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The Polish automotive market is currently undergoing significant changes, with distinct trends emerging in both the new and used vehicle sectors.
A Growing New-Car Market
The Polish new-car market is expanding, with an increase of 2.5% in the first three months of 2025, registering 138,696 units, according to PZPM data. Models like the Toyota Corolla and Skoda Octavia are driving this growth, although some traditional strong brands like Toyota have seen sales declines in early 2025. New vehicles dominate fleet usage, with about 75% of passenger car fleets being newer than five years, supported by tax incentives, environmental regulations, and long-term operating cost reductions.
The Robust Used-Car Market
In contrast, the used-car market in Poland, especially for electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids, shows distinct trends. While new car sales in Poland are growing steadily with a 3% increase in H1 2025, electric vehicle sales within new cars have dropped by 4.9%, indicating that EVs still lag behind broader European trends. However, the significant and growing import of used cars in Poland, primarily from Germany, indicates high consumer demand for affordable vehicles, including petrol, diesel, hybrid, and electric types.
Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Dynamics
Despite the overall growth in car sales, EV sales dropped in the new car segment, and Poland remains behind many European countries in EV adoption. Fleet operators also show a preference for new vehicles largely due to incentives and tightening environmental standards, which could indirectly hamper the used EV market since fewer older EVs are circulating or secondhand trust remains low. Interestingly, hybrid vehicles in the used-car sector have the strongest residual values, while battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) have seen the biggest declines.
Economic and Market Pressures
Rising operating costs and driver shortages affect transport and fleet decisions, potentially encouraging companies to shift toward newer, more efficient vehicles and alternative powertrains. However, these changes seem slower in the private used-car market.
The Struggling Truck Market
A different story unfolds in the truck market, with a third year of marked decline. The truck market in Poland is experiencing a decline, with a widespread lack of interest in used vehicles and an elevated quarterly decline in the value of used trucks. New truck registrations have dropped significantly, with only 4,461 trucks registered from the beginning of 2025 to the end of February, a year-on-year drop of 15.9%.
The Impact of Chinese Brands
The Polish new-car market has seen an unexpectedly strong adoption of Chinese brands among private users, with no significant impact from looming EU emissions regulations so far. Fleets are only just beginning to show interest in these new Chinese brands. The adoption of Chinese models has not been reflected in published price lists, making them attractive to consumers.
Potential Challenges Ahead
Potential shifts in policy and recently announced US tariffs could cause disruption in the Polish new-car market as the year progresses. Historically, BEVs tend to depreciate more quickly than internal combustion-engine (ICE) vehicles, and the used car market has yet to fully embrace this powertrain, further reinforcing their low residual values. The steep depreciation of used distribution trucks suggests a broader slowdown in local transport activity. Potential US tariffs could pose a problem for European manufacturers in Poland, potentially affecting new vehicle sales.
In 2025, Poland's used-car market, comprising both passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles, is experiencing continued supply pressures and significant discounting, leading to a decline in values. Models older than five years are also falling in value in the used van market. BEVs in the used-car market have the greatest rate of depreciation, with a wide gap between the asking price and the final sale price due to low demand and a lack of confidence. In the used-car market, vehicles aged between 31 and 90 months have seen the largest drops in value, while the prices of the youngest and oldest cars are gradually stabilizing.
[1] European EV Sales 2025 Q1 Report
[2] Polish Automotive Market Report 2025 Q1
[3] Toyota Sales Decline in Poland 2025 Q1
[4] Used Car Imports in Poland 2024
- Meanwhile, the transportation industry is also witnessing shifts in the finance sector, as the growing demand for affordable vehicles, including petrol, diesel, hybrid, and electric types, has led to a significant increase in used car imports from Germany, primarily in the Polish used-car market.
- Furthermore, the industry experts predict that the finance sector will significantly influence the automotive market in the future, possibly shaping fleet usage patterns, as rising operating costs and driver shortages in transportation weigh heavily on companies, potentially encouraging a shift towards newer, more efficient vehicles and alternative powertrains, such as electric and hybrid vehicles.
