456;
- Mazda CX-5 — 432.
Despite an overall decline in the share of electric vehicles, two Tesla models—the Model Y and Model 3—still made it into the top ten most popular used cars.
How old are the cars that Ukrainians import?
Another telling indicator is the age of imported cars.
The average age of used passenger cars that received Ukrainian license plates in July was 8.8 years.
At the same time, used car imports remain an important component of the Ukrainian auto market. In the first half of 2026 alone, Ukrainians purchased nearly 26,300 used cars imported from abroad that were less than five years old, according to data from Ukravtoprom.
July statistics show that the Ukrainian auto market is effectively undergoing a shift in demand: gasoline-powered cars are strengthening their position, hybrids are also gaining popularity, while the share of electric cars has declined significantly following a previous rapid growth.
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