experts criticized cars allowed for taxis / Economic news of Krasnoyarsk and the Krasnoyarsk Territory / Newslab.Ru

Representatives of the automotive industry in Russia have criticized the new list of cars that will be allowed to work in taxis. According to them, the models added to the list are too expensive and do not meet the needs of businesses and customers, Autonews reported.

Let us recall that on March 1, 2026, a law came into force in Russia, which sets requirements for the level of localization of cars in taxis. On March 4, the Ministry of Industry and Trade updated the list of localized cars that can be used in taxis.

The list includes six brands with 22 models: Lada (models Granta, Iskra, Vesta, Aura, Largus, Niva Travel and Niva Legend), Sollers (SP7, SF1), Evolute (i-Joy, i-Sky, i-Space), Moskvich (3, 3e, 6, 8, M70, M90), Chinese Voyah (Free, Dream, Passion), and Umo (5).

The Maxim taxi service noted that although the list published by the Ministry of Industry and Trade formally expanded the list of models, it will not be able to solve the industry’s problem. Allegedly, a “significant part” refers to the premium segment or too “niche” vehicles that are not suitable for transportation.

According to the service, “the economics of a taxi directly depend on the cost of the car and the costs of its operation.” In most regions, the price of a car at which it pays for itself is up to 1.5 million rubles. Several Lada models meet these requirements.

“Most of the remaining cars cost 2.5-4 million rubles and above, and some models belong to the segment costing 6-10 million rubles. For the mass market, such cars are not economically applicable,” says the Maxim taxi service.

“On paper there are many models, but only a limited number of cars are suitable for real taxi work,” Maxim says. At the same time, the problem is not so much in the list, but in the principles of pricing cars. The cost is influenced by recycling fees, duties and tax burden. If they are not changed, the car fleet will be replaced slowly, and the pressure on travel costs will only increase.

The National Taxi Council also shares opinions about the high cost of cars. And the Moscow Taxi Trade Union “Dobro” believes that “the list is extremely small and does not take into account the needs of the sector for high-quality and comfortable cars.”

“For example, “Muscovites” are outdated and quite cheap Chinese, the level of comfort is rather weak for a taxi, and the operating loads damage the units quite quickly. In this regard, the cost of ownership increases greatly and the use of such a car in a taxi is impractical and expensive,” explains the Moscow Taxi Trade Union “Dobro”.

The fact that there are not enough taxi cars on the list is also said in the National Automobile Union: “We were waiting there for Haval, Tenet, Avtotor models <...> It is clear that the documents had to be approved in advance, but the Ministry of Industry and Trade did not have time. So the industry is now frozen, waiting for something more suitable for taxis to appear on the list.”

The Moscow trade union believes that Volga cars should be added to the list of cars. The National Taxi Association talks about the Haval Jolion, Haval F7/F7x and Tenet T7 models. The Ministry of Industry and Trade said that the list will be updated.