BYD, Chery, Jaecoo and Omoda continue to make new car market running
But not all Chinese brands are enjoying the same success
Citroen returns to form
Ford Puma back on top car spot in April
CHINESE-owned brands took more than a fifth of the UK market in April, with their year-to-date share reaching nearly 20%.
The rise of new entrants, offering low-price and high-spec cars, powered the month to a 24% increase over the same month in 2025.
Over the first four months of 2026, new car registrations are up 9% or 63,268 units over 2025. Of that rise, just more than 53,000 came from just four Chinese new entrants:
- Jaecoo
- Chery
- BYD and
- Omoda
Jaecoo, Omoda and Chery all belong to the Chery group and, as one, has taken more than 6% of the new car market this year. The group is set to launch its fourth brand – Lepas – later this year.
Ten of the top 20 best performing brands this year (those with the biggest unit gains) are Chinese owned. And if you extend that to the top 21 brands it’s 11, thanks to Xpeng.
It’s not all about China, though
While Chinese brands dominate the growth in the new car market, they are not alone.
Citroen is the fifth fastest climber this year, with MINI, Suzuki and Cupra also in the top 10 (along with China’s Leapmotor and Geely).
Looking at the April figures, Volkswagen, Mercedes and Ford also had a positive month with each gaining more than 1,000 units over April last year.
However, at the other end of the sales chart there are some brands suffering. For Nissan, the fastest faller, its new products, in particular the next generation Leaf, cannot come soon enough.
Peugeot, the second fastest faller, is continuing its yo-yo downward after it started 2025 particularly strongly.
And despite Peugeot having lost more than 4,000 units this year and sister brand Fiat having lost more than 2,000, parent group Stellantis is holding its own in terms of market share (11.5% in 2026 versus 11.9% in 2025) and is up nearly 5,000 units overall.
Rival Volkswagen Group, however, is looking more shaky. It may have a larger market share than Stellantis, accounting for 20.3% of the new car market, but a year ago, that share was at 22.1%. Its unit change is positive (up 422 cars) but with an overall market growing far faster, this is not a positive performance.
April 2026 top selling models
Source: SMMT
Top 5 unit gains YTD
Bottom 5 unit losses YTD
1 Jaecoo 18,501
2 Chery 14,614
3 BYD 10,977
4 Omoda 8,220
5 Citroen 6,795
5 Fiat 2,053
4 Seat 3,175
3 Volkswagen 3,752
2 Peugeot 4,064
1 Nissan 4,365
Electrification stalling
EV registrations are still far from the ZEV Mandate target of 33% for 2026. In fact, at 23.1% EV mix year-to-date, the new car market is still (just) behind the 2025 total EV mix of 23.4%.
In outright numbers, EV registrations are up 22% this year, but with all areas (apart from diesel) also growing, the mix isn’t changing fast enough.
The picture for April is fractionally better with a 26.2% EV mix. However, some car manufacturers, through the SMMT, are continuing to push for a relaxation in the targets in the short term.
New car sales and long-term fleet planning
“What’s striking about April’s new car sales is the contrast. On one hand, we’re seeing strong growth in registrations and EVs gaining real momentum; on the other, warnings that future policy changes could risk unsettling that progress just as it starts to stabilise, says Matthew Walters of Ayvens.
“From a fleet perspective, this isn’t about pushing EVs at all costs. The priority is always putting the right vehicle with the right driver, based on daily vehicle usage, cost and operational needs. That only works when businesses can model those costs with confidence.
“A pay-per-mile levy introduces an additional layer of uncertainty at a point where the market is still finely balanced. It’s not just the direct cost impact – although that is meaningful at scale – but the challenge it creates for long-term planning and budgeting.
“If that confidence is weakened, the risk isn’t simply slower EV uptake, but delayed replacement cycles across the board, as fleet operators hold onto vehicles for longer. At a time when the market is still tracking below mandated targets, that feels like the wrong policy at the wrong time.”
Matthew Walters, Head of Consultancy services at Ayvens
It’s not all gold for China
- The only Chinese-owned brand to be losing numbers in the first four months of 2026 is Geely’s Lotus, which is down 389 cars so far this year (although it was up 20 in April). Pictured above is the Lotus Eletre.
- Chinese brand Skywell may be in positive sales territory, but it only registered four cars in April taking it to 19 for the year.
- Maserati continues to outsell fellow Stellantis brand DS at a ratio of 2.3:1 year-to-date.
- In fact, DS with a network of 27 retailers and four models only just outsold Chevrolet with six retailers and one model in April (13 cars plays 12).
Main image created by Gemini AI.
Read our new car market analysis of March 2026 registrations
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Tristan Young is an award winning journalist with more than 25 years’ experience reporting on the automotive industry focussing predominantly on fleet and retail. As a self-confessed petrol-head, Tristan has a weakness for car classifieds. When he’s not writing about the automotive industry, he can usually be found outdoors with a small pack of border collies.
