A car dealership in Moscow is struggling to keep up with the demand for new electric vehicles, as drivers try to avoid a fuel shortage that has led to long lines at gas stations and rising prices at the pump across much of Russia, Reuters reports, according to Agerpres.
Intensified Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure have reduced gasoline and diesel supplies in recent weeks, forcing restrictions to be imposed in most regions of Russia. Retail gasoline prices in some areas have reached some of the highest levels in Europe, according to Reuters calculations.
Until now, Russia’s vast distances, harsh climate, and limited charging network have constrained the expansion of the electric vehicle market. But growing challenges related to fuel supply are prompting some drivers to switch to electric cars.
The car dealer EN Cars, which specializes in Chinese brands, is selling two to three electric vehicles a day, compared with two to three a month just a few weeks ago, said the company’s founder, Yevgeniy Zabelin. “Since the fuel situation became complicated, demand has increased severalfold,” he said, adding that interest is growing in both budget and premium models.
In the showroom, prospective buyers are inspecting electric SUVs manufactured by the Chinese automaker Geely. With fuel prices rising by more than 12% year-over-year between January and May, demand for electric vehicles was already on the rise in Russia.
Approximately 24,600 new plug-in hybrid cars were sold in the first five months of the year in Russia, a 125% increase compared to the previous year, while sales of new fully electric cars rose by 19% to 4,460, according to the consulting firm Autostat and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Sales accelerated even further in June as fuel shortages set in. Last week, 1,754 new plug-in hybrids were registered, up by nearly a third from the previous week and nearly 50% above this year’s average weekly pace, according to Autostat CEO Sergei Tselikov.
At the same time, the number of charging stations in Russia increased by 20% between July 2025 and July 2026, according to the digital mapping service 2GIS.
At the EN Cars dealership, Vasiliy, one of the customers, said he was glad he had already purchased a hybrid and an electric vehicle. “Especially given the current situation, I haven’t had any problems,” Vasiliy said, adding, however, that he doesn’t expect the surge in interest in electric cars to last. “I live in a private home in the countryside. I’ve installed my own charging station and charge at home. In Moscow, it’s a real problem to charge properly,” says Vasiliy.
Data from Autostat shows that, last year, electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids accounted for only 4.3% of total car sales in Russia.
source – AGERPRES
