Russia sees electric car sales surge as drivers turn to home charging

Demand for electric vehicles is growing in Russia, with new EV sales up 24% over the past year and imports from CIS countries rising sharply, according to SHOT.

The trend is also driving greater interest in home charging, particularly among residents of private-sector housing, who can charge their vehicles from conventional household power supplies and reduce their reliance on petrol and filling stations.

Data from Avtostat show that 8,367 new electric vehicles were sold in Russia during the first eight months of 2026. The number of EVs actually operating on Russian roads may be higher, with analysts estimating that about 5,000 additional vehicles are in the country without Russian registration.

Most of those cars enter Russia from CIS countries through parallel-import channels. Such imports increased by 120% year-on-year in July alone, according to the report.

The North Caucasus has seen particularly strong growth in demand. A total of 161 electric vehicles were sold there during the first eight months of 2026, an increase of 42% from the same period a year earlier.

The shift toward electric vehicles is being accompanied by rising demand for home charging equipment. According to ATOL, sales demand for charging stations increased by 64%, while their average price rose 1.5 times.

By Tamilla Hasanova