EVs dominate Chinese car market with Geely EX2 leading the way
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Looking at EV sales trends in the UK, expect a similar situation here in the not-too-distant future.
GE
George East
10 September 2026 · 3 min read
EVs are dominating the Chinese car market, with 95% of all cars sold in August this year driven by electric-only powertrains.
The Geely EX2 supermini, which recently went on sale in the UK for £20,990, topped the charts with 39,651 vehicles sold. This is no surprise, given it’s the best-selling car in China, where it’s known as the ‘Xingyuan’.
The Leapmotor A10, which is set to be renamed the B03X when it arrives here next year, was second with 30,652 cars sold. The Tesla Model Y was third, while the Fangchengbao Ti7 – known as the BYD Ti7 here – ranked fourth. The Ti7 debuted in the UK at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, and BYD sold 23,471 of them at home last month.
Unlike the other models to make the top 10, the Ti7 is available as either fully electric or a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). Nonetheless, the electric-only powertrain won out, comprising 55% of all units. The BYD Atto 2 was fifth with 22,958 finding new homes, while the Tesla Model 3 was sixth. Next was the Changan Nevo Q05, which is set to hit the UK market as the Changan E06 in early 2027. A total of 17,349 were sold.
In seventh was the Li Auto i6, which will debut at next month’s Paris Motor Show and is expected to arrive here before the end of 2026. The BYD Dolphin, a stalwart for the Chinese automotive giant in the UK, was ninth, and the best-selling Xiaomi SU7 saloon rounded out the top 10. Xiaomi does not yet have a presence on the European market, but plans to introduce the SU7 and its YU7 SUV here in 2027.
When it comes to internal combustion-engined cars, the highest-ranking model was the Toyota Corolla Cross, which sold 14,675 units.
While Chinese manufacturers have yet to gain a similar stronghold among UK EV buyers, tell-tale signs of similar traction are beginning to emerge. The Jaecoo E5 was the fourth best-selling EV in the UK last month, behind only the budget-friendly Vauxhall Frontera and the ever-popular Tesla Model Y and Model 3.
Overall, the Jaecoo 7 PHEV was the second best-selling car behind the Ford Puma, the MG HS was third, while the Jaecoo 5 made it a 2, 3, 4 for Chinese brands in August.
The Chinese automotive steamroller doesn’t stop there. During the first half of this year, BYD sold 37,995 vehicles, a 95% increase over the same period of 2025. Meanwhile, Geely aims to have a portfolio of 10 UK models by 2029, and achieve 100,000 sales the following year. In the final quarter of 2026, Zeekr will also make its UK debut with the highly anticipated 7GT estate, which is aimed at the likes of the Volkswagen ID 7 and the Tesla Model 3.