How much do cars cost in Kyrgyzstan? Report from the car market (video)

Editorial Kaktus.media went to the capital’s car market to find out the cost of cars. In addition, we tried to figure out how prices might change in the near future.

What cars are for sale

According to the National Statistical Committee, in the first two months of 2023, 14.8 thousand cars were imported into Kyrgyzstan. This is 12.2 thousand more than in the same period last year. In January-February, most cars were imported to Kyrgyzstan from South Korea, Georgia, Russia, China and the USA. They began to deliver cars from Mexico, Indonesia, Iran, Mongolia and the Czech Republic.

According to the seller of the RIOM Auto market, Magomed Dadaev, cars are mainly imported from the USA and South Korea. Another seller, Kubanychbek uulu Samarbek, says that a lot of cars are brought to Kyrgyzstan from Georgia and South Korea, occasionally from Dubai.

“From Dubai, they mainly import large cars – Toyota Land Cruiser 300 and Toyota Land Cruiser 570. The cost of these cars is much lower there, and together with customs clearance, you get a good price,” he says.

There were many cars with Armenian numbers on the car market. As the sellers explained, they are imported into Kyrgyzstan and sold here, but they are not cleared through customs, since our countries are in a single economic space.

And who is the buyer?

According to sellers, Toyota Camry, Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4, Lexus RX 350 and Lexus NX 350 are in demand among Kyrgyzstanis.

Journalist Kaktus.media went to the car market on the day off. However, even at that time there were very few buyers. Some sellers said that there are almost no sales – the car market is actually worth it. According to them, many cars were imported for the Russians, who, due to problems in the Russian Federation and the depreciation of the ruble, stopped coming to buy.

A weak ruble and lower demand could lead to lower car prices in the near future. True, this does not apply to all cars. Russians are not very active in buying cars from the USA, which means that a decrease in demand is not expected in this segment. But cars from Korea, for which Russians mainly came, can become cheaper.

At the same time, it should be taken into account that, according to the National Statistical Committee, in 2022, 10.6 thousand cars were imported into Kyrgyzstan from South Korea, and in the first two months of 2023 – already 5 thousand cars.

“The market is full, packed. Now it is only recovering, before the New Year everything was fine, normal, after – no. But we do not lose heart, good cars are still sold, they are in demand. <...> There is a lull, but you know, probably, we are calm for now. The range is very good. There are cars for every price. Who says prices have gone down, who says prices have risen. Plus or minus $500,” says car dealer Magomed Dadaev.

According to Kubanychbek uulu Samarbek, the market is coming to a stable state, after some decline, prices will start to rise again.

Prices have fallen a little at the moment, but will rise again in the near future. Already many people come from Kazakhstan and Russia, most of them are our clients.

According to the seller, Russians from Moscow, Kazan and Siberia come to the RIOM Auto car market. Most often they make a choice in favor of small cars.

“In Russia there is an annual tax on cars. If a car has a volume of 4.6 or 5.7, then the annual tax exceeds 100 thousand rubles. Because of this, they mainly buy cars with an engine capacity of 2.4 and 2.5 – a maximum 3 liters But Toyota Land Cruiser 300 and Toyota Land Cruiser 570 take through us, despite taxes, because customs clearance is cheaper here.The same with BMW X7 and BMW X5.Most of them, 70-80%, go to Russia “, he says.

Where is the best place to buy

We decided to find out where it is more profitable to buy a car – in the market or on sales sites. To do this, we compared prices for five brands of cars on RIOM Auto and on online platforms that are in demand among Kyrgyzstanis: Toyota Alphard, Subaru Outback, Hyundai Sonata, KIA K5 and Toyota RAV4.

It is important to note that we selectively compared cars with similar characteristics in the market and on sales sites.

A 2005 Toyota Alphard, which is mostly imported to Kyrgyzstan from Armenia at the moment, costs about $12,000 on the market.

On the site, a car with the same characteristics will cost more or at the same level – from $12,000 to $14,500.

A 2017 Subaru Outback costs $21,500 on the car market, and the same car on the sales site costs from $17,300 to $23,500.

Hyundai Sonata 2016, volume 2.3 l, the most popular car model in Kyrgyzstan at the moment, costs about $14,500 on the market. On the site for selling ads, prices for it range from $14,000 to $17,500.

KIA K5, another Korean car brand that has become popular in Kyrgyzstan, sells for $16,800 on the market and can be purchased on sales websites for $11,000 to $19,500.

A 2016 Toyota RAV4 XLE can be bought in the car market for $25,500, if you find it on auto sales sites – for about the same amount or even more.

So far, there is no strong difference between car prices on sales sites and on the market. In addition to the objective factors that are taken into account when buying cars, economic and political factors also contribute. Sellers expect higher prices for cars and market activation. If the situation in Russia does not improve, ordinary Kyrgyzstanis should expect a decrease in the cost of cars.