Chinese brands sold 810,982 vehicles across Europe in 2025, more than double the previous year. In December 2025, one in every ten new cars sold in Europe carried a Chinese brand badge. MG became the first Chinese brand to reach one million cumulative European sales. Chery went from 17,000 units in 2024 to 120,000 in 2025, a 600% increase in a single year. Leapmotor, which barely existed in Europe in 2024, sold 33,567 vehicles.
The brands in this guide are not future arrivals. They are on the road now, in dealerships now, available to order now. Each entry covers what the brand sells, which countries it operates in, and what distinguishes it from the others. A note on scope: Volvo and Polestar are Geely-owned but marketed as Swedish and are excluded. Smart is a Geely-Mercedes joint venture and is excluded. This guide covers brands that present themselves as Chinese or are widely understood as such.
The Brands and What You Need to Know
MG is Europe’s most established Chinese brand
MG has been selling in Europe since 2019 and reached one million cumulative European sales in February 2026, the first Chinese brand to hit that milestone. Owned by SAIC Motor since 2007, it leverages inherited British brand recognition that softens the unfamiliarity barrier in markets where Chinese cars are still a novelty.
The MG4 is its core product is an affordable rear-wheel-drive electric hatchback with a five-star Euro NCAP rating, and the ZS EV is its widest-distributed model globally. MG sells across all major European markets including Germany, France, the UK, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and the Nordics. Its main vulnerability is the EU’s 35.3% tariff, the highest levied on any Chinese brand, which has pushed MG to explore European assembly to reduce exposure.
Available in: UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland and others.
Chery: Omoda and Jaecoo
Chery is Europe’s fastest-growing Chinese automotive group by volume, growing from 17,000 units in 2024 to 120,000 in 2025 across its Omoda and Jaecoo sub-brands. Omoda targets style-conscious urban buyers with compact and mid-size SUVs; Jaecoo takes a rugged outdoors positioning.
Both share dealer sites and a seven-year warranty. Jaecoo’s 56,944 European units in 2025 made it the third-largest Chinese brand on the continent by volume above BYD in calendar year sales. Chery has committed to European local assembly through a partnership in Spain, which will reduce its 21.3% tariff exposure once operational.
Available in: UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal and others. Expanding rapidly.
BYD leads with techonology
BYD is the world’s largest manufacturer of battery-electric vehicles and the brand with the most ambitious European expansion plan. In January 2026, BYD surpassed Tesla in new vehicle registrations in Europe, nearly tripling its prior-year figure. It sells across five body styles in Europe: the Dolphin Surf (city car), Dolphin (hatchback), Atto 3 (compact SUV), Seal (saloon) and Sealion 7 (large SUV), plus the Seal U DM-i plug-in hybrid.
Every BYD uses its proprietary Blade Battery. BYD’s 17% EU tariff, the lowest of any major Chinese brand, reflects its cooperation with the European Commission’s investigation. A manufacturing plant in Hungary is under construction, which will make BYD Europe-assembled from 2026 onwards and exempt from tariff.
Available in: UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Italy and others.
Leapmotor: the Stellantis wildcard
Leapmotor is the most structurally unusual brand on this list. Stellantis holds a 51% stake in Leapmotor International, the entity that handles all sales outside China, meaning Leapmotor vehicles reach European buyers through Peugeot, Citroën, Opel and Fiat dealerships. This gives it the most established distribution of any new Chinese entrant, bypassing the multi-year task of building a dealer network from scratch.
Crucially, Leapmotor assembles its C10 and B10 in Poland, making them fully exempt from EU tariffs on Chinese vehicles. The T03 city car is imported from China. At €19,500 for the T03 and €29,900 for the B10, it is the most aggressively priced Chinese brand in the EU market.
Available in: Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, UK and others via Stellantis dealer network.
Geely group (Zeekr and Lynk & Co)
Geely’s direct Chinese brands in Europe are Zeekr (premium performance EVs) and Lynk & Co (subscription-model crossovers). Zeekr arrived in Europe in 2022 with the 001 fastback and has since expanded to the X compact SUV and 7X. It targets Tesla and premium German brand buyers with 800V charging architecture and performance specifications.
Lynk & Co operates on a subscription-only model in most European markets. Cars are sold by subscription rather than outright purchase, making it one of the most unusual ownership propositions in the market. Geely’s European figures also include Polestar (47,579 units in 2025), which is excluded from this guide as a Swedish-marketed brand.
Zeekr available in: Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, UK.
Lynk & Co available in: Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Finland.
Nio offers premium models and battery-swap
Nio is the only brand in Europe offering battery swapping as an alternative to charging. A station network across Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Hungary allows Nio owners to exchange a depleted battery for a fully charged one in around three minutes. The proposition appeals to buyers in areas with limited home charging, or those who want the fastest possible refuel equivalent.
