01. BYD’s sales in the UK have been stable and improved
It is said that “if you don’t go overseas, you will be out of the game”. More and more domestic car brands are no longer satisfied with their development in China and are determined to bring price wars to overseas markets.
As a leader in the field of new energy vehicles in China, BYD has long been expanding its territory in overseas markets and has established a considerable presence. The latest UK auto market research data released by the research institution New AutoMotive shows that BYD’s car sales in the UK market continued to grow in the first half of this year, and its competitiveness is very strong.
Specifically, New AutoMotive statistics show that the number of new car registrations in the UK in June increased by 12.8% year-on-year to 187,655, of which electric vehicle sales increased by 45.5%.
Looking at the electric vehicle category alone, Tesla is still the leader in the UK’s new energy vehicle field. In June 2025, the US automaker’s total new car sales in the UK reached 7,891, compared with 7,019 in the same period last year, a year-on-year increase of 12%. One of the main reasons for the increase is that Tesla began delivering its upgraded Model Y last month.
However, despite the excellent performance in June, Tesla’s new car sales in the UK have still declined by nearly 2% so far this year. In contrast, the performance of Chinese auto brand BYD has been soaring.
According to New AutoMotive data, BYD’s new car sales in the UK reached 2,498 units in June this year, nearly four times the same period last year. Including the performance in June, BYD’s sales in the UK in the first half of this year also increased nearly four times year-on-year, showing rapid progress.
It is worth mentioning that on June 12 this year, BYD released a new model “Dolphin Surf” in Europe, with a starting price of only 18,650 pounds (about 25,000 US dollars), which is one of the cheapest electric cars in the UK market. Many people believe that this wave of powerful price wars is one of the important reasons for BYD’s sales growth in June.
02. Chinese cars go overseas
BYD’s global growth rate is fast enough to attract the attention of the entire automotive industry.
In April 2025, BYD’s European sales surpassed Tesla for the first time; at the same time, the giant also replaced Toyota in the Singapore market and topped the car sales list in the market.
The following month, BYD achieved another success in the Japanese market, not only breaking the record for license plate volume in Japan, but also ranking among the top ten Japanese imported car brands for the first time. It is worth noting that in May 2025, BYD’s monthly sales in the four major markets in Southeast Asia – Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia – also surpassed Tesla, showing strong market competitiveness.
While the global market is blooming in many places, BYD’s car sales are also rising steadily.
Public data shows that BYD’s new energy vehicle sales in June reached 382,585 units, an increase of 11.98% compared with the same period last year, setting a record for BYD’s highest monthly sales since 2025. In the first half of 2025, BYD Group has sold a total of 2,145,954 passenger cars and pickup trucks.
By market, BYD’s overseas sales of passenger cars and pickup trucks were 89,699 units last month, up 229.8% year-on-year; in the first half of this year, BYD Auto’s overseas cumulative sales exceeded 470,000 units.
According to the forecast of JPMorgan Chase, a US bank, BYD’s global sales in 2026 will reach 6 million units, of which overseas sales account for about a quarter, that is, exports will reach 1.5 million units.
If JPMorgan Chase’s forecast data is true, then according to the ranking of the world’s top ten automakers in 2023, the annual sales of 6 million units will be enough for BYD to enter the top three in the world, second only to Toyota and Volkswagen, reaching a new milestone for domestically produced cars going overseas.
In fact, BYD’s overseas breakthrough is by no means accidental, but a microcosm of the comprehensive rise of China’s auto industry.
On the one hand, with years of continuous R&D investment, Chinese auto companies have achieved global leadership in key technologies such as new energy batteries and intelligent driving; on the other hand, China’s auto industry has the world’s most complete and efficient supply chain system, which can achieve unparalleled scale effects and cost control capabilities.
With multiple advantages, China’s automobile industry is booming, surpassing Japan for two consecutive years and becoming the world’s largest automobile exporter. Under this wave, from BYD to Geely, from Weilai to Great Wall, more and more Chinese brands are shining on the international stage.
Taking Xiaopeng Motors as an example, data shows that from January to May 2025, Xiaopeng Motors’ sales in 18 countries overseas exceeded 12,000 vehicles, an increase of 333% year-on-year. At the same time, Xiaopeng Motors also ranks first in sales of new forces in 9 countries including Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Portugal, Belgium, Singapore and Israel.
In short, BYD’s rapid development is not only a success of an enterprise, but also a model for the transformation and upgrading of China’s manufacturing industry. From technological breakthroughs to industrial chain advantages, from a single brand going overseas to the collective rise of the entire industry, China’s automobile industry is rewriting the global market pattern.
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