As autumn settles in, vehicle prices in many markets begin to edge upward in anticipation of firmer demand after the holiday season. Analysts expect this momentum to carry on, with buyers showing persistence as supply tightens and interest remains robust across different segments. The pattern mirrors seasonal buying cycles where late-year demand often reduces available inventories, nudging prices higher even before the next year starts. This is not a sudden spike but a gradual shift that executives and consumers alike are watching closely as inventories adjust to evolving demand signals.
Despite that trend, the overall weighted average price for used cars remains below the peak levels seen during the spring surge. Current data show the average cost around 1.2 million rubles for used vehicles, according to Avtostat, which sits roughly 60% above the start of 2022 levels. For cars that are under seven years old, the average price has climbed to about 2.3 million rubles. These figures highlight that while the market is more expensive than early 2022, it has not yet reached the extraordinary highs seen in the immediate spring period. For buyers, this means a more premium but still accessible used-car market compared with mid-year extremes, and it underscores the ongoing balance between supply and demand in the pre-holiday window (Avtostat insights).
Several market observers attribute the current price environment to shifting supply dynamics rather than an outright rise in value. Specifically, there is noticeable appetite among buyers for inexpensive options, but a growing reluctance among sellers to part with their stock. As a consequence, cheaper vehicles are being purchased faster, which reduces the visible supply and subtly nudges the market average higher. This phenomenon is interpreted by some as a supply-side squeeze: fewer cheap cars on the market translate into a higher reported average price, even if the price of the bottom tier has not surged as dramatically as the top end (industry analysts). In practical terms, the market’s complexion is changing because a larger share of affordable inventory is being withheld or traded privately, rather than publicly discounted for quick sale.
Industry experts, including Avtostat’s Sergey Udalov, have noted that owners may be delaying trade-ins or replacements because finding a suitable successor vehicle is proving challenging. The bottleneck is largely the scarcity of fresh listings within the market, a situation that seems to persist across multiple vehicle categories. In commentary cited by Izvestia, Udalov points to the difficulty buyers face in securing new offers, which seems to prompt a strategic withholding of cars by owners until more favorable assortments appear. This behavior reinforces the sense of a market slowly recalibrating around limited supply and cautious buyer sentiment, even as overall demand remains resilient in the post-holiday period (Izvestia reporting, Avtostat data).