Experts at the Institute for Automotive Market Research calculated that a car costing €10,000 would cost the average worker in Ukraine almost 16 gross monthly salaries, while in the European Union (EU) it would be about three months.
Calculations based on salaries and the exchange rate
For Ukraine, the calculations used the average salary for August 2026 — 31 892 UAH, and for the European Union (EU) they used Eurostat’s 2024 annual income of €39,800, or about €3,317 per month. Both figures are pre-tax, and the periods are different.
At the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU)’s official exchange rate on 24 October, €10,000 is approximately 504 350 UAH. That equals 15.8 average monthly salaries in Ukraine and about three months’ income in the EU.
Median prices for used and new cars
As of 20 October 2026 the median price of a used passenger car was $9 500, which, at the NBU exchange rate, was about 428 000 UAH, or roughly 13.4 times the average Ukrainian salary. Meanwhile 51.6% of listings were cheaper than $10 000, and 80.2% were cheaper than $20 000.
The median price of a new passenger car in active listings was $38 254, or approximately 1.72 million UAH — about 54 average monthly salaries. With a hypothetical 30% down payment, you would need roughly 517 000 UAH, which is about 16.2 times the average salary.
Example of a loan for €10 000
The example considers a loan of €10 000 for three years with no fees or insurance. At the average interest rate on new household loans in Ukraine in January 2026 — 29.15% per annum — the monthly payment would be about €420.
Over three years the borrower would repay about €15 115 — more than €5 100 above the principal. By comparison, at the average rate on new consumer loans in the eurozone in August 2026 — 7.92% — the monthly payment would be around €313, and the total repayment about €11 268.
Leasing and the rise of financing in Europe
According to Leaseurope, in 2024 cars accounted for 75% of new leasing finance in Europe, amounting to €338 billion. The document also notes that this concerns the structure of the leasing market rather than the share of cars purchased through leasing.
Eurofinas reports that in 2025 new lending for the purchase of new cars among its members increased by 10.4%, and for used cars by 2.2%. Therefore, European buyers more often assess a purchase based on the monthly payment, the contract term and other financing conditions.
