Chinese brands accounted for almost a fifth of all UK registrations in July as newcomers Omoda-Jaecoo and BYD both celebrated their 100,000th UK sale in quick succession.

A mix of keen prices, electrified drivetrains and high levels of standard kit are persuading more customers to make the jump, to the detriment of more established brands, which struggle to match them on costs.

The share of Chinese brands hit 19.1% in July, according to figures from industry body the SMMT. The January-July share reached 17.7% after total sales ticked over 200,000. Autocar doesn’t include Geely-owned Volvo or Polestar in the tally.

The speed at which Chinese newcomers are outpacing brands with decades of presence in the UK market is unprecedented. 

Omoda-Jaecoo, a division of Chery, shot past 100,000 total UK sales in July after launching the Omoda brand in August 2024 and Jaecoo in January 2025.

The combined share of the two brands reached 4.8% this year, higher than Mini, Hyundai, Mercedes or Skoda. Combined with Chery’s self-titled brand, the company’s share of 6.4% beat that of Ford.

Meanwhile, BYD recorded its 100,000 sale in July after launching the brand in March 2023 with the Atto 3. Together with Chery, BYD has become the strongest competitor to SAIC-owned MG, which held a 4.3% share.

Behind the big three, Stellantis-backed Leapmotor and Geely’s self-titled brand both passed the 1% share mark in July. 

The lightning growth contrasts with the relative slow-burn acceptance of other brands in the UK market. For example, after Hyundai launched in the country in 1982, it was still selling fewer than 10,000 cars annually 10 years later.

Tesla, meanwhile, celebrated its 200,000th UK sale in 2024, 14 years after launching its first car.

“The Chinese push into the UK market has taken off in the past three years at a speed never seen before,” Ian Plummer, commercial director of Autotrader, told Autocar. “New entrant brands are already on the verge hitting a fifth of the market, a level that five years ago we envisaged they could potentially achieve by the end of the decade.” 

The UK is providing ideal conditions for the Chinese brands, who have matured fast enough in their own market to develop models acceptable to UK consumers at prices that reflect much cheaper costs in China. Autotrader reports consumer interest beyond that of their current market share, suggesting more sales are to come. Plummer now predicts a 30% share could be possible by 2030. “Their upward trajectory doesn’t look ready to tail off any time soon,” he said.

The UK’s decision not to apply EU-style tariffs on China-built EVs has boosted sales of Chinese brands at a time when more buyers are turning to electric or plug-in hybrids to counter rising fuel prices sparked by the Iran war.

China’s car makers accounted for 18% of UK EV sales this year through to July, while their share of PHEV sales so far this year stood at a huge 41%, according to SMMT data.

The UK’s appetite for Chinese cars is the highest in Europe. It was China’s third largest export market for its cars after Russia and Brazil, with 255,260 shipped in the first half this year, according to figures from the China Passenger Car Association. Of those, 181,260 were either electric or plug-in hybrid, according to the data, more than double from the same period the year before.

Exports have been a boon to China’s car makers, which have been dealing with a sharp market contraction at home, most recently down 21% in July. Exports, meanwhile, grew 54% from January to July compared with the year before. 

China’s success has dealt established car makers a blow as they struggle with the costs of electrification. The UK has angled its Electric Car Grant to avoid paying incentives to Chinese car makers, or those exporting from there, but sales haven’t significantly dimmed because the Chinese offer discounts to match.

Established car makers have been reluctant to explicitly call on the UK government to impose tariffs equivalent to those levied by the EU on Chinese-built EVs. “I'm not against Chinese and Chinese competition, not at all. The only thing is I want to have fair competition,” Honda’s head of Europe, Hans De Jaeger, told Autocar. “We at Honda have been in the same position and we found our space in European markets.”