# The Cyprus used car market in numbers, 2026

> Used cars were 66.5% of Cyprus passenger-car registrations in early 2026. CarsJapan's 2026 H1 used-car market report, data from CyStat.

- Canonical: https://periodiko.com/cyprus-used-car-market-in-numbers-2026/
- Updated: 2026-07-06

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> **Sponsored press release from CarsJapan (carsjapan.cy).** This report is published as sponsor content. The market data below is sourced from the Cyprus Statistical Service (CyStat) and confirmed against the primary gov.cy publications; commentary attributed to CarsJapan is the company's own opinion.

**NICOSIA, Cyprus — 2026** — Used cars accounted for **66.5% of all passenger saloon cars registered in Cyprus in the first months of 2026** — two out of every three cars newly put on Cyprus roads this year are second-hand. That is the headline of the 2026 edition of CarsJapan's annual review of the Cyprus used car market, a first-half read compiled from the latest year-to-date release of the Cyprus Statistical Service (CyStat).

This is the **2026 edition, a first-half (H1) read current as of early July 2026**. CyStat publishes vehicle registrations monthly; at the time of writing the latest available release covers **January–May 2026** (the January–June figures are not yet published). Where this report says "H1 2026 so far," it means that January–May window. Comparisons are against the **same period of 2025** (year-over-year), with **full-year 2025** for context.

## The headline: used cars are the Cyprus car market

In January–May 2026, Cyprus registered **18,259 passenger saloon cars**, up **12.5%** on the 16,224 registered in the same period of 2025. Of those 2026 registrations, **12,147 (66.5%) were used** and just **6,112 (33.5%) were new**.

That is not a blip. Across full-year 2025, used cars were **64.1%** of the 40,778 passenger saloon cars registered — so the used-car majority is the settled shape of the market, and it has widened further in 2026.

| Passenger saloon cars | 2025 full year | Jan–May 2025 | Jan–May 2026 | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total registered | 40,778 | 16,224 | 18,259 | +12.5% |
| New | 14,633 (35.9%) | — | 6,112 (33.5%) | — |
| Used | 26,145 (64.1%) | — | 12,147 (66.5%) | — |

*Source: CyStat, Registration of Motor Vehicles — January–December 2025 release and January–May 2026 release.*

## The market is growing — and accelerating in 2026

The used-heavy market is also a growing one. Total motor-vehicle registrations rose **13%** year-on-year in January–May 2026, to **23,743** units from 21,012. For full-year context, 2025 closed at **52,508** total registrations, up 5.8% on 2024's 49,616.

| Registrations, all motor vehicles | Total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 (full year) | 49,616 | — |
| 2025 (full year) | 52,508 | +5.8% |
| Jan–May 2025 | 21,012 | — |
| Jan–May 2026 | 23,743 | +13.0% |

*Source: CyStat, Registration of Motor Vehicles — January–December 2025 and January–May 2026 releases.*

## Fuel type: hybrids have taken over, petrol is falling fast

The other structural shift is under the bonnet. In January–May 2026, hybrids passed **half** of all passenger-car registrations while petrol's share fell sharply year-on-year.

| Passenger saloon cars by fuel type | Jan–May 2025 | Jan–May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid | 42.9% | 51.3% |
| Petrol | 43.7% | 35.4% |
| Diesel | 8.8% | 8.3% |
| Electric | 4.7% | 5.0% |

*Source: CyStat, Registration of Motor Vehicles — January–May 2026 release.*

For full-year context, hybrids were 44.3% of passenger saloon cars in 2025 (up from 37.1% in 2024), petrol 42.0% (from 48.6%), diesel 8.9% (from 10.3%) and electric 4.7% (from 4.0%) — the same direction of travel, now sharper in 2026.

*Source: CyStat, Registration of Motor Vehicles — January–December 2025 release.*

## Japan builds nearly half the cars on Cyprus roads

Cyprus is, in effect, a Japanese-car market. Of every motor vehicle registered in the country in 2025, **44.1% were Japanese-made** — more than triple the next-largest manufacturer, Germany (13.0%), and well ahead of France (7.0%), the United Kingdom (6.0%) and South Korea (3.9%) (CyStat, full-year 2025, by country of manufacture). For buyers, that dominance is practical: Japanese models have the deepest used-car stock, parts supply and servicing network on the island.

## What CarsJapan is seeing on the ground

The following is **CarsJapan's own read of the market** — the company's analysis and showroom observations, not official statistics.

