Short of gasoline, Russians increased their purchases of Chinese electric cars

The electric vehicle market in Russia already faces many barriers, due to long travel distances, harsh climate and limited charging station network. However, increasing fuel difficulties are causing many people to switch to this type of vehicle.

A few weeks ago, EN Cars sold only 2-3 cars per month, founder Yevgeniy Zabelin said on Reuters on July 1. “Since the fuel situation became complicated, demand has increased many times,” he said, saying buyers are interested in both popular and high-end cars.

Fuel shortages are causing gasoline prices in Russia to skyrocket and many drivers have to wait in long lines at stations. This happened after months of Ukraine continuously conducting attacks with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on energy infrastructure deep within Russian territory, including oil refineries and fuel depots. Ukrainian leaders call it “long-range sanctions”, deployed to increase pressure on Moscow to accept negotiations.

Initially, Russian officials believed that gasoline shortages were just local bottlenecks. However, on June 28, President Vladimir Putin admitted for the first time that many areas were facing fuel shortages and pledged to take measures to stabilize the market.

Russia’s gasoline output has decreased by about 25% after a series of oil refineries had to stop operating. The supply disruption caused many localities in Russia to begin applying measures to restrict fuel sales and gasoline prices in many areas also increased sharply. Calculation of Reuters shows that retail prices in some places have even reached the highest levels in Europe.

In the city of Sevastopol in the Crimean peninsula, gasoline prices increased by 30% in just one week. The national average gasoline price in Russia last week was 72.38 rubles (nearly 1 USD) per liter. However, Reuters recorded prices in some areas lacking fuel at times reaching more than 187 rubles (about 2.42 USD) per liter.

Sergei Udalov – Director of analysis firm Autostat said that sales of electric cars and hybrid cars (electric-gasoline vehicles) are increasing, but still at a low level. Because manufacturers and importers are not prepared for a shortage of gasoline and oil and do not have enough inventory. However, he said that if the shortage persists, car sales will increase sharply in the near future and China will be the biggest beneficiary.

Even when Russia is not short of gasoline as it is now, the increase in fuel prices of more than 12% in the first 5 months of the year compared to last year has also caused the demand for electric vehicles to increase. According to Autostat, the best-selling electric and hybrid car brands in Russia are currently Chinese companies such as Geely, Dongfeng, GAC and Chery. The best-selling electric car model made in Russia is the Evolute, assembled from a set of components provided by Dongfeng.

According to data from Autostat and the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, about 24,600 new hybrid cars were sold in the first 5 months of the year, an increase of 125% over the previous year. Sales of new pure electric vehicles increased by 19%, to 4,460 units.

In June, these figures increased even faster, as fuel shortages spread. Sergei Tselikov – another leader of Autostat said last week, Russia recorded 1,754 new hybrid cars registered. This number is up nearly a third from the previous week and nearly 50% higher than the average pace this year.

According to digital mapping service 2GIS, the number of charging stations in Russia increased by 20% in the 12 months to July 2026.

At EN Cars, Mr. Vasiliy said he was satisfied because he had already purchased a hybrid car and an electric car. “Especially in the current situation, I have absolutely no problems,” he said. Still, he doesn’t think the current wave of interest will last. “I have my own house in the suburbs, have installed a charging station and can charge at home. But in Moscow this is really a problem,” Vasiliy explained.

According to Autostat, electric and hybrid vehicles accounted for only 4.3% of total Russian auto sales last year. In addition to buying electric cars, many Russians have recently installed special equipment in their cars to switch to using liquefied natural gas. This type of fuel is more readily available and cheaper than gasoline and diesel.