EVs and PHEVs have captured a larger share of the Russian market as the country reels from a fuel crisis.

Gasoline shortages following Ukrainian refinery strikes are pushing Russian buyers toward Chinese plug-in cars.

Russia is an unlikely place for an electric car sales breakthrough. It has enormous oil resources, long driving distances, middling infrastructure, and winters that wreak havoc on EV range. Yet it now has a higher share of plug-in car sales than the United States, according to new research from Autostat, as cited by The New York Times. There's a clear reason why

Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries have disrupted fuel supplies, leaving motorists searching for gasoline or waiting hours at stations, as the NYT has reported. So while the country has plenty of oil, refining it and delivering it to customers has been a major challenge in 2026. That has given some buyers a pressing reason to choose a car that can run without it.

Citing Russian automotive research agency Autostat, the NYT reports that electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids reached a combined 11.5% of Russia’s new car market at the end of September, up from about 5% at the beginning of the year. That share is slightly higher than America’s.

The statistic includes plug-in hybrids, so it doesn't establish that Russia has overtaken the U.S. in fully electric cars alone.

Autostat chief Sergei Tselikov recounts what determined him to make the switch. After visiting five nearby gas stations, none of which had gasoline, he bought a GWM Ora 03 GT electric hatchback in July.

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