Chinese carmakers captured a record 15.8 per cent share of the UK new car market in the first half of 2026, according to year-to-date figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), with Jaecoo, BYD and Omoda recording the strongest gains in market share as established European, Korean and Japanese manufacturers face mounting pressure.
Smallest Chinese brands in the UK
Great Wall Motor (GWM), headquartered in Baoding, Hebei, launched in Britain in late 2022 and holds just 0.01 per cent market share after selling 151 units so far in 2026. It sells two models, the Haval Jolion Pro SUV at £21,995 and the POER 300 pick-up at £32,495. GWM axed its Ora 3 electric supermini, formerly known as the "Funky Cat," earlier this year due to poor sales.
Skywell, owned by the Skyworth Group and based in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, is level with GWM on 0.01 per cent market share, having sold 90 units in 2026 and delivered 127 vehicles in total since launching in Britain in May 2024. It sells one model, the BE11 26MY mid-size electric SUV at £31,990. The brand's UK importer, Innovation Automotive, has ceased trading, and Skywell said at the start of July it was seeking a new distributor and hoped to appoint one within weeks.
Aion, the electric-car brand of GAC, one of China's five largest vehicle manufacturers, launched in the UK in May 2026 from its Guangzhou headquarters and has reached 0.02 per cent market share with 240 units sold. It currently sells the Aion V family SUV at £36,450, with the Aion UT compact electric hatchback due to launch later this year at a price yet to be confirmed.
XPeng and Changan build momentum
XPeng, based in Guangzhou's Tianhe District, launched in the UK in February 2025 and has sold 930 units in 2026, giving it a 0.07 per cent market share. Its sole UK model is the G6 electric SUV, priced from £39,990, which the company says can charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 12 minutes.
Changan, headquartered in Chongqing's Jiangbei District and present in Europe for nearly two decades, launched in Britain in September 2025. It has sold 1,948 units so far in 2026 for a 0.15 per cent market share, with two models on sale: the Deepal S05 electric SUV at £37,990 and the larger Deepal S07 electric SUV at £39,990.
Geely and Leapmotor pass half a per cent
Geely, based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, owns or holds stakes in Volvo, Polestar and Lotus but also sells vehicles under its own name in the UK, where it launched in October 2025. It has sold 8,160 units in 2026 for a 0.63 per cent market share. Its range includes the all-electric EX5 SUV at £31,990 and the Starray EM-i hybrid SUV at £29,990, with a third model, the all-electric EX2 hatchback at £20,990, due before the end of August.
Leapmotor, also headquartered in Hangzhou, describes itself as "Britain's new EV brand" and operates as a joint venture between Leapmotor, which holds 49 per cent, and Stellantis, which holds 51 per cent. It launched in the UK in March 2025 and has sold 8,375 units in 2026 for a 0.65 per cent share. Its four models are the T03 city car at £15,990, the UK's second-cheapest new EV, the B05 hatchback at £30,495, the B10 SUV at £31,995 and the C10 SUV at £36,500. Two more models, the B03X and B03, are due between now and 2027.
Chery Group's three UK brands
The Chery Group now has four SUV marques on sale in Britain, and its three brands with measurable market share, Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo, together account for 6.41 per cent of the market.
Chery, the group's namesake brand based in Wuhu, Anhui Province, arrived in the UK in summer 2025, after Omoda and Jaecoo, but has sold 21,191 units in 2026 for a 1.64 per cent market share. It offers six models: the Tiggo 4 Super Hybrid at £19,995, the Tiggo 7 at £24,995, the Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid at £29,995, the seven-seat Tiggo 8 at £28,545, the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid at £33,545 and the Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid at £43,105.
Omoda, also based in Wuhu, was the first Chery Group brand to reach Britain, launching in August 2024 with the Omoda 5 at £24,040 and the E5 at £33,065. It has sold 22,164 units in 2026 for a 1.71 per cent market share, and its line-up now includes the Omoda 7, available with petrol or Super Hybrid powertrains from £29,965, and the flagship Omoda 9 SHS-P at £44,995.
Jaecoo, also headquartered in Wuhu and launched in the UK in February 2025, has sold 39,569 units in 2026 for a 3.06 per cent market share. Its Jaecoo 7 SUV went viral on social media, dubbed the "Temu Range Rover" for its styling and its price well below a Range Rover Velar, helping drive the sales surge. The range includes the Jaecoo 5 at £24,555, the Jaecoo 5 EV at £27,505, the Jaecoo 7 from £30,165 in petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid forms, and the Jaecoo 8 Super Hybrid at £45,500.
BYD and MG lead the pack
BYD, based in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, is officially the world's largest electric vehicle manufacturer, having overtaken Tesla. It launched passenger cars in the UK in March 2023 and has sold 44,398 units in 2026 for a 3.43 per cent market share, the second-largest among Chinese carmakers, having become Britain's best-selling EV brand in the first quarter of 2026. Its UK petrol and EV line-up includes the Dolphin at £30,230, the Dolphin Surf at £18,675, the Atto 2 at £30,875, the Atto 3 Evo at £38,990, the Seal at £45,730 and the Sealion 7 at £47,025, alongside eight plug-in hybrid models either on sale or due to arrive. Its Denza sub-brand offers the Z9GT shooting brake at £95,000, the D9 MPV at £75,000, the Z electric supercar at £142,900 and the Bao 5 off-roader at £69,500.
MG, headquartered in Shanghai and owned by SAIC Motor since 2007, is the most established Chinese-owned brand in the UK and holds the largest market share of any Chinese manufacturer, at 4.32 per cent, on sales of 55,944 units in 2026. It now offers 15 models, ranging from the £55,245 Cyberster to the £17,495 MG3 supermini.
Established brands lose ground
While Chinese brands gain share, established manufacturers are losing it. BMW's market share is down 3.59 per cent year to date compared with the same period in 2025, and Ford is down 5.19 per cent. Dacia's share has fallen 6.02 per cent year on year, Land Rover's is down 1.98 per cent and Hyundai's has dropped 8.60 per cent. The steepest declines have hit Japanese and Spanish-badged brands: Nissan is down 15.77 per cent, Honda down 16.44 per cent, Mazda down 20.77 per cent, and Volkswagen Group's Seat down 28.77 per cent.
