Chinese Brands Take Nearly 12% of Europe’s New-Car Market

Chinese car brands reached a record share of Europe’s new-car market in August 2026, accounting for nearly 12% of sales, according to Dataforce figures reported by Bloomberg on 23 September.

Hybrids are doing much of the work. Chinese brands represented about a quarter of all hybrid sales and a third of plug-in hybrid sales, with companies such as BYD gaining ground.

Bloomberg linked the appeal to affordable hybrid models that suit drivers still concerned about charging availability and the range of fully electric vehicles.

The trade backdrop also matters. Chinese hybrid imports do not face the same additional EU duties imposed on battery-electric cars imported from China. That is different from saying they are tariff-free.

The gains vary by market. Chinese brands accounted for more than one in five new cars in the UK, while their share in Germany reached 6.4% in August.

For European manufacturers, the figures underline that competition now extends well beyond fully electric cars.

Source: Bloomberg, via Yahoo Finance, 23 September 2026; Dataforce figures as reported by Bloomberg.

Cover: A BYD Seal U DM-i plug-in hybrid at the Nottingham Motor Show, England, 7 June 2026. File photograph. Photo: Aethonatic / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. Cropped.