Car registrations fall again in May/ War curbs imports from South Korea and China

2026-06-03 07:16:38, Aktualitet CNA

Car registrations fall again in May/ War curbs imports from South Korea and

First-time vehicle registrations fell again in May, accelerating from April. This trend comes after registrations reached record levels in January-March.

The slowdown in vehicle purchases by Albanians partly reflects the difficulties in importing vehicles from South Korea and China, as a result of the war in the Middle East, which began in March.

In the last two years, Asian countries have become the main source of vehicle purchases, South Korea due to affordable prices and China for electric vehicles.

According to data from the General Directorate of Road Transport Services (DPSHTRR), 8,116 vehicles were registered for the first time in May, a decrease of 7.5% compared to the same month a year earlier and the lowest level in three years. In April, registrations shrank by 2%.

In January-March, vehicle registrations increased by 8.4%.

Market players claim that the slowdown in April and May is related to several factors, the most important of which is related to the situation created in the Strait of Hormuz, which has slowed down and increased the cost of vehicle transportation. In recent years, most of the cars in Albania are being imported from South Korea and recently from China. For the period January-May, 16.3 thousand vehicles came from these countries, or 42% of the total. (9,453 from South Korea and 6,838 from China).

Vehicles imported from South Korea and China used to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, but now, due to the conflict in the Middle East, they follow other routes, which has increased transportation costs and consequently prices by up to 30%, curbing both demand and the time it takes for a vehicle to reach Albania.

For the first five months, a total of 39 thousand vehicles were registered in the country for the first time, with a slight increase of 2% compared to the same period a year ago, influenced by the positive performance of January-March.

The change in transportation routes has also had an impact on the uptake of electric cars. While 1,252 electric cars were registered for the first time in March, a historic record, registrations fell to 1,191 in April, although interest in purchasing them has increased following the sharp increase in fuel prices.

In May, the impact was even greater, with electric vehicle registrations falling to 794, the lowest level this year. However, compared to the same period a year ago, first-time registrations of electric vehicles are 2.5 times higher, reaching almost 5 thousand, or 12.7% of the total.

However, diesel cars continue to be the favorites for Albanian vehicle users, with 53% of first-time registrations for January-May using this type of fuel, or 20.6 thousand vehicles.

The total number of vehicles circulating in the country is constantly increasing, reaching 1.08 million at the end of May, of which about 81% were cars./Monitor