---
title: "Damaged but Profitable: How American 'Totals' Conquered the Ukrainian Auto Market"
description: "The Ukrainian auto market is 25% composed of American 'totals': let's understand why damaged cars from the USA are more profitable than intact ones and where the main risks lie when buying and restoring them 🚗💸"
date: 2026-07-16T05:10:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/damaged-but-profitable-how-american-totals-conquered-the-ukrainian-auto-market
tags: [ukraine, used-cars, copart, auto-import, roman-matveev]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Damaged but Profitable: How American 'Totals' Conquered the Ukrainian Auto Market

![Damaged white car with a broken front bumper and hood in front of another damaged vehicle, illustrating the topic of American 'totals' on the Ukrainian car market](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/16/bitye-avto-iz-ssha-v-ukraine/bitye-avto-iz-ssha-v-ukraine-1.webp)

Ten years ago, the Ukrainian auto market faced a unique dilemma. To the classic choice between a new car and a used one, a third, paradoxical option was added: a 'damaged' car. Against the backdrop of the popular meme about finding a car that is 'undamaged, uncooked, and unpainted,' such a choice seemed absurd. However, reality proved harsher: hundreds of thousands of damaged vehicles were imported from the USA, creating an entire industry in Ukraine for purchasing, delivering, and restoring 'accident cars'.

### The Economics of American Insurance

The mechanism behind the appearance of these cars on the Ukrainian market lies in the specifics of American auto insurance. In the USA, repairs after a traffic accident are extremely expensive, and labor costs are high. As a result, insurance companies often decide that restoring a vehicle is economically unfeasible. If the repair cost exceeds the residual value of the car, the vehicle receives 'total loss' status and is written off.

It is important to understand: a 'total' in the USA does not always mean the car is smashed to pieces. Often, these are perfectly repairable units that American insurers simply do not want to fix due to the high cost. These vehicles are sent to insurance auctions, where they are bought for pennies. For Ukrainian buyers, this is an opportunity: a car damaged in America, after being repaired by our mechanics, costs less than a similar intact unit on the domestic secondary market.

### Hidden Benefits and Real Numbers

Over the last five to seven years, damaged vehicles from the USA have become one of the main channels for replenishing Ukraine's vehicle fleet. It is difficult to derive exact statistics, as 'damaged cars' are not accounted for separately, but an analysis of indirect data from 'Ukravtoprom' and the State Customs Service shows: this accounts for approximately 15–25% of the total number of imported used cars.

The lion's share of imports consists of lots from insurance auctions Copart and IAAI. They are convenient for remote bidding and allow buyers to assess the extent of damage before purchase. After repairs, the vehicles undergo certification and receive Ukrainian license plates.

Auto expert Roman Matveev, head of the Motor Gas project, highlights the key advantages of this scheme:

- **Cost Savings:** It is often possible to save 20–40% compared to buying the same model with a clean history.

- **Tax Benefits:** Buyers pay taxes based on the car's value in the USA, which can be several times lower than the European value.

- **Vehicle Condition:** Cars often have low actual mileage and belong to recent model lines.

### Risks and Restoration Quality

Despite its appeal, the scheme of buying damaged cars from America has not become dominant in Ukraine, where millions of used cars are sold annually. The main reason is the risks associated with restoration.

Roman Matveev warns that the quality of repairs depends directly on the workshop. 'It is better to restore a car at a service you trust. If this is done in a workshop with unprincipled auto businessmen, you may encounter them saving on every little thing. And this eventually results in a low-quality outcome,' notes the expert.

Thus, the market for 'damaged' cars in Ukraine is a balance between significant financial benefit and the need to find reliable specialists for restoration, so that the car on the roads looks not just attractive, but is also safe.