Chinese entrants account for 5%+ of all new car adverts viewed on Auto Trader marketplace between January and April

Ten-fold rise in new Chinese EVs for sale so far in 2025, AT figures show

Seven new brands to enter the UK market within 12 months

China “motoring from a standing start”, says commercial director Ian Plummer

LONDON, 26th May: Chinese manufacturers are gripping the imagination of UK buyers after adverts for new Chinese EVs more than 1.4 million views in the opening months of the year, according to new Auto Trader data.

The data from the UK’s largest online automotive marketplace for January to April represents a four-fold increase in ad views compared to the same period in 2024 as a host of new Chinese brands including JAECOO, Leapmotor, Skywell, Omoda and XPENG join trailblazers BYD and GWM in planting their flags in the UK market.

The rising Chinese presence meant that Chinese EVs accounted for 5.3% of all the new cars viewed on the site between January and April, a sharp rise on the 1.3% share 12 months earlier. In April alone, the Chinese manufacturers accounted for 6% of ads viewed.

Stocks of Chinese EVs for sale between January and April have also soared ten-fold in the past 12 months with over 3,300 cars for sale. This represents almost 3% of new car stock for sale on the site compared to a tiny 0.2% share in the same period last year.

BYD – a sponsor of last year’s Euro 2024 football tournament and the most familiar brand to UK consumers – accounts for around half of ad views and stock, the figures show. Chinese new entrants accounted for 4.6% of all new car leads to retailers – a proxy for actual sales – in the first four months of 2025, up from 0.5% a year earlier.

The rapid rise of Chinese manufacturers comes as Chinese brands now taking more than two thirds of their domestic market, encouraging growth in overseas markets. In addition to the growth seen so far, seven new Chinese brands are expected to enter the UK market in the next 12 months and new entrants account for 20% of the UK car market by 2030.

The new entrants can price competitively against Western rivals amid research showing signs of lower loyalty to EV brands, with only 19% buying the same brand as their previous car. Moreover two in five consumers are willing to at least consider a new entrant brand for their next car, in further good news for Chinese entrants.

Our research shows a breakthrough for Chinese manufacturers in the UK market over the last 12 months. Several brands are now motoring from a standing start and bigger names like BYD have embedded themselves in the public consciousness. Chinese electric vehicles are cutting edge products, backed by affordable battery technology. Trade turbulence with the US and EU tariffs is also making the UK relatively more attractive as a market. There will be much more to come from Chinese carmakers