The key facts

  • The Toyota bZ3X topped the brand's October ranking with 983 units sold, beating the RAV4 (930 units)
  • A total of 3,958 Toyota cars were registered in Russia — 5% fewer than in October 2025
  • Russia's EV market grew 2.5-fold year on year: more than 4,000 electric cars were sold

A change of leader in the Toyota model lineup

In October 2026, the Toyota bZ3X electric crossover became the brand's best-selling model in Russia for the first time, displacing the long-time favorite RAV4. The data comes from the Telegram channel 'Sergey Tselikov — Autostat', which is cited by Gazeta.Ru. The bZ3X posted a result of 983 units sold versus 930 for the RAV4; third place in the top three went to the Highlander crossover with 836 cars sold.

Overall decline against the backdrop of an EV record

Toyota's total sales in Russia in October amounted to 3,958 new passenger cars — 5% fewer than a year earlier, when 4,165 cars were sold. At the same time, the bZ3X's success coincided with a record for the Russian EV market as a whole: in October, Russians bought more than 4,000 electric cars, 2.5 times more than a year earlier. In the overall EV ranking, the bZ3X took second place, behind the Changan Qiyuan Q05 (1,085 units) but ahead of the Evolute i-Joy and UMO 5.

Background on the model

The bZ3X was originally created as a product for the Chinese market by the GAC-Toyota joint venture, so its demand in Russia has become a notable result in a new direction for the model. Separately, Gazeta.Ru notes that earlier 'the German automotive brand registered a trademark in Russia' — this wording from an earlier publication by the outlet remains without clarification as to which specific brand is meant, and it is not directly tied to the October event.