Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Ukrainians Purchased 22,600 Used Cars from Abroad in July

In July 2026, Ukrainians purchased 22,600 used passenger cars imported from abroad, which is 1% more than during the same period in 2025, according to a report by “Ukravtoprom” on its Telegram channel.

Gasoline-powered cars accounted for the largest share of this segment of the auto market, increasing their share by 7 percentage points compared to July 2025—to 55%.
Next came diesel cars at 17% (19%), while the share of electric vehicles fell to 15% from 24%, though they still outpaced hybrids, which accounted for 10% (6%). The share of cars with LPG systems remained unchanged at 3%.

The average age of imported used cars was 8.8 years.
The Volkswagen Tiguan confidently tops the list of the ten most popular imported used models with 937 units. It is followed by the VW Golf with 862 units, the Audi Q5 with 803 units, the Nissan Rogue with 799 units, the Skoda Octavia with 661 units, the Renault Megane with 618 units, the Tesla Model Y with 509 units, the Ford Escape with 465 units, the Tesla

Model 3 with 456 units, and the Mazda CX-5 with 432 units.
As reported with reference to “Ukravtoprom,” in 2025 Ukrainians purchased 274,300 used passenger cars imported from abroad, which is 24% more than in 2024, and the top three most popular models after the Volkswagen Golf included two Tesla electric vehicles—the Model Y and Model 3.

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China to Raise Tax on Lithium-Ion Batteries and Solar Cells

China will gradually introduce a consumption tax on lithium and lithium-ion batteries, as well as solar cells, which have been exempt from taxation since 2015, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Mercury-free, nickel-metal hydride, lithium, and lithium-ion batteries, as well as vanadium flow batteries, will be taxed at a rate of 2% starting September 1, 2026. Starting in September 2027, the rate will increase to 4%.

For photovoltaic, or solar, cells, a 2% tax will take effect on April 1, 2027, and will also be raised to 4% starting in April 2028.

The new rules were announced by China’s Ministry of Finance, the General Administration of Customs, and the State Taxation Administration.

The introduction of the tax could increase the production costs of batteries and solar cells in China. If manufacturers pass on the additional costs entirely to buyers, selling prices could rise by approximately 2% in the initial phase and up to 4% once the rate is fully implemented.

However, the actual price increase will depend on competition, corporate profitability, and contracts with buyers. Chinese manufacturers may absorb part of the costs themselves to avoid losing market share in both domestic and foreign markets.

The changes will potentially affect the cost of electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and solar power plants, as batteries and photovoltaic modules are among the key components of such projects. At the same time, due to the high proportion of other costs, the price of a finished electric vehicle or solar power plant will not necessarily increase by the full 4%.

Some promising technologies will remain temporarily exempt from the tax until December 2028. These include sodium-ion and solid-state batteries, fuel cells, as well as perovskite, tandem, and gallium arsenide solar cells.

China currently levies a 4% consumption tax on most battery products. At the same time, lithium and lithium-ion batteries, as well as solar and fuel cells, have been exempt since 2015.

This policy has facilitated rapid expansion of production capacity and helped Chinese companies become global leaders. However, the excess supply has simultaneously intensified price competition and reduced profitability for some manufacturers.

Analysts at Citic Securities estimate that the tax changes could generate an additional 45 billion yuan, or about $6.6 billion, in revenue for the Chinese government.

Following the announcement of the new rules, shares of solar cell manufacturer Longi Green Energy Technology rose 2.1%, JinkoSolar’s rose 4%, and those of CATL, the world’s largest battery manufacturer, rose 4.6%.

 

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Demand for passenger electric vehicles in Ukraine fell by 53%

In the first half of this year, 15,221 thousand electric vehicles (new and used) were added to Ukraine’s vehicle fleet, which is half the number registered during the same period last year, according to a report by “Ukravtoprom” on its Telegram channel.

As usual, passenger cars accounted for the majority of registered electric vehicles—14,404 thousand—but their registrations fell by 53%, while demand for commercial electric vehicles dropped by 17% to 817 units.
New vehicles accounted for 19% of BEV registrations, compared to 18% last year.

The most popular new electric vehicles in January–June were the BYD Leopard 3 (421 units), the BYD Sea Lion 06 (359 units), the Zeekr 7X (229 units), the Volkswagen ID.Unyx (203 units), and the Zeekr 7X (172 units).
Among used vehicles, the most frequently registered for the first time were the Nissan Leaf (1,592 units), the Tesla Model Y (1,468 units), the Tesla Model 3 (1,355 units), the Chevrolet Bolt (613 units), and the Renault Zoe (553 units).

As previously reported, Ukraine’s vehicle fleet grew by 110,200 electric vehicles in 2025—twice as many as the previous year. New vehicles accounted for 20% of the total, compared to 24% in 2024.
In particular, in December—the last month during which electric vehicles could be cleared through customs without VAT—demand for them increased 8.6-fold compared to December 2024, reaching 32,800 units.

