Cars "break" the war blockade in June/ Around 10 thousand new vehicles are registered, 42% from Asia

2026-07-06 07:36:00, Aktualitet CNA

Cars "break" the war blockade in June/ Around 10 thousand new vehicles

After a slowdown in April and May, affected by the situation created by the war in the Middle East, first-time vehicle registrations in the country increased again in June.

Data published by the General Directorate of Road Transport Services (DPTSHRR) revealed that in June, 9,915 new Euro vehicles were registered for the first time, which is the highest level for this year, approaching the 10 thousand vehicle mark.

For the entire 6 months, almost 49 thousand vehicles were registered for the first time, an increase of 3% compared to January-June 2025. This is the second highest level, after the 6 months of 2024, which holds the historical record with 50.3 thousand vehicles.

According to data from the DPSHTRR, at the end of June, there were nearly 1.1 million vehicles circulating in the country.

South Korea and China lead

South Korea has been the main market where Albanians are buying vehicles for at least three years. For the first 6 months of the year, 25% of vehicles registered for the first time, or 12.3 thousand, originated from South Korea.

The reason is related to the cheaper prices of vehicles in the distant country, which in recent years has become one of the largest exporters of used cars, as it produces over 4 million vehicles every year, while millions of used cars enter the market as a result of frequent replacement with new models. Thanks to good maintenance, technical controls and an efficient network of ports, these vehicles are exported to dozens of countries around the world.

China is also proving to be an important destination, mainly influenced by the growing interest in electric cars. For the period January-June, 17% of vehicles or about 8.2 thousand were from China. This is followed by traditional markets such as Germany (5837), or Italy (5650).

For the entire 6 months, about 20 thousand vehicles registered for the first time, or 42% of the total, came from South Korea and China.

Interest in electric cars is declining

Despite the increase in new registrations in June, the number of electric cars entering circulation for the first time was the lowest this year, with only 775, when the record was reached in March with almost 1,300.

However, for the first 6 months, the number of electric vehicles registered for the first time was around 5,700, or 3.4 times higher than the same period a year earlier, accounting for 11.7% of the total number of vehicles that began circulating for the first time in the country.

Volkswagen and Benz continue to be the most preferred vehicles, BYD climbs to fourth place

In the first 6 months of the year, almost 8 thousand cars that entered circulation were of the Volkswagen brand, which for several years has taken over from Mercedes Benz. The latter is in second place with about 7 thousand vehicles, followed by Audi with almost 4.8 thousand.

The Chinese brand BYD, which has recently become a favorite due to its fuel-efficient electric vehicle, has risen rapidly, ranking fourth for the first half of the year, with nearly 3.9 thousand registered vehicles. /Monitor