For months, Toyota looked like the immovable king of Ukraine's new-car charts. October knocked the crown loose. Skoda surged ahead to take the monthly lead, and the chasing pack closed in fast: the Renault Duster landed second with 227 cars sold, missing the top spot by just 18 vehicles, while the Volkswagen Touareg rounded out the podium with 208 buyers. The Toyota RAV4, for its part, had to settle for fourth place.
The October shake-up lands on a market that has been quietly rebuilding. Ukrainian full-year sales grew 16.3 percent in 2025, turning positive in the fourth quarter after slumping through the prior months, according to Focus2move data. And the recovery is not only about volume — it is redrawing the leaderboard. BYD grew a staggering 365.8 percent and climbed nine spots into second place among brands, while Nissan lost its footing among the market leaders. For distributors and dealers across the region, the message is blunt: brand hierarchies built over decades can be overturned within a single quarter.
What makes October's podium particularly telling is its breadth. The Duster's near-miss confirms the relentless appetite for rugged, value-priced crossovers, while the Touareg — a premium SUV at a premium price — finishing third shows demand reaching well up the pricing ladder. Ukrainians are buying across segments, from budget off-roaders to luxury SUVs, a spread that suggests household confidence and business fleet renewal are now moving together. Importers planning next year's allocations should read this as a market that rewards a wide portfolio rather than a single bestseller.
