Britain's Biggest EV Brand Isn't Tesla, BMW Or Volkswagen
BYD has taken the EV sales crown in the United Kingdom and is seeing huge growth in the country
- BYD has emerged as the biggest EV brand in the United Kingdom.
- Chinese automaker sold 12,754 electric vehicles through April.
- Overall BYD sales are up 124% and beating European competitors.
There's a new electric vehicle king in the United Kingdom and it's not one that you'd expect. Quite the opposite as BYD has taken the podium.
More: BYD Sold 700,000 Electrified Cars Last Quarter And Still Lost More Than Half Its Profit
Citing data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), BYD said they have sold 12,754 EVs through April and that gives them over 7% of the market share. This makes the Chinese firm the "UK's largest electric vehicle brand" and places them ahead of rivals such as BMW, Tesla, and Volkswagen.
BYD went on to note they've also "become the best-selling EV brand among private buyers." This is a notable achievement since the company's vehicles don't qualify for government subsidies. The electric vehicle grant provides discounts of up to £3,750 ($5,079) for certain vehicles including the Ford Puma Gen-E, Nissan Leaf, and Mini Countryman Electric.
The automaker credited its success to a diverse lineup of vehicles that includes everything from the £18,675 ($25,290) Dolphin Surf to the £47,025 ($63,682) Sealion 7. The latter features an 82.5 kWh battery pack that provides a WLTP combined range of 300 miles (483 km), although higher-end variants have more advanced powertrains.
BYD UK's Bono Ge said, "With fuel prices remaining high, more drivers are turning to electric vehicles as a smarter and more economical choice. We are delighted to see the UK EV market grow by 22% year-on-year, and even more proud that BYD has become the UK's leading EV brand in a little over three years."
Year-to-date BYD sales are up 124% to 26,396 units, which puts the brand ahead of a number of European automakers including Citroen (12,142), Cupra (15,171), and Dacia (10,250). The brand is also beating Fiat (2,320), Land Rover (25,313), Mini (18,814), and Renault (23,645) – among others.
UK Sales April 2026
| Brand | Apr-26 | Apr-25 | Diff. % | YTD-26 | YTD-25 | Diff. % |
| VW | 12,884 | 10,474 | 23.0 | 59,878 | 63,630 | -5.9 |
| Kia | 8,922 | 8,320 | 7.2 | 43,538 | 43,383 | 0.4 |
| BMW | 8,700 | 8,086.00 | 7.6 | 42,607 | 43,645 | -2.4 |
| Ford | 8,230 | 7,006.00 | 17.5 | 41,004 | 41,709 | -1.7 |
| Audi | 8,090 | 8,017.00 | 0.9 | 38,133 | 35,823 | 6.5 |
| MG | 7,005 | 3,789 | 84.9 | 30,883 | 28,430 | 8.6 |
| Mercedes | 6,989 | 5,371 | 30.1 | 35,285 | 32,786 | 7.6 |
| Skoda | 6,244 | 5,483 | 13.9 | 30,675 | 28,055 | 9.3 |
| Hyundai | 6,077 | 6,524.00 | -6.9 | 30,278 | 31,410 | -3.6 |
