“Rossiyskaya Gazeta” presents the next rating of the cheapest new cars on the Russian market.
Prior to that, our traditional ranking of the top 10 affordable cars was compiled in November 2020. Since then, prices have risen significantly. Among the reasons are the shortage of components, problems with logistics, inflation, updates in the model ranges of manufacturers.
As of January 2022, the top 10 looks like this:
1.sedan Lada Granta – 598,900 rubles;
2.liftback Lada Granta – 620,900 rubles;
3.universal Lada Granta – 624,900 rubles;
4.hatchback Lada Granta – 649,500 rubles;
5.SUV Lada Niva Legend – 693,900 rubles;
6.Renault Logan sedan – 762,000 rubles;
7.hatchback Lada Xray – 826,900 rubles;
8.station wagon Lada Largus – 829,900 rubles;
9.Chevrolet Nexia sedan – 850,900 rubles;
10. sedan Lada Vesta – 862,900 rubles.
As you can see, most of the cars from the rating are still produced at AvtoVAZ.
Since the last publication of the rating, the composition of the top ten has changed. Despite a serious rise in prices, Lada Granta is still the cheapest car in Russia. The most expensive of the family is now a hatchback, its minimum configuration is Classic, while for the rest of the Granta it is Standard.
The hatchback and sedan Datsun, which previously ranked fifth and sixth, disappeared from the rating, the production of cars of this brand in Russia was discontinued. Now Granta is followed by another Lada – Niva Legend. It is still the most affordable new SUV in Russia.
The sixth place is occupied by Renault Logan, which previously closed the top ten. Prices for it have not risen as much as those of competitors. But the platform hatchback Renault Sandero was not included in the rating, now the more expensive Life equipment is considered to be the base one (previously there was Access).
The prices for the Lada Xray hatchback and the Lada Largus station wagon have grown significantly since the last publication of the rating (by 173 and 184 thousand rubles, respectively). For Largus, this can still be explained by a deep modernization of the model that took place last year. But Xray has not undergone such large-scale updates. Moreover, it is hardly worth counting on a successor to this model or a serious upgrade, the demand for it is not very high.
The only representative from the Chevrolet brand is in ninth place, with its most affordable Nexia model. This car has nothing to do with the well-known Nexia – in fact, it is a modernized Aveo in the back of the T250. Perhaps other inexpensive models – Cobalt or Spark – will get into the next rating.
Closes the top ten is another Lada – Vesta in a sedan. Despite the price increase and initially higher cost, it was Vesta that became the best-selling car in Russia in 2021, displacing Granta to second place.
If there were twelve places in our rating, then the Renault Sandero hatchback worth 869,000 rubles would be in 11th position. And the 12th place would be occupied by another model from Lada – the Niva Travel SUV. Whether these models will make it into the next ranking of cheap cars, only time will tell.