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The Ukrainian premium car market continues to demonstrate steady interest from buyers, despite fluctuations in the economy, volatile tax policy and a huge difference in demand compared to previous years. According to the latest data released by the Ministry of Economy and analyzed by the Opendatabot platform, one hundred and thirty-one cars falling under the category of the so-called luxury transport tax were imported into the country in the first five months of this year. Although this figure is almost three and a half times less than the same indicator for the previous year, when four hundred and forty-eight such vehicles were registered, it is impossible not to notice that compared to 2021, the number of premium cars still increased by forty-two percent. The peak was 2023, when Ukrainians imported five hundred and eighty-four luxury cars during this period, which indicates a short-term but pronounced surge in activity against the backdrop of general economic and political instability in the country.
The highest concentration of imported cars was traditionally recorded in Kyiv, where forty-three percent of the total number of newly imported cars intended for wealthy owners arrived. In addition to the capital, the Kiev, Odessa and Lviv regions remained popular destinations, each of which received from nine to thirteen percent of the total import volume. Almost half of all cars turned out to be electric vehicles, another twenty-three percent were models with a hybrid power system combining electric and gasoline traction. Conventional gasoline units, despite the fact that they retained the lead for a long time, retreated to third place this year with a result of nineteen percent. These figures directly indicate a trend towards a gradual transition in the premium car segment to more environmentally friendly and modern technologies, which are increasingly becoming a priority not only in the countries of the European Union, but also in Ukrainian society, including among representatives of the middle and upper classes.
If we consider the brand structure of imported cars, the obvious leader was the Porsche brand, which accounts for sixty-three percent of all vehicles subject to taxation as luxury items. The Taycan and Cayenne E-hybrid models were in greatest demand, which is due to their prestige, technical characteristics and compliance with new environmental requirements. The second position belongs to Mercedes-Benz, whose share amounted to twenty-one percent of the total, while the most popular were the flagship models s 450 and s 580 4matic, which together accounted for fifteen percent of the total supply structure. Thus, it can be argued that when choosing a premium segment car, Ukrainian buyers continue to focus on proven brands with a high level of comfort, safety and durability, while paying more and more attention not only to appearance or power, but also to the level of emissions, fuel consumption and the ability to charge from the electrical network.
This year, the list of models subject to transport tax includes three hundred and thirty-eight names, which is slightly less than last year's list, which included four hundred and sixty-eight models. Among the manufacturers whose products were on this list, you can find Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, GMC, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, McLaren, Maserati, Rolls-Royce and other iconic brands of the global automotive market. The total amount of tax revenues from car owners subject to the relevant fee amounted to eighty-seven million hryvnia for the period from January to April inclusive, which is twelve percent higher than the same indicator last year. Most of this amount, as expected, was paid in Kyiv, where the maximum number of wealthy owners of vehicles worth over three million hryvnia and up to five years old are registered, since these are the parameters that determine the obligation to pay a tax of twenty-five thousand hryvnia for each car.