Yandex Sold Auto.ru to T-Auto Group for 35 Billion Rubles
The T-Technologies Group is preparing to acquire the automotive classifieds site Auto.ru from Yandex for 35 billion rubles, as company representatives told Kommersant. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026 and will be financed through debt capital.
A representative of T-Technologies noted that the purchase of this service will make it possible to create Russia's first full-scale 360-degree auto ecosystem. It will bring together a significant number of private car buyers and sellers, car dealers, and automakers, transforming the structure of the Russian automotive market.
According to the terms of the deal, T-Auto LLC, which is part of the group, is acquiring from Yandex the entire stake of the Auto.ru group of companies. This acquisition includes:
The company emphasized that both the Auto.ru brand and its team will be integrated into T-Technologies, continuing their independent development within the framework of the overall strategy to accelerate the technological transformation of the automotive market in Russia. It is noted that more than 30 million Russians use the Auto.ru service daily, and the number of listings placed reaches 4 million daily. Furthermore, 80% of young motorists in Russia are clients of T-Technologies.
Yandex began negotiations on the sale of Auto.ru (auto.ru, including Auto.ru Business, eCredit, Auto.ru Valuation, etc.) at the end of last year. Among those interested in the purchase were companies such as Sber, T-Bank, and the classifieds site Avito. Experts link the sale to the deteriorating situation in the automotive market and increased competition, due to which Auto.ruhas ceased to be the main growth driver for the group's business.
According to SPARK-Interfax data, the current legal entity of the project, Services for Placing Advertisements LLC (Auto.ru), was registered in November 2023. 49% is owned by Yandex's structure, Ya.Finproject, and 51% by Pavel Aleshin, General Director of Yandex Verticals.
According to Yandex's reporting for the second quarter of 2025, revenue from the Classifieds Services direction, which includes Auto.ru, decreased by 5% year-on-year, amounting to 8 billion rubles due to the downturn in the automotive market. In the third quarter of the year, it was stated that Auto.ru represented 43% of cars sold in Russia, and its monthly audience grew by 40% year-on-year, although absolute figures were not disclosed. According to Similarweb data, in November the service was visited by 44 million users, which is 13% less than in the previous month.
Auto.ru was originally created in 1996 as an internet forum. In 2014, Yandex acquired it for $175 million from the Swiss company Immerbereit, which controlled 100% of Auto.ru Holding LLC and Auto.ru LLC. The sellers were required to transfer to Yandex all intellectual property rights, including trademarks, copyrights to the website software and mobile applications, with the exception of a few domain names.