The specter of bankruptcies in the automotive industry. Every fifth company is at risk of insolvency

The liabilities of companies from the automotive industry have decreased by over PLN 11 million to PLN 446.6 million over the last year – according to data from the National Debt Register (KRD). The authors of the report pointed out that the decline in debt results from a market slowdown, not a rebound.

Unpaid liabilities of car and car parts sellers and automotive services have decreased over the last 12 months from PLN 457.7 million to PLN 446.6 million. In the opinion of KRD experts, this is still a very high amount. The number of debtors decreased from 13.2 thousand. up to 12.5 thousand However, there is a slight increase in debt per company on average. It currently amounts to 36.3 thousand. PLN, i.e. by PLN 3,000. PLN more than a year earlier.

These sectors are the most burdened

They are the most burdened with debts car salesmen, which account for PLN 179.9 million of total debt, next car services and workshops – PLN 157.9 million and suppliers of automotive parts and accessories – PLN 73.6 million. The liabilities of manufacturers of parts and accessories amounted to PLN 24.2 million, and those of vehicle manufacturers – PLN 10.8 million.

“As many as 70 percent of automotive debtors are sole proprietorships. 8.6 thousand JDGs are responsible for over PLN 255.7 million of unsettled liabilities, which is PLN 29.7 thousand per company. Although this amount does not seem high, in the case of a small workshop or automotive shop it may determine solvency. For comparison: commercial law companies have a total of PLN 191 million in arrears, and the average debt there is PLN 51.3 thousand,” it was reported.

He is in debt 6.1 thousand workshops and services. In the authors' opinion, this is due to the difficult market realities in which these companies operate.

“Most workshops in Poland are sole proprietorships, often operating locally, without financial or investment support. Their business model, in addition to the ongoing service of individual customers, is based largely on B2B relationships with companies such as insurers, fleet managers or lessors, which order repairs but settle the receivables only after a long time. In practice, this means that the workshops first have to buy parts and perform the service themselves, and often wait for weeks for payment. For micro-enterprises, this is a huge burden” – said the president of the National Debt Register of the Economic Information Office, Adam Łącki, quoted in the information.

The authors of the analysis pointed out that Last year, the industry faced numerous problems: falling demand for vehicles with classic drives, costs resulting from tightening ecological standards, slowdown in fleet orders, growing competition from Asian suppliers and the related price pressure.

In the opinion of experts too slow transformation towards electromobility stopped investments and research and development projects in plants. Due to lack of orders, many companies have limited shift work and are conducting group layoffs. According to the estimates of the Polish Automotive Industry Association quoted in the analysis, reductions from 2024 to September 2025 covered 10-15 thousand. employees.

“Already over 20 percent of the entire industry are companies that have lost, or may soon lose, the ability to meet their payment obligations on time. More and more entities finance their current operations at the expense of their partners because they extend deadlines and pay invoices selectively. For parts suppliers, importers and lessors, this means the risk of capital freezing,” said Sandra Czerwińska from Rzetelna Firma, quoted in the analysis.

At the same time, there is an increase in the percentage of companies with moderate and high transaction risk. A year ago, they constituted 14 percent, now every fifth has this status.

“Cascading congestion throughout the chain – from component manufacturers to retail dealers – is also a negative phenomenon. The more delays, the more often companies have to demand payment and be very careful when granting trade limits,” Czerwińska noted.

The largest creditors of the automotive industry include companies from the financial sector, including securitization funds, banks, lessors and insurers, to which the industry owes over PLN 337.5 million. Liabilities to trading companies amount to PLN 32.7 million, telecommunications companies – PLN 16.6 million, energy suppliers – PLN 11.3 million, and fuel sellers – PLN 7.5 million. (PAP)

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