Second-hand car imports in Romania doubled in the first three months of the year compared to the same period in 2016, reaching 128,000 units.

The used car registrations exploded in February, after the environment tax for the registration of old cars was removed, according to data from the Directorate for Driver Licenses and Vehicle Registrations – DRPCIV.

Volkswagen remained the most popular brand among imported used cars, with over 34,000 units registered in the first quarter of the year.

The new car sales also recorded the biggest increase in recent years, in the first quarter. Over 22,000 new vehicles were registered between January and March.

The sale of new cars could exceed 110,000 cars in 2017, supported by Romania's Cash-for-Bangers (Rabla) program, according to DRPCIV. The program allows people who own old cars to scrap the vehicle, receiving in exchange a voucher that can be used when buying a new car.

Romania’s national fleet went up by 6.2% in 2016 compared to the previous year, exceeding seven million vehicles. More than 1.25 million units were registered in Bucharest.

editor@romania-insider.com