Nio’s models: ET5 saloon, ET7 saloon, EL6 and EL7 SUVs, are priced at the premium end (€65,000–€90,000), and its European expansion has been slower than planned due to service network challenges. A more affordable sub-brand, Firefly, is confirmed for European launch in 2025–2026.
Available in: Norway, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Hungary. Expanding to Austria, Czechia and Romania in 2026.
Xpeng: assembled in Austria
Xpeng’s G6 and G9 SUVs are assembled in Graz, Austria by Magna Steyr, making them subject to only the standard 10% EU import duty rather than the additional Chinese EV tariff. This gives Xpeng a structural pricing advantage over most rivals in the EU.
The G6 is its volume model, with 800V architecture enabling 10-to-80% charging in 18 minutes, and a five-star Euro NCAP rating. The P7+ saloon, positioned under €50,000, began European deliveries in early 2026. Xpeng’s Volkswagen partnership, announced in 2023, is progressing, with joint model development expected to begin production in 2026.
Available in: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, UK.
ORA (Great Wall Motor)
Great Wall Motor sells in Europe primarily through ORA, its retro-styled EV sub-brand. The ORA 03, previously known as the Funky Cat, is a small hatchback with a distinctive rounded design, positioned as an affordable city EV alternative to the MG4 and BYD Dolphin.
Great Wall’s Haval and WEY brands have limited European presence; ORA is its main European product. Sales volumes are modest, estimated at around 4,000 units in 2025. But the brand is building distribution steadily across Western Europe.
Available in: UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain.
Maxus
Maxus, also owned by SAIC Motor, is less visible than MG but has built a substantial fleet presence in Europe, particularly in electric vans, where it supplies DPD, Tesco and other major operators.
Its passenger car presence centres on the MIFA 7 and MIFA 9 luxury MPVs, which have found a niche in the airport transfer and chauffeur market. For most private buyers, Maxus is not a consideration, but for fleet operators, it is one of the most cost-effective electric van options in the market.
Available in: UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and others.
Denza: arriving in 2026
Denza is BYD’s premium sub-brand, positioned above the core BYD range and targeting the Lexus, Genesis and upper-BMW market. The Z9 GT, a large GT-format estate with 1,036 km CLTC range, is confirmed as its European launch model and is the first vehicle in the world to carry BYD’s second-generation Blade Battery in production form.
European pricing and exact country rollout is expected to be confirmed mid-2026. In China, the Z9 GT starts from ¥269,800 (~€34,000). European pricing will be substantially higher due to tariffs and localisation costs.
What Tariffs Mean for Buyers
In November 2024, the EU imposed additional tariffs on EVs imported from China, ranging from 7.8% to 35.3% depending on the brand, on top of the standard 10% import duty. BYD faces the lowest additional rate at 17%; SAIC (MG’s parent) faces the highest at 35.3%. These tariffs have already reshaped the market: Leapmotor moved production to Poland, Xpeng moved assembly to Austria, and BYD is building a factory in Hungary.
For buyers, the practical effect is that European prices for Chinese EVs are significantly higher than Chinese domestic prices, but still typically 15–30% cheaper than equivalent European-built alternatives. The tariff has not stopped Chinese brands from growing; it has accelerated their investment in local manufacturing.
One in ten new cars sold in Europe in 2025 was a Chinese brand. That share is expected to reach 15–20% by 2027 — with or without tariffs.
What’s Coming in 2026 and Beyond
Several brands have confirmed European entry or significant expansion in 2026:
GAC Aion: GAC’s pure-EV sub-brand, strong in Southeast Asia and confirmed for Spain entry in 2026.
Yangwang: BYD’s ultra-luxury brand (U7, U8) confirmed for European markets. Entry price above €200,000.
Nio Firefly: Nio’s affordable sub-brand, targeting under €25,000 in Europe. Confirmed for 2025–2026 launch.
Chery Exlantix: Chery’s premium EV sub-brand, confirmed for European launch alongside Omoda and Jaecoo expansion.
Deepal (Changan): Changan’s EV sub-brand expanding from China and Southeast Asia into European markets.
Editor’s Take
Add the Chinese-made Teslas, Volkswagens and BMWs, and approximately one in seven electrified cars sold in Europe last year was built in China. The brands are the visible part of an industrial shift that goes deeper than badge-shopping.
For buyers, the most useful frame is not nationality but infrastructure. MG’s 150+ dealer network is the lowest-risk purchase for anyone outside a major city. BYD’s tariff advantage and Hungary factory make it the most price-stable bet for the next two years. Leapmotor via Stellantis is the most accessible entry point as you can walk into a Peugeot dealer and drive away in one. Nio’s battery swap network is uniquely useful for specific buyers; irrelevant for most others.
Sources: 36Kr, Carscoops, Bloomberg
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