China to tighten car export rules from 2027: who in Russia may be affected

New requirements for exporters

From January 1, 2027, China will require car manufacturers to prove the availability of service and repair support for vehicles in foreign markets, as well as guarantee uninterrupted supplies of spare parts. Without such guarantees, the export of cars from the country will be banned. To confirm compliance, it will be necessary to prove the existence of at least 50 repair facilities in the country of presence — with contracts, certificates, equipment and documents on spare parts stock. This is reported by Komsomolskaya Pravda, which is cited by Gazeta.Ru.

Who will be affected by the restrictions

Vice President of the National Automobile Union Anton Shaparin explained that this is China's second attempt to conquer the global car market: the first, 20 years ago, ended in failure and undermined the reputation of the Chinese auto industry, so now the PRC seeks to prove the reliability of its cars and controls not only export models but also their servicing. Sergey Tselikov, head of Avtostat, believes that major manufacturers — Chery, Geely, Haval, Changan — will have no problems: they have service networks and spare parts supplies. Difficulties are expected for brands not officially represented in Russia — Zeekr, Xiaomi and BYD, which are imported via parallel imports, but their share is only 1–2% of the market, and there are alternatives to them.

Western brands assembled in China and prices

Western brands whose cars are assembled in China will have a harder time, according to experts: over nine months, 67.5 thousand new cars were delivered from China to Russia, with Mazda, Toyota, Nissan, Kia and Volkswagen in the lead. However, under Chinese law, a car sold in China is considered 'used' after six months and can be exported under more lenient rules. Tselikov predicts that the number of cars on the market will not decrease, but prices will rise — in his words, not because of the new rules, but 'simply because that's how it's supposed to be.' Life.ru with reference to kp.ru adds that among the remaining official offers, experts highlighted the Changan Alsvin at 1.45 million rubles and the Hongqi Guoya Imperial V8 at 32 million, while alternatives to unofficially imported electric vehicles and hybrids could be Voyah and Evolute, assembled in the Lipetsk Region.

Market context

Against the backdrop of the upcoming changes, Life.ru recalls that in October, sales of new passenger cars in Russia reached their highest level since the beginning of 2026: buyers purchased 132.9 thousand cars — 8.2% more than in September, but 19.8% less than a year earlier. Experts do not expect a complete halt in supplies due to the new rules.