Chinese firms almost double UK market share on electrified demand

Sales of cars from Chinese brands in the UK grew 88% in March, as brands including BYD, MG, Omoda and Jaecoo expanded their footprint here.

Chinese brands sold 28,883 cars in March to give them a market share of 7.5%, up from 4.0% in March 2024, according to figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

In the first three months of 2025, the Chinese share was 7.0%.

The growth came from newcomers such as BYD, which sold 6480 cars, up 754% on the year before.

SAIC-owned MG led the Chinese cohort with 15,876 sales, up 23%, on the back of the increased popularity of the HS and ZS SUVs, which finished seventh and ninth in the overall top 10 for the month.

Also boosting the Chinese share were Chery-owned arrivals Omoda and Jaecoo, which together sold almost 4000 cars, beating established brands such as Citroën, Fiat, Jeep, Lexus and Suzuki.

The definition of what includes a Chinese brand is muddied by the global footprint of Geely, but for the purpose of this analysis, we haven’t included Lotus, Polestar or Volvo, which produce a proportion of their models outside China. If we had included them, the Chinese share of the UK market in March would have risen to 12%.

The rapid expansion of Chinese brands in the UK market has been accelerated by the shift to electrification, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric cars.

They accounted for 11% of all electric cars sold here in March, led by the BYD Seal saloon, with 2094 sales – enough to place it sixth in the EV chart, ahead of the BMW i4 and Skoda Enyaq. The MG 4 EV hatchback was ninth.

China’s EV leadership put it ahead of Korean brands, which accounted for 9.2% of EV sales in March. 

Japanese brands took just 3.2% of EV sales, signalling a fundamental weakness in their line-ups as legislation forces the pace of the EV shift.

PHEVs have also become a core competence for Chinese brands. BYD topped the UK's PHEV model chart in March with the Seal U, registering 2972 sales, putting it head of long-time leader the Ford Kuga.

Overall, Chinese brands logged 15% of all PHEV sales in the month, with BYD’s success augmented by PHEV versions of the MG HS and Jaecoo 7 small SUVs.

Chinese brands are also making inroads in the hybrid market, with MG becoming the fourth biggest hybrid brand in the month after Toyota, Nissan and Renault.