Chinese brands dominated the fastest growing new brands in August led by Chery which from a standing start in August last year when it sold 13 cars surged to 2,380 in August 2026,
Just published SMMT data saw Leapmotor registrations increase 550% to 965 units for the month while Xpeng – which has just announced it is moving away from independent distribution to bring sales in house – saw sales rise 216% to 174 units for the month.
Jaecoo, which has made huge inroads since its launch in the UK, saw sales accelerate 194% to 4,022 units while BYD saw sales up 120% to 3,867.
BYD saw sales increase 119.8% to 3,867 for the month whole Omoda waws up 104.2% to 2,216.
MG, which is owned by SAIC also turned in a strong performance for the month up 93.5% in August.
Research conducted by Carwow published in August found that 49% of UK drivers are open to considering a Chinese brand for their next car.
This represents a 40% uplift since January, which saw consideration at 35%, and a significant rise from 29% in summer 2022.
| August | % Change | ||||
| MARQUE | 2026 | % Market share | 2025 | % Market share | |
| Chery | 2,380 | 2.53 | 13 | 0.02 | 18,207.69 |
| Abarth | 52 | 0.06 | 8 | 0.01 | 550.00 |
| Leapmotor | 965 | 1.02 | 258 | 0.31 | 274.03 |
| Xpeng | 174 | 0.18 | 55 | 0.07 | 216.36 |
| Smart | 113 | 0.12 | 37 | 0.04 | 205.41 |
| Jaecoo | 4,022 | 4.27 | 1,367 | 1.65 | 194.22 |
| Lotus | 68 | 0.07 | 26 | 0.03 | 161.54 |
| Ds | 18 | 0.02 | 7 | 0.01 | 157.14 |
| Genesis | 41 | 0.04 | 16 | 0.02 | 156.25 |
| Byd | 3,867 | 4.10 | 1,759 | 2.12 | 119.84 |
| Mazda | 1,348 | 1.43 | 620 | 0.75 | 117.42 |
| Omoda | 2,216 | 2.35 | 1,085 | 1.31 | 104.24 |
| Mg | 4,960 | 5.26 | 2,563 | 3.09 | 93.52 |
