BYD South Korea Sales Halve in May as Chinese Brands’ Share Falls to 3.5%

Latest data from the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA) showed that South Korea registered 29,860 imported passenger vehicles in May 2026, up 5.9% year-on-year but down 12.2% from April.

In the first five months of the year, cumulative imported vehicle registrations reached 145,973 units, an increase of 32.3% year-on-year, indicating continued growth in the country’s import vehicle market.

Notably, electrification is accelerating rapidly in South Korea’s imported vehicle segment.

Battery-electric vehicle registrations reached 14,520 units in May, accounting for 48.6% of total imports. Hybrid vehicle registrations totaled 12,071 units, representing 40.4% of the market.

That means electrified vehicles, including BEVs and HEVs, accounted for a combined 89% of imported vehicle registrations, underscoring the rapid shift toward electrification.

In terms of brand rankings, Tesla registered 10,866 vehicles in South Korea in May, retaining its position as the best-selling imported brand. BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi followed in the rankings.

In contrast, Chinese brands, which achieved a historic breakthrough in April, experienced a noticeable pullback in May.

Data showed Chinese brands registered 1,032 vehicles during the month, representing a 3.5% share of the imported vehicle market, behind European-built vehicles (15,511 units), U.S.-built vehicles (11,147 units) and Japanese-built vehicles (2,170 units).

Since BYD currently accounts for the vast majority of Chinese brands tracked by KAIDA, the decline largely reflects BYD’s market performance.

In April, BYD helped Chinese automakers collectively surpass Japanese brands for the first time in South Korea, registering 2,023 vehicles and ranking fourth among imported brands.

However, BYD’s registrations fell to 1,032 units in May, down nearly 50% month-on-month, causing the brand to slip to seventh place in the imported brand rankings.

From a model perspective, the Sealion 7 EV remained BYD’s primary volume driver in South Korea.

The model recorded 655 registrations in May, accounting for more than 60% of BYD’s total sales and ranking fourth among the country’s best-selling imported vehicle models.

In addition to the Sealion 7, BYD currently offers the Atto 3, Seal and Dolphin in South Korea, and plans to introduce two additional DM-i plug-in hybrid models later this year.

Under its current plan, BYD aims to sell 10,000 vehicles in South Korea in 2026, representing growth of roughly 64% from its 2025 sales volume of 6,107 units.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s domestic market remains dominated by Hyundai and Kia. Hyundai sold 45,364 vehicles in its home market in May, while Kia followed closely with 44,713 units.