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Share of electric vehicles in new car market fell from 18.9% to 8.3% — Ukravtoprom

The share of electric vehicles in the new passenger car market in January–June 2026 decreased to 8.3% compared to the same period in 2025, when it stood at 18.9%, according to a report on Ukravtoprom’s Telegram channel.

At the same time, cars with conventional engines (gasoline and diesel) accounted for nearly 62%, up from 56.5% last year. In particular, the most popular gasoline models accounted for 39.2% of the market, while in the first half of last year they accounted for 37.1%. Diesel cars also increased their share—to 22.5% from 19.4% last year.

The share of hybrid cars rose from 26.5% to 29.8%. Cars with LPG systems, as was the case last year, accounted for less than 1% of new car sales.

According to data from “Ukravtoprom,” the Hyundai Tucson took the lead in the gasoline-powered car segment, the Toyota RAV-4 in the hybrid segment, the Renault Duster in the diesel segment, the BYD Leopard 3 in the electric car segment, and the Hyundai Tucson in the LPG-powered car segment.

As previously reported, in 2025 as a whole, driven by rapid growth in electric vehicle sales in the second half of the year, they increased their share of the new passenger car market to 28.3% from 14.5% in 2024, while cars with conventional engines (gasoline and diesel) accounted for only half of the market compared to over 65%. The diesel car segment also decreased from 25.6% to 17.4%.

At the beginning of this year, electric vehicles still held a 19% share of the new passenger car market (in January), but by February that figure had fallen to 3.3%; however, in March it began to gradually increase amid rising prices for traditional fuel.

As reported, according to data from “Ukravtoprom,” sales of new passenger cars in January–June of this year rose by 0.5% compared to the same period in 2025, totaling approximately 33,000 units.

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Share of electric vehicles in Ukraine’s new car market has fallen to 8.5%

The share of electric vehicles in the new passenger car market in May 2026 fell to 8.5% compared to May 2025, when it stood at 18.4%, according to a report on the “Ukravtoprom” Telegram channel.

Compared to April of this year, their share decreased by 0.5 percentage points.

At the same time, cars with traditional engines (gasoline and diesel) accounted for over 60% of the market, compared to 54.3% last year. In particular, the most popular gasoline models accounted for 39.9% of the market, whereas in May of last year they accounted for 36% of the market. Diesel cars also increased their share—to 20.7% from 18.3% last year.

The share of hybrid cars rose from 27.1% to 30.8%, but compared to April 2025, it decreased by more than 2 percentage points.

As in the previous year, cars with LPG systems accounted for less than 1% of new car sales.

According to data from “Ukravtoprom,” the Hyundai Tucson took the lead in the gasoline-powered car segment, the Toyota RAV-4 in hybrids, the Renault Duster in diesel cars, the BYD Sea Lion 06EV in electric cars, and the Hyundai Tucson in LPG-powered cars.

As reported, overall in 2025, due to the rapid growth in electric vehicle sales in the second half of the year, they increased their share of the new passenger car market to 28.3% from 14.5% in 2024, while cars with traditional engines (gasoline and diesel) accounted for only half of the market compared to over 65%. The diesel car segment also decreased from 25.6% to 17.4%.

At the beginning of this year, electric vehicles still held a 19% share of the new passenger car market (in January), but by February it had fallen to 3.3%; however, in March it began to gradually increase amid rising prices for traditional fuel.

As reported, Ukrainians purchased approximately 5,500 new passenger cars in May 2026, which is 18% less than in May 2025 and 11% less than in April of this year.

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Over 3,000 electric vehicles were added to Ukraine’s vehicle fleet in April

In April, 3,007 electric vehicles (new and used) were added to Ukraine’s vehicle fleet, which is 48% less than in April 2025 but 49% more than in March of this year, Ukravtoprom reported on its Telegram channel.

The majority of electric vehicles registered during the month were passenger cars—2,837 units (of which 536 were new and 2,301 were used), while only nine of the 170 commercial electric vehicles were new.

The most popular new electric vehicles in March were the BYD Leopard 3 – 96 units (34 units in March 2026); BYD Sea Lion 06 – 73 units (30 units); MG 4 EV – 38 units (not in the top five); Volkswagen ID.UNYX – 36 units (21 units) and Zeekr 001 – 33 units (30 units).

Among used vehicles, the most frequently registered for the first time were the Nissan Leaf – 345 units (226 units in March of this year); Tesla Model Y – 283 units (212 units); Tesla Model 3 – 265 units (210 units); Renault Zoe – 120 units (101 units) and Chevrolet Bolt – 117 units.

As reported, electric vehicles are gradually seeing a resurgence in demand and slowing the rate of decline compared to the same periods last year following a slump at the beginning of this year, particularly amid rising fuel prices (gasoline and diesel) at gas stations.

In 2025, Ukraine’s vehicle fleet was expanded by 110,200 electric vehicles—twice as many as the previous year. The share of new vehicles was 20%, compared to 24% in 2024.

In particular, in December, the last month of VAT-free customs clearance for electric vehicles, demand for them increased 8.6-fold compared to December 2024—to 32,800 units.

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