Fuel shortages drive sharp rise in electric vehicle sales across Russia

Sales of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids have surged in Russia in recent weeks as motorists respond to worsening fuel shortages following sustained Ukrainian drone attacks on the country's oil refining sector.

According to Sergey Tselikov, head of automotive analytics agency Autostat, average weekly sales between June 29 and July 19 rose to 2,144 plug-in hybrids and 326 battery electric vehicles, compared with weekly averages of 1,173 hybrids and 178 EVs recorded during the first half of the year.

The best-selling battery electric models over the three-week period were the UMO 5 with 270 units sold, followed by the Avatr 11 (159), Avatr 12 (107), Changan Qiyuan Q05 (104) and the Moskvich 3e (45).

In the plug-in hybrid segment, the Geely EX5 EM-i led the market with 1,734 sales, ahead of the Evolute i-Space (1,048), Exeed Exlantix ET (563), Voyah Free (538) and GAC S7 (414).

The surge comes as Russia faces mounting pressure on its fuel supply. Ukrainian drone strikes have inflicted significant damage on nine of Russia's ten largest oil refineries, disrupting production and contributing to fuel shortages and long queues at petrol stations in several regions.

Separately, Tselikov said 64.5% of registered vehicles in Russia comply with the Euro 4 emissions standard or higher, including 34.5% that meet Euro 5 requirements and 3.7% that comply with Euro 6.

"Almost two-thirds of Russia's vehicle fleet meets Euro 4 standards or above," he wrote on Telegram, adding that all cars less than 10 years old comply with Euro 4 or higher. Russia phased out the Euro 3 emissions standard in 2013.

The latest sales figures suggest that concerns over fuel availability are beginning to influence buying habits, with Russian consumers increasingly turning to electrified vehicles as conventional petrol supplies come under strain.