Customs will give the go-ahead: a number of premium cars will not be subject to prohibitive recycling

A number of BMW, Audi and Chevrolet models may not be subject to prohibitive recycling, Izvestia found out. A new calculation procedure for imported cars from the EAEU countries is scheduled to enter into force on May 1. The fee should close the last loopholes for cheap customs clearance of cars. However, a number of models were not included in the list of the Ministry of Industry and Trade for its payment: BMW 330e sedans, X3 30e and X5 45e crossovers, Audi A6 50 TFSI e sedan, Mercedes GLC 300de SUVs, Buick Encore and some others. Now the market will be rebuilt for their import, experts say.

Why some car models were not included in the list of the Ministry of Industry and Trade

The new formula for calculating recycling based on the lists of the Ministry of Industry and Trade contains a number of gaps that will allow importing foreign cars from the EAEU countries at a significant discount, experts in car selection told Izvestia. For example, BMW 330e sedans, X3 30e and X5 45e crossovers, as well as Audi A6 50 TFSI e sedan, Mercedes GLC 300de, Buick Encore SUVs and some others are not reflected in the lists of the Ministry and the Federal Customs Service, which means that their recycling is calculated using a simplified cost-effective method. The shuttles are currently exploring this loophole.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Natalia Seliverstova

"These are mostly hybrid cars, except for some Americans," Roman Trofimov, an expert in car selection, told Izvestia. — For our market, these are rare machines that have been produced since 2021. They are equipped with modern Euro-6 environmental standard gas-electric installations. Customers were not used to them, which is why import orders were rarely received. Therefore, they are not yet reflected in the statistics of the Federal Customs Service and are not included in the list of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

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However, in recent years, these models have appeared in Belarus and are crowding cars with similar characteristics. They are cleared, and they can be used by buyers seeking to bring vehicles at a discount from a neighboring country that is a member of the EAEU.

— The benefit of buying in Belarus is achieved through a 50% discount on cars for personal use, designed for privileged categories of citizens. Sellers pay them from $1 thousand to $3.5 thousand for services, and then they reissue cars to customers from the Russian Federation and charge them these amounts," Roman Trofimov said earlier.

For example, the EAEU customs rate for a three- to five—year-old car with an engine capacity of up to 2 liters is €2.7 per cubic cm. For a three-year-old car, you have to pay customs € 5.4 thousand, and when applying for a beneficiary — only € 2.7 thousand, he noted. Taking into account the cost of services provided by beneficiaries and for registration, € 1,7–2 thousand benefits are obtained. It attracts buyers from Russia.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Kirill Braga

"Since last year, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Federal Customs Service have gradually blocked this mechanism with the help of the so—called recycling," Artem Samorodov, an expert in the car dealership, told Izvestia. — First, they used it to add the difference in VAT (the total customs payment in the EAEU countries has differences due to unequal VAT. — Izvestia), and then they began to cover other advantages of foreign customs clearance. The flow of cars from neighboring republics has sharply decreased.

Starting from May 1, the Ministry of Industry and Trade intends to introduce an even more stringent formula for calculating recycling, which is based on fixed prices for used cars compiled by the ministry, follows from a draft decree of the Government of the Russian Federation prepared by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Izvestia has reviewed the document. The formula takes into account the total cost of the buyer for import and clearance, and if the car is purchased at a discount, it is charged with increased recycling, which covers all the benefits of customs clearance and low prices abroad.

However, according to Roman Trofimov, there is a weak link in the formula. If the car is not listed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, then a simplified formula is used to calculate the recycling: US = US unit x 3, where the US unit for individuals for cars older than three years and with engines up to 3 liters is only 5.2 thousand rubles.

— For example, when importing a three—year—old BMW X3 30e hybrid crossover from Belarus, which is not on the list, the owner will have to pay 15.6 thousand rubles if 12 months have passed since customs clearance in the EAEU countries, - the expert notes. - For comparison: for the popular BMW X3 30i, scrap collection for individuals is 600-650 thousand rubles.

Photo: TASS/Oleg Dyachenko

The simplified calculation procedure is applicable for some hybrid versions of BMW, Audi, Mercedes. For example, the Audi A6 50 TFSI e is equipped with a gasoline-electric power plant with a total capacity of 299 hp, which includes a 252-horsepower gasoline two-liter turbo engine and a 143-horsepower electric motor integrated into a seven-speed automatic transmission. The characteristics of the car are comparable to its 3.5-liter counterpart.

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BMW X5 45e and Mercedes GLC 300de were also not included in the list of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, for which scrap is also calculated using a simplified formula and 40 times less than for analogues with conventional engines. The Buick Encore gasoline engines, which were imported to Belarus from the USA, are not on the list either. After the restoration, their price became attractive for resale to Russia, Roman Trofimov notes.

According to the expert, the new calculation procedure opens up a potential opportunity for the import into Russia through Belarus, including broken and sunken cars of those models that are not included in the lists of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. They are purchased inexpensively abroad and restored in the republic by local companies. Their price may be a quarter lower than the market.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Ankov

As the FCS told Izvestia, the Ministry of Industry and Trade forms a list of average prices for used cars based on information about the make, model and average cost of vehicles provided by the customs service. The Ministry of Industry and Trade, in turn, noted that the agency updates the list and publishes it on its official website at least once a quarter.

Will cars from Belarus be able to fill the Russian market

The scheme of private import of cars from Belarus works only on order and does not form a significant volume, said Artyom Samorodov. Given the current stagnation in the car market, interest in such deals is minimal and no longer makes a statistical picture for the Russian market as a whole, he added.

At the end of April, there were about 500 Chevrolet Equinox cars, 152 Buick Encore and 50 2020 BMW hybrid vehicles in Belarus. There is a reserve for other models, but they will be quickly chosen by buyers, Roman Trofimov notes.

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There is a significant barrier to resupply in Belarus. The low recycling rate for individuals is calculated only if the car has been in the republic for more than a year. If less than 12 months have passed since the date of customs clearance in Belarus and importation into the Russian Federation, then a commercial recycling fee is charged, which, for example, can reach 3.5 million instead of 15.6 thousand rubles.

Starting in 2024, a car cleared in the EAEU country must be registered there for a year, and only then it can be sold to Russia with a small scrap collection, explains Artem Samorodov.

According to the results of last year, the number of new cars imported to Russia from the EAEU countries amounted to more than 180 thousand units, said Maxim Agadzhanov, Managing Director of Alfa-Leasing Group. A considerable part of them were imported from Belarus and Kyrgyzstan.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Ankov

However, with the indexation of the recycling fee from January 1, 2025, as well as in connection with the upcoming adjustments to its calculation in May, this type of import has become less profitable, the expert adds.

According to him, according to the results of the first quarter, the impact of the recycling fee on sales is noticeable. As for the cars not included in the lists of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, it is likely that their import will continue, but only in limited quantities, Maxim Agadzhanov noted.