Yekaterinburg - Post Report Question and Answers
What kind of car do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car do you advise not to bring?
If you bring a car, you will need winter tires (which can be purchased locally). Most consulate employees do not have cars. We brought ours, a Honda Civic, because it was shipped directly from our previous post, but often we wish we hadn't. We hardly use it, maybe once a month. We have to start the engine every week to ensure the battery doesn't die (especially in winter months), and it has died once already. It is handy to have a car, however, if you envision traveling outside the city frequently. - Feb 2020
Anything will do here as long as you can buy snow tires for them. Snow tires are a must if you have a car. We had people at post without a car and that's also totally doable. - Aug 2018
Roads in the city are not great, and they can be worse outside the city. The highways connecting the major cities are relatively well maintained. Studded snow tires are recommended for winter driving. Something with a high clearance is also recommended. Bring your own filters or be prepared to pay through the nose for parts. Russian drivers tend to ignore lane lines. Once you are used to being cut off, the driving is not so bad. - Aug 2010
Two expats I worked with drove Jeeps and seemed to do well with them. Another had a Toyota RAV. Russians with money love to flaunt it and you can see just about any kind of luxury vehicle at a pricey mall a block from the consulate. - Jan 2008
