Chinese electric vehicle makers reached a record 14.2% market share across western Europe in the first five months of 2026, with 171,800 units sold — a rise of nearly five percentage points from the same period last year. The UK remains the largest single market, while Italy drove a fifth of sales as Leapmotor shipped thousands of its €5,000 T03 model to capitalise on purchase subsidies. Chinese manufacturers now offer more than 120 models in Europe, outpacing the roughly 100 from European brands.
Growth is also accelerating in Germany, where Chinese brands accounted for 3.8% of new registrations in the first half of 2026, up from 2.2% a year earlier. In Denmark, registrations of Chinese-owned brands rose to 14,816 from January to July, lifting market share to 12.8%. Brands including Xpeng, BYD and Chery are investing in European production.
Despite EU tariffs of up to 35.3% on some Chinese EVs, Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume has urged the bloc to extend duties to plug-in hybrids. Tesla sales, meanwhile, rose 60% year-on-year, led by the Model Y.