CarsJapan's view is that two forces are reshaping demand in H1 2026:

- **Buyers are moving to more economical cars because fuel has become expensive.** Fuel prices in Cyprus rose **20.5% between May 2025 and May 2026**, and diesel has been among the fastest-rising in the EU. In our showroom, CarsJapan is seeing that translate into demand for smaller-engine and hybrid used imports, and away from thirsty petrol and diesel models — which tracks the CyStat data showing petrol falling to 35.4% while hybrids pass 51%.
- **Demand for electric cars is rising on the back of the government grant.** Cyprus's Electromobility Promotion Scheme offers **€9,000 towards a new private battery-electric car** (and up to €20,000 for large families and people with disabilities), which CarsJapan's view is has pulled EV interest into the mainstream and lifted enquiries for electric and plug-in stock.

*These two facts — the fuel-price rise and the EV grant — are drawn from public sources (see Methodology). The interpretation of them is CarsJapan's opinion.*

> "With pump prices up around 20% on last year, the customers walking into our showroom are asking a different question than they did two years ago — they want something economical to run, which is why demand has swung so hard toward hybrids and smaller-engined used imports. At the same time, the government’s €9,000 grant has moved electric cars from a niche curiosity to a real option for ordinary buyers. The official CyStat figures for early 2026 match what we see on the floor."
> — a CarsJapan spokesperson

## Why this matters for Cyprus buyers

Three facts from the official data frame the H1-2026 market:

1. **Second-hand is the mainstream choice, not the budget one.** Two in three passenger cars registered in early 2026 are used — the used market is where most buying decisions are made.
2. **The market is expanding.** Registrations are up double digits year-on-year in 2026, so demand is real and rising.
3. **Hybrids are now the default, and electric is climbing.** Hybrids passed half of registrations in early 2026; with fuel prices up and a €9,000 EV grant on the table, the shift toward economical and electric cars is set to continue.

## Frequently asked questions

*(This FAQ is also provided in the article's structured FAQ field.)*

**Where does the market data in this report come from?**
Every registration figure comes from the Cyprus Statistical Service (CyStat), specifically its "Registration of Motor Vehicles" releases for January–December 2025 and January–May 2026. Fuel-price and EV-grant context is from the sources listed in the Methodology note. Figures and commentary attributed to CarsJapan are the company's own.

**Why does the report cover January–May and not the full first half of 2026?**
Because CyStat had not yet published the January–June 2026 registration figures at the time of writing (early July 2026). Rather than present a half-year that is not out, this report uses the latest available release — January–May 2026 — and says so.

**How large is the Cyprus used car market?**
In January–May 2026, 12,147 used passenger saloon cars were registered — 66.5% of the 18,259 passenger saloon cars registered in that period. Across full-year 2025, used cars were 64.1% of the 40,778 registered.

**Why are buyers shifting toward hybrid and electric cars?**
CarsJapan's view is that higher running costs are the main driver: fuel prices rose about 20.5% year-on-year to May 2026, pushing buyers toward economical hybrids, while the government's Electromobility Promotion Scheme (up to €9,000 for a private electric car) is lifting demand for EVs. The registration data supports the direction — hybrids passed 51% and petrol fell to 35% in early 2026.

## About CarsJapan

CarsJapan (carsjapan.cy) is a Cyprus-based importer and retailer of used vehicles, specialising in imported stock for the local market. More information is available at [carsjapan.cy](https://carsjapan.cy/).

## Methodology and data sources

**Vehicle-registration statistics** are from the **Cyprus Statistical Service (CyStat, cystat.gov.cy)**, "Registration of Motor Vehicles" series:

- **Year-to-date 2026:** CyStat "Registration of Motor Vehicles: January–May 2026" release (published June 2026). Figures used: total registrations 23,743 (+13.0%); passenger saloon cars 18,259 (+12.5%); new 6,112 (33.5%) / used 12,147 (66.5%); fuel-type shares for Jan–May 2025 and Jan–May 2026.
- **Full-year 2025 vs 2024:** CyStat "Registration of Motor Vehicles: January–December 2025" release (published early January 2026). Figures used: total registrations 52,508 (+5.8%); passenger saloon cars 40,778 (+6.2%); new 14,633 / used 26,145; fuel-type shares for 2024 and 2025.

**Supporting context:**

- **Fuel prices** — fuel prices in Cyprus rose 20.5% between May 2025 and May 2026, in line with the EU average of 20.7% (Eurostat, "Evolution of fuel prices in May 2026", 22 June 2026; reported by Cyprus Mail).
- **EV grant** — the Electromobility Promotion Scheme offers a €9,000 grant towards a new private battery-electric car, up to €20,000 for large families and people with disabilities, and €9,000 towards a used imported battery-electric car, administered by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works (fourth call, budget €5.62m; European Alternative Fuels Observatory; Cyprus Mail, 28 November 2025).

Every statistic in this report is drawn directly from the cited CyStat releases and has been confirmed against the primary gov.cy publications; no figure has been estimated.