| Vauxhall | 5,889 | 5,162 | 14.1 | 33,729 | 32,533 | 3.7 |
| Peugeot | 5,368 | 5,914 | -9.2 | 30,386 | 34,450 | -11.8 |
| BYD | 5,059 | 2,511.00 | 101.5 | 26,396 | 11,782 | 124.0 |
| Volvo | 4,992 | 4,231 | 18.0 | 24,117 | 23,198 | 4.0 |
| Toyota | 4,981 | 5,301 | -6.0 | 30,389 | 31,445 | -3.4 |
| Renault | 4,801 | 4,369 | 9.9 | 23,645 | 22,062 | 7.2 |
| Mini | 4,774 | 2,512 | 90.1 | 18,814 | 15,561 | 20.9 |
| Nissan | 4,079 | 4,899 | -16.7 | 28,389 | 32,754 | -13.3 |
| Jaecoo | 3,877 | 1,053.00 | 268.2 | 22,789 | 4,288 | 431.5 |
| Land Rover | 3,834 | 3,787 | 1.2 | 25,313 | 24,932 | 1.5 |
| Cupra | 3,372 | 2,205.00 | 52.9 | 15,171 | 12,237 | 24.0 |
| Omoda | 3,275 | 910 | 259.9 | 12,324 | 4,104 | 200.3 |
| Chery | 2,900 | 0.00 | 0.0 | 10,977 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Citroen | 2,558 | 958.00 | 167.0 | 12,142 | 5,347 | 127.1 |
| Dacia | 1,798 | 1,977.00 | -9.1 | 10,250 | 11,238 | -8.8 |
| Geely | 1,649 | 0.00 | 0.0 | 3,244 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Porsche | 1,560 | 1,225 | 27.4 | 6,041 | 6,556 | -7.9 |
| Suzuki | 1,321 | 1,015 | 30.2 | 9,909 | 6,940 | 42.8 |
| Lexus | 1,159 | 1,043 | 11.1 | 5,223 | 5,447 | -4.1 |
| Honda | 1,155 | 1,206.00 | -4.2 | 8,506 | 10,108 | -15.9 |
| Mazda | 1,126 | 1,541 | -26.9 | 11,669 | 12,537 | -6.9 |
| Polestar | 1,076 | 859 | 25.3 | 5,227 | 4,554 | 14.8 |
| Jeep | 838 | 815 | 2.8 | 4,609 | 4,900 | -5.9 |
| Tesla | 831 | 512 | 62.3 | 12,570 | 12,986 | -3.2 |
| Seat | 790 | 1,842 | -57.1 | 5,620 | 8,795 | -36.1 |
| Fiat | 708 | 289.00 | 145.0 | 2,320 | 4,373 | -47.0 |
| Leapmotor | 580 | 108 | 437.0 | 3,676 | 301 | 1,121.3 |
| Alpine | 373 | 57.00 | 554.4 | 1,085 | 99 | 996.0 |
| Changan | 216 | 0.00 | 0.0 | 969 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Alfa Romeo | 210 | 209.00 | 0.5 | 949 | 950 | -0.1 |
| Other British | 201 | 163 | 23.3 | 1,105 | 1,002 | 10.3 |
| Smart | 157 | 70 | 124.3 | 740 | 557 | 32.9 |
| Other Imports | 98 | 125 | -21.6 | 446 | 731 | -39.0 |
| KGM | 93 | 72 | 29.2 | 671 | 585 | 14.7 |
| Xpeng | 88 | 9 | 877.8 | 441 | 45 | 880.0 |
| Genesis | 71 | 41.00 | 73.2 | 363 | 460 | -21.1 |
| Lotus | 64 | 44 | 45.5 | 299 | 688 | -56.5 |
| Subaru | 52 | 91 | -42.9 | 709 | 916 | -22.6 |
| Abarth | 38 | 25.00 | 52.0 | 129 | 159 | -18.9 |
| Maserati | 32 | 12 | 166.7 | 136 | 114 | 19.3 |
| Ineos | 18 | 22.00 | -18.2 | 101 | 77 | 31.2 |
| Gwm | 16 | 38.00 | -57.9 | 125 | 124 | 0.8 |
| DS | 13 | 32.00 | -59.4 | 59 | 230 | -74.4 |
| Chevrolet | 12 | 4.00 | 200.0 | 22 | 31 | -29.0 |
| Skywell | 4 | 2 | 100.0 | 19 | 9 | 111.1 |
| Fisker | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Jaguar | 0 | 0.00 | 0.0 | 7 | 1,725 | -99.6 |
| Maxus | 0 | 1 | -100.0 | 0 | 32 | -100.0 |
| Grand Total | 149,247 | 120,331 | 24.0 | 764,101 | 700,833 | 9.0 |