Chinese brands features prominently in the best-selling charts in October, some of them from standing starts.
Fast-growing Jaecoo saw sales of 6,089 for the month, up 114% on a year ago while BYD was up 73.3% to 6,065 units.
Leapmotor saw sales surge 107% to 1,773 units for the month. Changan saw sales of 722 in October compared to just 73 a year ago. Chery was up 194% to 3,707 vehicles. Xpeng saw sales of 330 units, double what it sold year on year.
Not all Chinese brands prospered. GWM struggled selling just two cars. Other brands in negative territory for the month included Alfa Romeo (-46%), Tesla (-45%), Ford (-35%), Suzuki (-35%), Polestar -31%) and Mazda (-31%).
The government is looking at imposing tariffs on Chinese EV imports. In October the business secretary Jonathan Reynolds told MPs that the UK’s position had not changed and tariffs remained “under close review”.
Sheena McGuinness, Co-head of Energy and Natural Resources at RSM UK, said: “While the rise in battery electric vehicle (BEV) market share is promising, a policy pull between China and Europe risks putting the brakes on UK transition efforts.
“As policymakers seek closer alignment to European markets through the ‘Made in Europe’ initiative, all eyes are on whether the UK will impose high tariffs on Chinese EVs.
“This could significantly limit the availability of cost-effective Chinese models, meaning UK consumers will need to pay more to go electric. At the same time, remaining open to Chinese investment risks denying the UK access to significant incentives and subsidies available to European markets.
“With manufacturers such as Chery demonstrating clear appetite for greater UK investment, the pressure is on for the government to provide clarity on policy direction. However, a careful balancing act is required to ensure that any decision supports, rather than hampers, EV adoption.
October New Car REgistrations
| MARQUE | 2026 | % change |
| Abarth | 153 | 1,175.0 |
| Changan | 722 | 889.0 |
| Ds | 52 | 271.4 |
| Chery | 3,707 | 193.5 |
| Ineos | 39 | 160.0 |
| Xpeng | 330 | 120.0 |
| Jaecoo | 6,089 | 113.6 |
| Smart | 258 | 111.5 |
| Leapmotor | 1,773 | 107.1 |
| Honda | 1,440 | 89.2 |
| Other Imports | 132 | 85.9 |
| Mg | 7,837 | 85.1 |
| Byd | 6,065 | 73.3 |
| Jeep | 877 | 72.0 |
| Omoda | 3,137 | 49.2 |
| Fiat | 411 | 38.9 |
| Alpine | 323 | 36.3 |
| Seat | 1,752 | 34.6 |
| Mini | 5,269 | 23.5 |
| Genesis | 62 | 14.8 |
| Skoda | 6,832 | 14.5 |
| Mercedes | 6,586 | 14.2 |
| Cupra | 3,763 | 12.8 |
| Maserati | 28 | 7.7 |
| Grand Total | 152,730 | 5.4 |
| Volkswagen | 13,687 | 4.1 |
| Bmw | 8,565 | 0.7 |
| Kia | 7,819 | 0.2 |
| Aion | 385 | 0.0 |
| Denza | 0 | 0.0 |
| Geely | 2,269 | 0.0 |
| Jaguar | 0 | 0.0 |
| Lepas | 656 | 0.0 |
| Mitsubishi | 30 | 0.0 |
| Land Rover | 3,798 | -4.1 |
| Toyota | 6,190 | -8.1 |
| Other British | 214 | -8.2 |
| Nissan | 5,444 | -9.1 |
| Audi | 8,125 | -12.8 |
| Vauxhall | 5,133 | -17.4 |
| Hyundai | 4,833 | -20.2 |
| Citroen | 2,310 | -20.6 |
| Renault | 4,099 | -23.9 |
| Porsche | 1,260 | -25.4 |
| Peugeot | 4,063 | -25.4 |
| Volvo | 4,004 | -26.5 |
| Subaru | 83 | -27.2 |
| Lexus | 791 | -27.2 |
| Dacia | 1,952 | -28.1 |
| Mazda | 1,136 | -30.6 |
| Polestar | 864 | -30.8 |
| Suzuki | 955 | -34.7 |
| Ford | 5,851 | -35.2 |
| Lotus | 79 | -36.3 |
| Kgm | 79 | -44.4 |
| Tesla | 282 | -44.8 |
| Alfa Romeo | 132 | -45.5 |
| Chevrolet | 3 | -72.7 |
| Gwm | 2 | -90.0 |
| Maxus | 0 | -100.0 |
| Skywell | 0 | -100.0 |
Source: SMMT
