28.05.2026 / Car leasing market in January–April 2026 fell by 1.5% year-on-year

April marked the best month of the year by the number of cars leased

According to Gazprombank Autoleasing and the marketing agency NAPI, in January-April 2026, the new and used car leasing market* fell by 1.5% in quantitative terms year-on-year. At the same time, the used car segment continues to show growth, offsetting the overall market decline: over the first four months since the beginning of the year, leasing of used cars grew by 32.5%, while in April – by 13.3%.

January-April 2026 results

In January-April 2026, business representatives leased 44.9 thousand cars (32.5 thousand new and 12.4 thousand used), compared with 45.6 thousand units leased over the similar period of the previous year (36.2 thousand new and 9.4 thousand used). The overall segment contracted by 1.5% since the beginning of the year, with used car leasing growing by 32.5% and new car leasing falling by 10.3%. Consequently, the share of used cars in total lease sales increased from 21% to 28% during the reporting period (January–April 2025/2026).

Following results of the first four months of 2026, the share of leasing in corporate new car sales reached 62.6% (+2.7 p.p. compared to January–April 2025). Leasing of used cars reached 31.8% (+6.5 p.p.)

The share of Chinese-brand cars (excluding BELGEE) leased declined by 5.8 p.p. to 45.6%. At the same time, Russian brands gained 5.7 p.p., reaching 33.1%.

TOP‑5 new and used car brands most frequently leased by businesses included LADA (23.3% share), HAVAL (8.2%), BELGEE (7.3%), TENET (6.4%), and CHERY (4.9%). GEELY, FAW, TANK, VOYAH, and HONGQI rounded out TOP-10. LADA (-1.3%), CHERY (-43.1%), and GEELY (-35.7%) saw decline in leasing, while the highest growth was showed by FAW (+654.8%), VOYAH (+193.6%), and HONGQI (+201.9%).

Among new cars, LADA, BELGEE, TENET, HAVAL, and GEELY became leaders by leasing. Among used cars, the most in-demand brands became LADA, CHERY, HAVAL, GEELY, and MERCEDES-BENZ.

The most popular models among corporate clients in January–April 2026 were LADA GRANTA, BELGEE X50, LADA LARGUS, LADA VESTA, and HAVAL JOLION. TENET T7, CHERY ARRIZO 8, FAW BESTUNE T77, TENET T4, and LADA NIVA TRAVEL took positions 6–10.

April 2026 results

In April 2026, business representatives leased 12.9 thousand new and used cars, which was a 19.1% decline on April 2025. In the new car market, the number of transactions decreased by 26.2% (to 9.6 thousand cars), while in the used car market, their number grew by 13.3% (to 3.3 thousand cars). At the same time, April marked the best month of 2026 by the number of cars leased.

TOP-5 brands by the number of cars leased in April included LADA (24.4% of all sales), TENET (8.4%), HAVAL (7.5%), JAECOO (4.6%), and GEELY (4.5%). The popularity of such brands as JAECOO (+193.0%), FAW (+477.8%), and VOYAH (+221.8%) is growing. TOP-5 new cars is similar to the overall ranking, but with BELGEE and FAW replacing JAECOO and GEELY. TOP-5 used cars included LADA, JAECOO, HAVAL, MERCEDES-BENZ, and BMW.

In the model ranking for April, the leading positions were occupied by LADA GRANTA, TENET T7, LADA LARGUS, LADA VESTA, and JAECOO J7.

“April’s results for both new and used car leasing were the best in 2026. Nevertheless, January–April totals are slightly below 2025 – a year that was already unfavorable – primarily due to a significant decline in new car leasing. It is worth noting that corporate clients are faring worse than private buyers. Over the first four months of 2026, new car sales to corporate clients excluding leasing fell by 20%, while those to private buyers grew. Leasing company clients were affected by higher tax burdens in 2025–2026 and a cooling economy. Some companies bought cars last year fearing price increases due to changes in the recycling tax and VAT growth. LADA remains the unchallenged leader in both new and used car leasing, as the most affordable car,” commented Tatyana Arabadzhi, General Director at NAPI.

“The trend towards a growing share of used cars in leasing continues to hold, and it is precisely this segment that is currently offsetting the overall decline in new business in auto leasing. Reasons include the greater affordability and attractive cost of used cars amid still high Central Bank rates, as well as a wide selection of used cars from leasing companies’ own fleets,” noted Nikolay Fomin, Director of Sales Department at Gazprombank Autoleasing. - Demand for used cars will remain strong this year and will begin to decline only as the key interest rate continues to decrease and pent‑up demand for new cars from businesses is implemented.”

Leasing* of new and used cars, thousand units 

Data source: NAPI 

* operational and financial leasing

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