Chinese brands now account for over 12% of new electric car sales in the UK, and for good reason. For under £35,000, Chinese EVs are significantly cheaper, offering more range, more standard equipment, and better warranty coverage than almost anything from European or Japanese manufacturers at the same price.
Chinese EVs in the UK have also addressed the concern that held most buyers back three years ago. Euro NCAP has awarded five stars to the MG4, BYD Atto 3, BYD Seal, and Omoda E5, with top scores for adult occupant protection. Every brand on this list offers a minimum seven-year warranty, double what most European manufacturers offer. And with over 153 MG dealerships nationwide, plus rapidly expanding BYD, Omoda, and Jaecoo networks, the after-sales infrastructure is now genuinely comparable to established brands in most parts of the country.
1. BYD Dolphin Surf: from £18,650
The Dolphin Surf is the most affordable new electric car on sale anywhere in the UK, and it is not close. At £18,650, it undercuts the next cheapest new EV by several thousand pounds. In China, the equivalent car sells for around £7,500. BYD is clearly absorbing margin to establish UK volume, but that is the buyer’s gain.
The Dolphin Surf is a small hatchback with a claimed WLTP range of around 160 miles from its entry battery, enough for most urban and suburban daily commutes, but not the car for anyone who regularly drives motorway distances. It supports up to 60 kW DC fast charging, which is slower than most rivals. The payoff is the price: at £18,650, it is a genuinely convincing entry into EV ownership for buyers who previously could not justify the cost.
Best for: first-time EV buyers, city commuters, second-car households.
Skip if: you regularly drive over 100 miles in a day or charge predominantly at public motorway chargers.
2. MG4 Urban: from £23,495
The MG4 Urban is a new sub-family within the MG4 range, introduced in 2026 on a front-wheel-drive platform specifically to compete at a lower price point than the main MG4. It starts at £23,495 for the Standard Range Comfort trim with a 43 kWh battery and 201-mile WLTP range, rising to £27,995 for the Premium Long Range Urban with 258 miles of range.
The Urban is physically slightly longer than the standard MG4 hatchback, giving it more interior space than its price might suggest. Charging peaks at 88 kW, slower than the main MG4’s 154 kW, which limits rapid charging stops to somewhat longer waits. Its main rivals are the BYD Dolphin and Renault 5, and it sits well against both on space and standard equipment at the price. MG’s 153-dealer UK network is the most reassuring infrastructure story in the Chinese brand segment.
Best for: buyers who want a known brand, a big dealer network, and a practical hatchback at a budget-stretching price.
Skip if: you do regular long-distance motorway driving, the 88 kW charging ceiling will add meaningful time to journey stops.
3. Jaecoo E5: from £27,505
The Jaecoo E5 is the most underrated car on this list. It starts at £27,505, below the MG4 Long Range, with a 61.1 kWh LFP battery, 248 miles of WLTP range, Vehicle-to-Load capability (useful for camping, power cuts, or charging other devices), over 35 interior storage compartments, a dedicated Pet Mode climate system, and a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty.
It was the UK’s top-selling salary sacrifice electric car in Q4 2025, ahead of far better-known models. Its rugged, boxy SUV styling gives it more visual presence than most competitors at the price, and independent reviews have praised its ride quality and interior feel. The weak point is the same as the Omoda E5: 80 kW DC charging, which means longer motorway charging stops than the MG4’s 154 kW. For buyers who primarily charge at home, this is irrelevant. For frequent motorway users, it is a genuine limitation.
Best for: family SUV buyers who want maximum warranty coverage and genuine value, and do most of their charging at home.
Skip if: you rely heavily on public rapid charging and want short stops on longer journeys.
4. BYD Dolphin: from approximately £30,000
The BYD Dolphin occupies the space between the Dolphin Surf and the absent Atto 3 Evo, a compact hatchback with a 60.4 kWh battery and an impressive 265 miles of WLTP range, now available in two trim levels, both using the larger battery. Carwow’s independent assessment notes that the Dolphin’s standout advantage over rivals is rear passenger space, unusually generous for a car of its external dimensions, making it genuinely practical for four adults.
