Context: The Eurasian Economic Commission has extended the duty-free import of electric vehicles into Belarus, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan until the end of 2026. This decision does not apply to Russia or Kazakhstan. In Belarus, the updated incentives will take effect on Jan. 22, but with certain changes. While the previous rules applied to both electric and hybrid vehicles, the new policy covers only pure electric cars.
A segment on the ONT program “Kontury” regarding the changes awaiting Belarusians starting Jan. 1, 2026, reported on the popularity of electric vehicles.
“Two updates concern the import of electric vehicles into the country. Previously, Belarusians were allowed to purchase EVs without paying customs duties. The average savings for an owner — 9,000 rubles — served as a strong incentive. One in four drivers has switched to eco-friendly transport,” the broadcast reported on January 4, 2026.
At the beginning of last year, just over 3 million passenger cars were registered in Belarus. If we assume there is an equal number of drivers in the country, then "one in four" would represent more than 700,000 people. However, according to Belstat data, the actual figure is significantly lower. At the beginning of 2025, there were 25,000 passenger electric vehicles in the entire country. By December 1, that number had reached 47,000. This accounts for only 1.5% of all passenger cars in Belarus.
Even if we assume that ONT was referring only to drivers who purchased cars in 2025, the figures still do not add up. According to data from the Belarusian Automobile Association (BAA), the share of electric vehicles and hybrids in total sales reached 18.4%. Thus, the claim by ONT that “one in four drivers has switched to eco-friendly transport” is not supported by the data.
