By JOHN-PAUL FORD ROJAS, DEPUTY BUSINESS EDITOR
Chinese car brands are on course to have sold more than 100,000 vehicles in Britain over the past year as Beijing muscles in on the sector.
Industry figures show brands such as BYD and Jaecoo – hitherto little known in the UK – shifted nearly 95,000 units in the 11 months to November.
December's data is due this week and if they continue at the same pace, sales will surge into six figures for 2025 as a whole.
It will be the latest milestone for the Chinese car industry, amid the shift to electric vehicles (EVs). And it comes days after sales figures from once-dominant US EV maker Tesla confirmed that its sales last year fell behind BYD.
As established car makers in Britain and Europe grapple with the transition away from diesel and petrol, previously unknown brands from China are attracting customers with cheaper products.
Experts fear that, while the rise of the brands may be a boon for buyers, it will raise questions about the future of Britain's carmakers.
Red army: An all-electric supercar made by BYD, a brand hitherto little known in the UK
The Mail on Sunday's analysis of Chinese sales in Britain does not include MG, a historic British name that is made in China and sold more than 75,000 cars from January to November 2025.
Counting only newer brands illustrates how explosive the growth has been. The 94,888 sales for the year to date is more than eight times higher than the 11,412 sold in the same period a year ago.
And it gives the new Chinese brands a market share of more than 5 per cent, up from just 0.6 per cent. BYD shifted 43,740 units over the 11 months and has overtaken Britain's Mini. That is up from 7,433 a year ago.
Omoda has sold 18,051, up from 2,829. Others have powered ahead from a standing start, with Chery selling 3,930 cars and Jaecoo 24,418.
The latter is the brand behind the £30,000 Jaecoo 7, dubbed the 'Temu Range Rover,' which has broken into the UK's 10 best-selling new cars in the last three months.
America and Europe have tried to stem the tide of Chinese cars with steep tariff barriers.
But Britain has not – something critics fear will leave the UK industry exposed.
Professor David Bailey, a motor industry expert at Birmingham Business School, said: 'The speed of market share capture has been remarkable.'
Bailey said Chinese firms can make EVs at an up to 40 per cent lower cost than established Western brands, often saving money by producing key components and batteries in-house rather than outsourcing the work.
The cars are cheaper and a lack of the kind of tariffs imposed by the EU and US means makers are targeting the UK, he added. 'The surge means more competition in electrification,' Bailey said
'If Chinese makers continue to grow market share rapidly, it could squeeze margins further and put pressure on investment, particularly for UK firms trying to retool for EV production.'
That could raise fears for UK manufacturers unless the Government acts to bring down energy costs and encourage more battery making and EV supply chains, Bailey said.