Its Achilles’ heel is the 88 kW DC charging ceiling, the same as the Jaecoo E5 and the MG4 Urban, which limits rapid-charging flexibility. The MG4 Long Range at £29,995 charges at 154 kW and goes further on a charge, making it the more complete package for most buyers, but the Dolphin wins on interior space and BYD’s Blade Battery safety credentials. Note that the £26,205 OTR figure sometimes quoted refers to an older trim structure; the currently available Comfort model starts closer to £30,000.
Best for: buyers who need genuine rear passenger space in a hatchback, and who charge mostly at home.
Skip if: motorway charging speed matters to you, the 88 kW cap is a meaningful disadvantage here.
5. MG4 Long Range: from £29,995
This is our recommended starting point for most buyers. The 2026 MG4 facelift addresses the original’s primary criticism, the interior, with a new 12.8-inch touchscreen, 10.25-inch driver display, and physical climate controls replacing the original’s confusing touch-sensitive panel.
The Long Range trim uses a 64 kWh LFP battery for 280 miles of WLTP range, paired with a rear-wheel-drive motor producing 188 hp. Crucially, it charges at up to 154 kW DC, the fastest rapid charging of any car on this list, meaning a 10–80% top-up in approximately 25 minutes at a motorway charger. That is Hyundai Ioniq 6 territory at a fraction of the Hyundai’s price. Euro NCAP five stars, seven-year warranty, 153 UK dealers. At £29,995, it is the complete package.
Best for: most buyers; the right balance of range, charging speed, driving dynamics, dealer network, and price.
Skip if: you want maximum range (the Extended Range adds 58 miles for £3,000 more) or SUV practicality.
6. MG4 Extended Range: from £32,995
The Extended Range upgrades to a 77 kWh battery and pushes WLTP range to 338 miles, the longest range of any car on this list. For buyers who regularly drive long distances, or who live in areas with limited public charging infrastructure, the extra 58 miles of range over the Long Range trim can meaningfully reduce how often you need to stop and charge.
The 154 kW DC charging speed carries over unchanged, so when you do stop, the wait is short. At £32,995, it is £3,000 more than the Long Range, a premium that makes sense for genuine long-distance drivers, but less so for urban or suburban use, where 280 miles is already more than a week’s average driving for most UK households.
Best for: drivers who regularly make 200+ mile single journeys, or who frequently charge away from home.
Skip if: most of your driving is local, you’re paying for range you won’t regularly use.
7. Omoda E5: from £33,055
The Omoda E5 was the UK’s best-selling salary sacrifice electric car in 2025, outselling the Tesla Model Y in that channel, a remarkable result for a brand that launched in the UK barely twelve months earlier.
The reasons are legible from the specification sheet: 204 hp, 257 miles WLTP range, 61 kWh LFP battery, dual 12.3-inch screen setup, 11 airbags, seven-year/100,000-mile warranty, and a genuine full-size spare tyre, a detail you will not find on any of its rivals, all from £33,055. The interior quality is noticeably higher than you would expect at this price, with materials that independent reviewers have compared favourably with those of far more expensive European SUVs.
The weakness is the 80 kW DC charging ceiling, which is slower than the MG4’s and the main practical trade-off versus the £32,995 MG4 Extended Range.
Best for: SUV buyers who primarily charge at home, want maximum standard equipment, and are open to a newer brand.
Skip if: rapid public charging speed is a priority, the 80 kW cap is a real limitation on longer journeys.
8. MG4 XPower — from £33,995
The XPower is the performance outlier on this list. Its dual-motor AWD configuration produces 429 hp and a 3.9-second 0–62 mph time, equivalent performance to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N at roughly half the price.
