In January 2026, just over 64.3 thousand were imported to Poland. used passenger cars and delivery vans, which means a decrease of 16.4%. compared to the same period a year earlier. This is the lowest result in three years and the fourth consecutive month of declines. The average age of imported cars was 12.2 years.
The rest of the article is below the video:
It is worth paying attention to the age structure of the imported vehicles. The largest decline, by as much as 20.9%. year to year, was recorded for cars that are 6 to 10 years old. In turn, the only group that recorded an increase by 1% were cars younger than two years old.
Read also: Why do Poles not want to buy cars? They prefer something else
New market trends and growing competition from China
Wojciech Drzewiecki, president of the Samar Automotive Market Research Institute, in an interview with “Puls Biznesu” points to several factors that influence the changing preferences of Poles. Firstly, the secondary market in Poland has stabilized after the pandemic turmoil. Secondly, the 6-10-year-old car segment was filled with vehicles from good models from 2019 and early 2020. Thirdly, more and more young post-contract cars are entering the market, and the decline in prices of new cars translates into reductions in prices of used ones.
However, the most important factor is the growing offer of new models from China. Attractive prices of these vehicles make some customers give up buying a used car in favor of a new one.
Clean transport zones are a game changer
An additional incentive to change shopping habits are the announcements of expanding clean transport zones in Polish cities. This discourages investing in older cars that may not meet ecological requirements.
According to AAA Auto data, in January the average price of a car sold was just over PLN 50,400. PLN, which means a decrease of PLN 1,066 compared to the previous year. At the same time, the average time for selling a car increased from 46 to 48 days.
Germany still dominates, but import declines are global
Germany remains the main source of used cars imported to Poland, accounting for over half of imports (52.1%). In January, over 33.5 thousand were imported from there. vehicles, which means a decrease of 15.8%. year to year.
The next places among the countries exporting cars to Poland were France, the USA and Belgium. However, in the TOP20 ranking, all import directions recorded declines. The largest declines were recorded in Japan (by 42.2%), Sweden (by 36.3%) and Finland (by 35.3%).
Structural changes in the market
As “Puls Biznesu” emphasizes, the falling import of used cars is not a temporary phenomenon, but an element of a deeper structural change on the market. The key role here is played by the aggressive expansion of Chinese brands, which are increasingly marking their presence in Europe, including Poland.
