Romanian car market: new registrations pause, secondhand cars drop 22%

Only 12,099 new cars entered circulation in July, a decline of 21.9%, after a 6.63% drop in June as well. A similar situation is unfolding with regard to used cars.

The first seven months of 2022 had shown proof of a recovery for the Romanian car market, according to data from the Association of Automobile Manufacturers in Romania (ACAROM) cited by B1.

New registrations reached 70,811 units, up by 12% relative to the same period of 2021, when only 63,191 units were registered.

Summer, however, came with a drop in registrations, and in July only slightly more than 12,000 new cars were registered for the first time.

Similar drops could be seen with regard to secondhand cars. Only 28,741 units were registered for the first time in July, a 19.3% drop relative to the same month of 2021.

In the first seven months of 2022, first-time registrations of secondhand cars in Romania reached 185,365 units, down by 21.18% compared to the similar period of 2021, when 235,188 units were registered.

Overall, the Romanian car market saw impressive growth during the first half of the year. The country boasted the second strongest recovery for the auto market in Europe, after Iceland.

Among the most registered car brands this year were Dacia (19,871 units), Toyota (5,675), and Hyundai (5,612), followed closely by Ford (5,245) and Skoda (4,839). Volkswagen, Renault, Peugeot, Mercedes, and Kia also made the top 10.

(Photo source: Shuo Wang | Dreamstime.com)