December 15, 2025

Russia's Top Car is a Soviet Staple


Russia's Top Car is a Soviet Staple
The Lada Iskra. Auto.ru

On December 10, Russian car sale website Auto.ru announced the best new cars of the year as chosen by consumers. Forty-one new models, all released in 2025, went head-to-head. More than 260,000 voters decided the results in six categories.

Chinese-designed and manufactured cars dominated the event; 26 models participated, followed by four from South Korea and three from Russia. The remaining eight models were all in the “parallel” category, which included cars from Japan, Germany, and the Czech Republic, imported to Russia indirectly through other countries.

The overall best car was the Lada Iskra (“Spark”), produced in Russia. The Iskra’s release was significantly delayed due to a break with Lada’s parent company, Renault, in 2022. Second place went to the Tank 400, from Chinese automotive manufacturer Tank, which also won the “family,” “off-road,” and “travel” categories. 

Five “green” hybrid and electric vehicles were assessed, all produced in China.

The Auto.ru New Product of the Year Competition began in 2020. Previous winners included the Toyota Land Cruiser, Range Rover, and many more competitors from major Western European and Japanese manufacturers. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, however, manufacturers highlighted on Auto.ru tend to be from non-Western countries.

Auto.ru is a website for buying and selling vehicles, both new and used. The site has a monthly visitor count of 27 million users. It is a subsidiary of the Russian internet browser and tech company Yandex.

Despite only three Russian models participating in the competition, the Lada Iskra achieved a favorable ranking and a boost to the legacy brand’s image, which has long been the butt of jokes for its small, cheap, bare-bones Soviet products. In general, through, in the absence of Western and Japanese imported cars, Chinese vehicles are claiming a majority share of the Russian market.  

You Might Also Like

Cars for the Front
  • November 23, 2025

Cars for the Front

The Russian state reports that more than 5,000 vehicles confiscated from criminals have been sent to serve in the war in Ukraine.
Cracking Down on Drunk Driving
  • November 09, 2025

Cracking Down on Drunk Driving

In response to persistently high rates of drunk driving in Russia, stricter punishments are being enacted. 
A Win for the Lada
  • August 11, 2020

A Win for the Lada

Russia's iconic domestic car has been the highest-selling automobile in the last six months.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955