China Forecast to Have Sold One in Every 10 New Cars in UK in 2025
Chinese car brands MG, BYD, and Chery are projected to exceed 200,000 new-car sales in the UK in 2025, representing about 10% of the market. In the first 11 months of 2025, Chinese manufacturers sold approximately 187,800 cars out of 1.87 million total new registrations in the UK, roughly double the figure from 2024.
Across Western Europe, Chinese brands average around 6% of new-car sales, with countries like Spain and Norway approaching 10%. The EU currently imposes tariffs ranging from 17% to 38% on Chinese electric vehicles, which apply only to EVs, whereas the UK and Norway do not have such tariffs. Hybrid vehicles also offer a competitive alternative in the region.
EU policy after 2035 permits up to 10% of new-car sales to be internal-combustion engine vehicles, a relaxation from an earlier plan to ban petrol and diesel cars completely.
Analyst Matthias Schmidt forecasts that the Chinese market share in Europe could peak just under 10% between 2028 and 2030, with China's share in the battery-electric vehicle market reaching around 13%. The rise of Chinese electric vehicles is driven by government subsidies, dominance in lithium-ion battery supply chains, and lower labor costs.
