No older than 20 years: Ukraine wants to “rejuvenate” its vehicle fleet
24 March 11:56
The Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine has published for discussion the draft Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Certain Issues of Vehicle Operation.” This is reported on the ministry’s website, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.
As noted, the draft law is designed to simplify the procedure for allowing vehicles to participate in road traffic, and above all, to improve the certification procedures for used vehicles.
Why there is a need to improve certification
The explanatory note to the draft law states that new passenger cars are first registered if they meet environmental standards not lower than Euro 5, while used cars imported into the customs territory of Ukraine are first registered even if they meet Euro 2 standards introduced in the European Union in 1996. Today, this corresponds to the age of vehicles of almost 30 years. As a result, Ukraine’s vehicle fleet is rapidly aging, and its negative impact on the environment and public health is increasing.
The draft law is intended to regulate the issue of authorization for operation of vehicles, in particular those that have been in use and imported into the customs territory of Ukraine for free circulation, their first state registration in Ukraine, by bringing legislation in this area in line with EU practice. For this purpose, it is proposed to amend the Laws of Ukraine “On Transport” and “On Road Traffic”.
What provisions are contained in the draft new law?
The Automotive Market Research Institute analyzed the innovations proposed by the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development and commented on them.
Technical inspection instead of certification
Currently, before the first registration of an imported vehicle, it is known that it must be certified, a procedure similar to technical inspection but with a different name. The draft law proposes to introduce mandatory technical inspection (MTI) for all types of vehicles before the first registration, and if the vehicle fully meets the requirements, a report on the mandatory technical inspection will have to be submitted to the Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs instead of a certificate.
At the same time, the mandatory and regularity of the inspection will not change. In other words, if there is no requirement for regular technical inspection for private cars now, this project will not create it.
Red light for cars over 20 years old
According to the authors of the draft law, vehicles imported into Ukraine must be no older than 20 years and be registered in the countries party to the Agreement Concerning the Adoption of Uniform Technical Prescriptions for Wheeled Vehicles, Equipment and Parts which can be Fitted and/or Used on Wheeled Vehicles.
Such a restriction could theoretically affect the import of passenger cars older than 20 years. However, according to experts from the Institute for Automotive Market Research, in practice, no one actually imports cars of this age due to their age, high customs duties, and unpopularity in the market. The share of imported passenger cars with a year of manufacture from 2005 to 1995 inclusive amounted to 4.6% as of January 2025.
Therefore, the fragment from the explanatory note to the draft law that states that “as a result, the vehicle fleet is rapidly aging and its negative impact on the environment and public health is increasing” with such a share of cars over 20 years old looks like an exaggeration. This is also confirmed by the fact that the share of imported used cars up to 10 years old inclusive is 61.2%, and the average age of imported cars is 9.5 years.
Green Euro for new cars
According to the project proposal, only new vehicles must meet environmental standards at the first registration: first, Euro 5, then, from January 1, 2027, Euro 6. However, used cars must meet only one requirement when imported: to be no older than 20 years.
At the same time, according to the experts of the Institute of Automotive Market Research, if a model of a certain car is no longer produced, but it is suitable for use, and at the same time it is 30 years old or more, it will be possible to import it in accordance with the rules of the Law “On the Importation of Cultural Property”. At the same time, the requirements for compliance with environmental standards for such a car will not apply for the first registration. This means that vintage cars can be imported and registered. There is an opinion that it will finally be possible to “legalize” those “valuable models” that were imported earlier, but are still considered only exhibits, not vehicles.
According to the final provisions of the draft law, if adopted, these rules will come into force 1 year after the official publication of the law.
The draft document can be found on the official website of the Ministry of Infrastructure here.
Comments and suggestions are accepted within one month from the date of publication, i.e. until April 19, 2025. Proposals from individuals and legal entities should be sent to [email protected] and to the State Regulatory Service of Ukraine.
How many and what kind of used cars are imported to Ukraine
Last month, almost 17 thousand used cars imported from abroad joined the Ukrainian car fleet, according to Ukravtoprom.
Compared to February 2024, this figure decreased by 5%. The largest share in this segment of the car market belonged to gasoline cars – 46%.
This is followed by: diesel cars – 23%; electric cars – 22%; hybrids – 5%; cars with LPG – 4%.
The average age of used cars that switched to Ukrainian license plates in February is 9.5 years.
Volkswagen Golf remains the leader of registrations among imported second-hand cars.
The top 5 most popular models of the month include:
– VOLKSWAGEN Golf – 900 units;
– RENAULT Megane – 653 units;
– SKODA Octavia – 592 units;
– VOLKSWAGEN Tiguan – 490 units;
– AUDI Q5 – 449 units.
Since the beginning of the year, almost 31 thousand used cars have been registered for the first time in Ukraine, which is 10% less than in the same period in 2024.
