BYD’s UK Sales Soar 880% to 11,271 Units in September

BYD’s UK market share rose from 2.2% at the start of the year to 3.6% in September.

In recent days, BYD released a set of overseas sales figures.

Data show that BYD sold 11,271 vehicles in the UK in September, a year-on-year (YoY) surge of 880%. Cumulative annual sales have already exceeded 35,000 units, making the UK BYD’s largest overseas market outside China.

In the UK, the BYD Dolphin’s starting price is just over £26,000 (roughly $34,900), while the Tesla Model 3 sells for about £40,000 ($53,600).

BYD says that its plug-in hybrid Seal U DM-i and pure-electric Sealion 7 have been especially popular among UK consumers, contributing heavily to its sales volumes.

BYD UK General Manager Bono Ge said the company plans to introduce more new hybrid and pure-electric models in the coming months and open its 100th retail store in the UK.

According to data from the UK Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), UK pure-electric vehicle sales in September rose 29.1% YoY to 72,779 units, a new historical high.

The UK reintroduced an EV purchase subsidy program in July (lowering consumer costs), though Chinese-made EVs remain excluded, but the stimulus helped energize the UK’s overall EV market in September.

Even so, BYD made a breakthrough in the UK market. Its share there rose from 2.2% at the start of the year to 3.6% in September.

BBC noted that while the European Union has proposed import tariffs on Chinese EVs—up to 45%—the UK has not adopted such measures, making Chinese automotive brands more appealing there.

Interestingly, in the UK’s September top-selling vehicle chart, Chinese brands Jaecoo 7 (domestically Chery Tansuo 06) and BYD Seal U (domestically Song Plus DM-i) ranked among the top ten, competing alongside mainstream models like the Kia Sportage, Ford Puma, and Nissan Qashqai.

Despite the overseas success, BYD’s momentum in its domestic market has cooled somewhat.

Official figures show BYD delivered 396,300 new energy vehicles in China in September—a YoY decline of 5.52%—marking the first time its deliveries dropped. Nonetheless, BYD’s domestic market share remains solid.