That performance figure, at £33,995, has no parallel in the sub-£35,000 UK EV market from any manufacturer. The trade-off, as ever with performance variants, is range: the dual-motor variant reduces WLTP range to approximately 250 miles, versus 280 miles for the Long Range and 338 miles for the Extended Range. Charging remains at up to 150 kW.
Best for: performance enthusiasts who want the fastest car under £35,000 without paying performance-car money.
Skip if: you regularly drive long distances — the range penalty is meaningful, and the Long Range is the more complete everyday car.
What to Know Before You Buy Chinese EVs in the UK
Charging
The most important specification that most buyers underestimate is DC charging speed. On a motorway service station charger, where you stop for 20–30 minutes before continuing a long journey, a 154 kW car like the MG4 charges significantly faster than an 80 kW car like the Jaecoo E5 or Omoda E5.
For home charging (the majority of charging for most owners), this difference is irrelevant. overnight is overnight. But for the roughly 15% of journeys where fast public charging matters, the gap is meaningful. If you regularly drive motorway distances, shortlist the MG4 Long Range, Extended Range, or XPower. If you charge at home and use public charging rarely, the 80 kW limit on the Jaecoo and Omoda is a non-issue.
Residual values
Chinese EVs are cheaper to buy new than European equivalents. They are also depreciating more quickly in the used market as the brands gain market share. MG is the most established, with 5 years of used-car data behind it. BYD, Omoda and Jaecoo are still building their used market track records.
For buyers who plan to keep the car for five or more years, this matters less; you are absorbing the depreciation over a longer period. For buyers planning a three-year PCP deal and then returning the car, check the current guaranteed future value figures carefully before committing. Salary sacrifice and lease buyers are insulated from this risk; the finance company carries the residual value exposure.
Warranties
Every car on this list offers a seven-year warranty except the BYD Dolphin and Dolphin Surf, which offer six years. For comparison, Volkswagen offers three years, Renault five, and Hyundai five.
The seven-year warranties from MG, Jaecoo and Omoda are a genuine ownership advantage and reflect the brands’ confidence in their products. Read the exclusions carefully: most warranties require main dealer servicing and have mileage caps. MG’s 80,000-mile limit is tighter than Jaecoo’s and Omoda’s 100,000-mile cap.
Dealer networks
MG has 153 UK dealerships, a mature, nationwide network. BYD is expanding rapidly through partnerships with Arnold Clark and Pendragon. Check the BYD UK dealer locator for current coverage in your area.
Omoda and Jaecoo share dealer sites and had approximately 100 dual-branded locations at the end of 2025, concentrated in major cities and regional centres. If you are in a rural area, verify that you have a service centre within a practical distance before committing to a Jaecoo or Omoda. MG’s wider network makes it the lowest-risk choice for buyers in areas with thinner coverage.
Editor’s Take
The MG4 Long Range at £29,995 is the obvious recommendation for most buyers, and we are comfortable making it our unambiguous recommendation. The 154 kW charging speed is what separates it from the Jaecoo E5 and Omoda E5 at similar prices, and for buyers who use public charging at motorway speeds, it is a genuine quality-of-life difference. The rear-wheel drive also makes it the most enjoyable car here to actually drive.
The car that deserves more attention than it receives is the Jaecoo E5 at £27,505. It is significantly cheaper than the MG4 Long Range, offers an SUV body style, carries a 100,000-mile warranty, and comes with Vehicle-to-Load as standard, a genuinely useful feature for camping or power-cut scenarios that most cars at any price point do not offer. Its 80 kW charging speed is the trade-off. For buyers who charge at home 90% of the time, it is a better value proposition than any other car on this list.
Prices on this page are correct as of March 2026 but may change. Always verify directly with the manufacturer or dealer before purchasing.
Manufacturer websites: byd.com/uk mg.co.uk jaecoo.co.uk omoda.co.uk
Hillary started his automotive writing journey at HotCars, and has written for CarNewsChina, GlobalSUV, and many other top auto blogs.
He loves to read, play chess, and supports Liverpool during the weekends