Chinese carmakers in Europe surpass 2025 sales in seven months

Chinese carmakers’ commercial performance in Europe is going from “strength to strength”. In the first seven months of 2026, they had already sold more cars than they did throughout the whole of 2025.

From January to July, Chinese brands recorded 813,096 registrations, compared with the 812,452 units sold over the entirety of last year. In other words, they needed only seven months to exceed their 2025 total.

The figures come from Dataforce and remain preliminary because, at the time of writing, they cover only 98% of the European Union, United Kingdom and EFTA market. Portugal and Croatia are the only markets yet to submit their respective results, so the overall figure is expected to rise slightly.

The growth of Chinese brands is also resulting in an increasingly substantial presence in the European market. In July, these brands captured an 11.2% market share, setting a new record and exceeding the 10.9% achieved in June.

The comparison with July 2025 is even more striking. At that point, Chinese brands accounted for just 5.6% of sales. Over the first seven months of this year, their cumulative share reached 9.7%, compared with 5.1% last year - almost double in the space of only one year.

MG and BYD neck and neck

Between January and July, SAIC, which owns MG, retained its lead among Chinese manufacturers with 208,009 units sold, representing growth of 19% compared with the same period in 2025.

BYD followed immediately behind, selling 205,451 units. Although it was 2,558 cars “behind”, its growth was far sharper, at 146%. Chery Group’s progress was even more impressive: its 201,544 units sold equated to growth of 283%.

Geely regained fourth place among Chinese brands, with 9,987 units in July and growth of 44%, while Leapmotor, Stellantis’ partner, increased sales by 293% to 9,306 units.

Looking at July alone, however, the lead changes “hands”. In the seventh month of the year, BYD took first place with 32,470 units - 150% more than in the same month of 2025. Chery came next with 31,816 units sold and even stronger growth of 202%.

SAIC completed the podium with a total of 27,745 units and more modest growth of 22%.

Plug-in hybrids are the new weapon

One of the main reasons behind the sharp growth of Chinese brands in the “Old Continent” lies above all with plug-in hybrids. In July, sales of these Chinese offerings rose by 201% to 42,220 units, accounting for around 34% of all Chinese-brand sales in Europe.

Conventional hybrids also posted substantial growth, rising 137% to 24,129 units. Fully electric models, meanwhile, increased by 114% to 43,622 units, representing 35% of Chinese sales.

Sales of petrol models, on the other hand, continue to decline. During the same period, 11,958 units were sold, marking a fall of 12%. These models’ market share also dropped, from 23% to only 10%.

Tariffs could alter the picture again

The increasing focus on plug-in hybrids is likely linked to the European Union’s current tariff regime. Since November 2024, fully electric cars and range-extender electric vehicles (EREVs) built in China have faced additional tariffs that can reach 35.3%, on top of the standard 10% tariff.

Plug-in hybrids and hybrids are currently exempt from these additional tariffs. However, the European Union is considering extending the regime to plug-in hybrids, a decision that could significantly affect Chinese manufacturers’ strategy.