Ukraine's electric vehicle market grows by 8% in Aug compared to July, driven by used car imports – experts

In August 2026, Ukraine's electric vehicle market saw an 8% increase in first registrations compared to July, according to the Institute for Automotive Research (IAR). This growth, however, was 20.7% lower than the same time last year. Used car imports drove the growth, with a 434-unit increase, accounting for 66.2% of the net market growth. Domestic resales accounted for 54.6% of the volume, while new electric vehicles made up 5.6%.

Used electric vehicle imports saw a 13.7% increase, totaling 3,613 units. However, this is still 38.9% lower than August 2025. Domestic resales rose 2.3% month-on-month and 38.2% year-on-year to 4,957 units. New electric vehicles increased by 27.9% month-on-month but declined by 74.1% year-on-year to 504 units.

December 2025 saw 35,167 light-duty electric vehicle purchases, marking a notable point in the 13-month trend. After a sharp decline in January, monthly sales recovered to the 8,000-10,000 vehicle range. Tesla led with 2,342 units, followed by Nissan with 1,225,000 units and Volkswagen with 745 units. These three brands accounted for 47.5% of August's volume.

Tesla, Nissan, and Volkswagen together represented 81.5% of the top ten brands. The Nissan Leaf topped overall models with 1,087,000 units, up 13.6% from July. Tesla Model 3 was second with 1,044,000 units, while Tesla Model Y was third with 910 units. Nissan Leaf led the domestic resale segment with 632 units, while Tesla Model Y was first in used car imports with 498 units. Among new electric cars, BYD Sea Lion 06 led with 102 units.

58.3% of August's volume comprised vehicles up to five years old, down from 58.6% in July and 67.3% a year ago. Vehicles over 11 years old increased to 13.2% from 7.5% a year ago, while vehicles up to two years old accounted for 20.7% of the volume. BEVs comprised 9.3% of all light vehicles purchased or first registered in August, up from 8.3% in July and 10.8% a year ago.