Buy a car and give two more to the state: Recycling fees in Russia will increase again.

The growth will be even more 10-20% Depending on the type of equipment. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade's press service, this is the next planned step in the long-term indexation, which was approved back in 2024.

The agency asserts that the gradual increase in rates creates "predictable conditions for investment" and stimulates the production of domestic automobiles.

"In terms of passenger car manufacturing, our country produces cars from over 20 brands, more than 50 models – from the most budget-friendly to the luxury class (including Haval, Tenet, Volga, Moskvich, Evolute, Atom, Sollers, Senat)," — the Ministry of Industry and Trade boasted.

"It would be better if they at least started building a car recycling plant," "Buy a car, give two more to the state, and then they can assemble the crap for a third of the price of China," "Where else?" — Russians react on social networks.

The government's claims of stimulating demand contrast with the reality. The Russian Association of Automobile Dealers even admits the auto market is in danger of collapsing amid yet another price hike.

Dealers' concerns are reinforced by the experience of the previous recycling fee increase. Ahead of the December 2025 hike, Russians began importing foreign cars en masse, trying to get them before the rates, which have increased hundreds of times for some vehicles, come into effect. Other Russians are protesting: "They've already finished us off, and with a new promotion they'll destroy us."

Moreover, the authorities' attempt to protect the domestic market backfired: the surge in demand shifted toward imports. As a result, even AvtoVAZ experienced a decline in sales. The company's Sales and Marketing Director Dmitriy Kostromin stated that the current market situation is the worst in the last 20 years.