Eighteen vehicles. That was the entire margin separating first from second in Ukraine's October sales race — and it was enough to topple the champion. Toyota has lost its lead in the country's showrooms, with Skoda surging ahead to take top spot in a market that is once again rewarding whoever fights hardest for every buyer.
The numbers behind the coup read like a snapshot of a market in motion. The Renault Duster claimed second place with 227 cars sold — a mere 18 units behind the leader, a gap that puts the chart-topper at 245 units — while the Volkswagen Touareg rounded out the podium with 208 buyers and the Toyota RAV4 had to settle for fourth. That a large premium SUV stands on the podium at all is telling: Ukrainian demand now stretches from budget crossovers to top-end metal, and dealers are finding buyers at every rung of the ladder.
The shake-up is playing out against a backdrop of genuine recovery. Focus2move data shows Ukrainian vehicle sales grew 16.3 percent across 2025, with momentum turning positive in the fourth quarter after slumping through the preceding months. The brand league table is being redrawn in the process: BYD expanded by a staggering 365.8 percent, vaulting nine places into second, while Nissan lost its seat among the market's leaders. For incumbent brands, the warning is blunt — Chinese competitors are no longer a niche curiosity in Ukraine but a top-two force.
