Chinese Carmakers’ Market Share in Europe Hits Record 7.4% in September

The European car market saw a notable rebound in September, with Chinese automakers standing out as the biggest winners.

According to the latest data from market analytics firm Dataforce, Chinese brands captured a record 7.4% share of Europe’s passenger car market in September, up 149% year on year.

The surge pushed them past Korean manufacturers for the first time, making Chinese automakers the third-largest group in Europe, behind local and Japanese brands.

Overall, new passenger car registrations in Europe rose 11% from a year earlier to 1,217,123 units. Electrified vehicles continued to drive growth: battery electric vehicles (BEVs) rose over 20%, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) jumped 63%, and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) increased 16%.

Chinese brands gained traction with competitively priced hybrid offerings, lifting their share of the PHEV segment by more than seven percentage points month on month to 20%, while BEV share climbed to 11%.

The UK emerged as the biggest source of growth for Chinese carmakers, accounting for nearly half of their European sales. The market benefited from Britain’s twice-yearly vehicle registration cycle and lower import tariffs—10%, significantly below the European Union’s additional duties on Chinese-made EVs.

Brands such as BYD, MG (owned by SAIC), and Chery recorded sharp increases in the country. BYD’s UK sales surged sixfold from the previous month, while Chery’s Omoda and Jaecoo hybrid SUVs gained rapid traction.

BYD sold 24,875 vehicles in Europe in September, a 397% year-on-year increase, driven by models such as the Seal U DM-i and the Dolphin plug-in hybrid. SAIC’s MG remained ahead with 33,892 units sold, up 76% from a year earlier.

Chery’s Jaecoo and Omoda combined sales totaled 18,462 units, nearly six times higher than a year ago. Geely delivered 7,653 vehicles, up 37%, while Leapmotor emerged as a new dark horse with 3,410 units sold—an almost 80-fold increase year on year.

Benjamin Kibies, an analyst at Dataforce, said the rise of Chinese brands “signals a lasting shift in Europe’s market structure.” He noted that the trend could persist as European carmakers face challenges from production adjustments and cost pressures.

Meanwhile, established European players such as Volkswagen Group, Renault Group, and Stellantis also reported higher September sales, though their growth—mostly around 10%—lagged far behind the pace of Chinese competitors.

Despite the European Union’s recent imposition of extra tariffs on Chinese-made EVs to curb the influx, the measure has so far failed to slow their advance in the market.