China Is Flooding the Russian Tire Market

For several years now, China has been flooding not only the Russian auto market but also the tire market. According to Chinese customs authorities, China exported tires worth $510.15 million to Russia last year—more than a threefold increase compared to 2021, when numerous foreign tire giants were still active in Russia. According to Pirelli, an Italian tire manufacturer operating in Russia, China’s share of imports in 2025 was more than 70%. Experts estimate that more than 200 Chinese brands are available on the Russian tire market, accounting for one-third of the market. “In light of import tariffs and trade barriers targeting its goods in other export markets, China is increasingly shifting its focus to the Russian market,” explains a Pirelli company representative.

At the same time, industry experts are reporting declining production figures in Russia itself. According to the Center for the Development of Promising Technologies (CRPT), which operates the state-run “Chesny Snak” product labeling system, Russian tire production totaled 13.2 million units in the first half of 2026. This represents an 18% decline compared to the same period last year. Last year, tire production fell by 21% to 35.1 million units. In 2024, 44.7 million tires were manufactured. Passenger car tires accounted for 80% of total production in 2025. Truck tires accounted for 10%. Light-duty truck tires made up 6%, and industrial tires 0.3%. Imports of passenger car tires, on the other hand, fell by only 2% to 25.4 million units.

China Overwhelms the Competition

Chinese tire imports go hand in hand with developments in the Russian auto market. By 2022, Chinese manufacturers had conquered the Russian auto market. In the record year of 2024, 1.03 million new and used cars worth $15.2 billion poured into Russia from China. One-third of the imported vehicles had 18-inch tires (R18), says Alexei Ivanov, owner of the Alliance Trucks distribution center. Traditionally, however, R17 tires are produced in Russia. This creates a gap that is filled by Chinese imports, Ivanov explains.

Affordable prices are another advantage of Chinese car tires. According to industry experts, Chinese tires are disproportionately represented in the low-cost segment up to 25,000 rubles (266 euros) per set of tires. However, experts warn that low-cost tires may exceed limits for carcinogens—substances that cause cancer. Russian buyers, however, turn a blind eye because of the low prices, says Ivanov. The Russian government is now taking action against the flood of imports. Starting in 2027, a higher environmental tax is to be levied on low-cost tires sold by retailers. This could curb some of the tire imports and boost Russian tire production.

Production Under Pressure

According to Pirelli, the market shift toward imports is partly due to the ruble’s appreciation, which made tire imports cheaper. Russian tire manufacturers have sufficient production capacity to meet domestic demand, explains a Pirelli company representative. However, imports are increasingly encroaching on manufacturers’ market share. According to Pirelli, imports now account for more than 50% of the tire market, leaving domestic production capacity underutilized by about 45%.

According to Vadim Volodin, CEO of Cordiant, Russia’s leading tire holding company, 80% of Russian imports prior to 2022 were focused on foreign premium brands such as Michelin and Bridgestone. In the past, Russian manufacturers produced 50% for their domestic market and 50% for export, Vadim Volodin explained in an interview with the business newspaper RBC. There had always been excess capacity, he noted, but this had been offset by tire exports. After the EU imposed sanctions on Russia, Europe ceased to be a major sales market. Today, Russian car tires are primarily sold to CIS countries.

In the first half of 2026, 12.8 million tires worth 88.2 billion rubles (940.5 million euros) were sold in Russia. Summer tires generated the most revenue (48%), followed by studded tires at 31% (winter tires with metal studs), non-studded winter tires (18%), and all-season tires (2.65%). According to Pirelli, a tire cost an average of about 7,300 rubles in 2025—equivalent to 78 euros—a 9% increase from the previous year. The most popular tire brands include Cordiant, Nordman, Ikon Tyres, Kama, Viatti (all Russian brands), Yokohama (Japan), Pirelli, Formula (Italy), as well as Sailun and Triangle from China.

Foreign Tire Plants Since 2022

Among the global tire market leaders, Pirelli and Yokohama continue to operate tire plants in Russia. Pirelli’s Russian subsidiary, in which the Russian state-owned conglomerate Rostec holds a 25% stake, manufactures Formula-brand tires in Kirov. The Japanese company Yokohama operates a production facility in the Lipetsk region.

In addition to numerous foreign automakers, most major tire manufacturers left the Russian market in the spring of 2022. The tire plant of the German automotive supplier Continental in Kaluga was acquired in 2023 by the Russian holding company S8 Capital and integrated into its subsidiary tire holding company, Cordiant. S8 Capital also acquired the tire plant of the Japanese company Bridgestone in the Ulyanovsk region. Cordiant has been part of billionaire Alexei Mordashov’s Severgrupp since 2024 and, according to its own figures, holds a 27% market share. The plant currently manufactures tires under the Gislaved brand.

The tire plant of the Finnish company Nokian Tyres in the Leningrad Region has been acquired by the Russian oil company Tatneft. Today, the plant operates under the name Ikon Tyres and produced tires under the Nordmann brand until 2025; the brand has since been renamed Character. The former production facility of the French company Michelin in the Moscow region—which in 2004 became the first foreign tire manufacturer to establish production in Russia—was acquired by the Russian distribution company Power International Tyres. The plant primarily produces tires for Chinese car brands.

Sources: Kommersant 1, 2, RBC 1, 2, 3, CRPT, BusinesStat, Glawportal, Fontanka, Drive2 (all RU)

Source: German-Russian Chamber of Foreign Trade, “China Floods the Russian Tire Market,” October 16, 2026.

This article was prepared for the German-Russian Chamber of Foreign Trade.