The recycling (utilisation) fee has long been the largest cost of importing a car into Russia — for powerful cars it exceeds the customs duty. Since 1 December 2025 the fee depends not only on engine size and age but also on power, and the rates are scheduled year by year up to 2030. Here is what the resolution says will change on 1 January 2027 and why the 160 hp mark decides everything.

How the fee is calculated

The formula is simple: a base rate of 20,000 roubles is multiplied by a coefficient. The coefficient depends on three parameters — engine displacement, power and the car’s age (under three years or older). The current grid was introduced by Government Resolution No. 1713 of 1 November 2025: it amended the main recycling-fee Resolution No. 1291 and took effect on 1 December 2025. Power in the table is given in kilowatts: 160 hp equals 117.68 kW.

What changes on 1 January 2027

The coefficients are set by calendar year. In 2026 they are 20% higher than in December 2025; in 2027 they rise by another 10%, and then by 10% a year until 2030. Some examples for passenger cars:

  • 1–2 l, 160–190 hp, new: 900,000 roubles in 2026 → 990,000 in 2027 (coefficient 45 → 49.5).
  • 1–2 l, 160–190 hp, over three years old: 1,492,800 → 1,642,000 roubles (74.64 → 82.1).
  • 2–3 l, 160–190 hp, new: 2,306,800 → 2,537,400 roubles (115.34 → 126.87).
  • 2–3 l, 160–190 hp, over three years old: 3,456,000 → 3,801,600 roubles (172.8 → 190.08).

More powerful cars have higher coefficients, which rise in the same proportion. The government has not abandoned indexation to 2030 — it was publicly confirmed in summer 2026.

The 3,400 and 5,200 rouble rate: who qualifies

Cars imported by individuals for personal use have separate coefficients: 0.17 for new cars and 0.26 for cars over three years old — that is 3,400 and 5,200 roubles. They apply if power does not exceed 160 hp and displacement does not exceed 3,000 cc, and they are the same in every year of the table up to 2030 — the preferential rate is not indexed. Cars over 3 litres get no preferential rate even with modest power.

The condition is that the car is genuinely personal: within 12 months of import it must be registered to the person who imported it, and it may be registered to someone else only after those 12 months. If power exceeds 160 hp or displacement exceeds 3 litres, an individual pays the fee on the same grid as companies.

What this did to the market

The effect shows in Autostat data. Among used cars over three years old, the share of cars above 160 hp was 46% in August 2025 and over 67% in October–November, before the new rules took effect, as buyers rushed to beat the deadline. In January 2026 it fell to 5.8%, in June to 3%, and in August to a record low of 2.3%.

Imports did not stop but restructured. In August 2026 Russia imported 37,700 new passenger cars, 72.5% of them from China, and 42,900 used cars, more than half from Japan. Almost all used cars imported now fall under the preferential power threshold.

Imports via EAEU countries: what applies and what does not

In February 2026 a draft was published under which registering in Russia a car imported via another EAEU country would require paying the difference between the payments made there and in Russia. The media cited 1 April, but at the end of March the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that date was no longer relevant and a new one would be announced separately. As of the end of August the draft was still under review.

Earlier rules do apply: since 2023 the preferential rate for cars imported from EAEU countries has also been tied to registration to the importer within 12 months. On this basis customs is back-charging the fee for EAEU cars imported in 2021–2023 and resold too early — in the Volga region alone this involves thousands of lawsuits.

What to consider if you are planning a purchase

  • Check power in the documents, not in the advert: the thresholds are 160 hp (117.68 kW) and 3,000 cc.
  • Calculate at the rate for the year in which the car will be cleared: for powerful cars the difference between 2026 and 2027 starts at hundreds of thousands of roubles.
  • The preferential rate is only for personal imports: register the car to yourself and do not resell it in the first 12 months.
  • Schemes via third countries do not cancel the Russian fee, and the risk of a back-charge stays with the buyer.

This article is for reference and is based on the text of the resolutions. The exact amount for a specific car is calculated by customs at clearance.

Sources