The Bulgarian car market has just closed a historical chapter, leaving the ghost of the 2008 economic crisis in the past. If until recently, this same 2008 was seen as an unattainable peak and benchmark for consumption, then the data for the past 2025 categorically rewrite reality. With an impressive 49,389 registrations of new passenger cars in the M1 category, our country marks an absolute record in its modern history.
The numbers speak for themselves - the growth compared to the previous year is over 6,400 units. Even if we “squeeze“ the statistics of re-export, which traditionally distorts the domestic picture, the result remains unprecedented for the last three and a half decades. Just imagine: every day over the past 12 months, 135 new vehicles have left the showrooms to join the traffic on our broken roads. This is a pace that suggests a serious change in consumer thinking.
But why did the Bulgarian, traditionally in love with “tested“ used copies, suddenly turn his eyes to brand new machines? The answer does not lie only in swollen wallets. Pragmatism comes to the fore. In the medium term, owning a new car is already more profitable than the endless repairs of morally obsolete “second-hand“ cars. Modern technologies, integrated safety systems and drastically lower fuel consumption have become arguments that are difficult to ignore.
Of course, not everywhere along the chain there are reasons to open the champagne. In the light truck segments (N1) we observe a contraction of about 13%, although here the statistics are a bit cloudy due to the lack of official data from the military department. On the other hand, the heavy artillery - trucks in categories N2 and N3 - is back in the game with a 13% growth, reaching 3,445 delivered vehicles, which is a clear signal of movement in the logistics sector.
Despite the euphoria from the record in passenger cars, the general picture of the car fleet in Bulgaria remains the same. We continue to be fans of "second-hand" cars, and this is mainly due to the lack of state will to limit the oldest cars.
However, the market has taken its step forward, demonstrating maturity and a desire for change. Now the ball is in the court of the state administration. Without a clear strategy for the transformation of mobility and incentives for environmentally friendly transport, this record will remain just an isolated statistical victory in an ocean of obsolete sheet metal.