You might not be able to name any Chinese car brands at the moment, but you should get used to seeing them on UK roads because they're here to stay.
Years of development and massive economies of scale mean Chinese cars are often far more affordable than models from the rest of the world. Look at the amazing value for money MG cars offer, for example.
After explosive growth in their home market, Chinese car companies are now expanding to the rest of the world. Here are 12 Chinese car brands you can expect to see on UK roads in the next few years.
BYD
BYD is an enormous carmaker and battery manufacturer that's already started to open dealerships in the UK. The acronym, somewhat awkwardly, stands for 'Build Your Dreams', although the company has confirmed it'll take off its slogan on the bootlid to better match European tastes.
In China, BYD makes a wide range of cars, buses and trucks but, in the UK, its product range is pegged at five cars. First up is the Atto 3 small electric SUV – noteworthy for its unique 'guitar string' door pockets and funky rotating centre screen. The BYD Seal saloon is aiming to challenge the Tesla Model 3, while the BYD Dolphin is an affordable small-ish hatchback. Topping the range is the new Sealion 7, a larger electric SUV, while there’s also the Seal U DM-i – a plug-in hybrid midsize SUV.
Ora
Another Chinese brand that's already begun selling models in the UK is Ora – a sub-brand of GWM, or Great Wall Motor.
The Ora lineup is spearheaded by the 03, formerly called the Funky Cat. This quirky electric hatchback immediately stuns with an interior packed with '50s styling details including neat chrome trim and plush leather upholstery. It's an eye-catcher on the outside, too, with refreshingly cute styling that seems to borrow from the likes of the Mini Hatchback and the Porsche 911.
A Porsche Panamera-aping 07 saloon – another potential rival to the Tesla Model 3 – is coming soon.
Omoda
Omoda is a new name on UK shores but it already has a large dealer network. The Omoda brand is part of Chery, another huge Chinese carmaker with decades of manufacturing experience.
The first model on sale is the Omoda 5 which, at 4.4 metres long, is roughly the same size as a Nissan Qashqai – but considerably cheaper. There’s a petrol version with an eye-catching grille, or an E5 electric offering with a clean, blank front end and around 250 miles of range.
Jaecoo
Another Chery sub-brand, Jaecoo shares dealership space with Omoda and sells its bluff-looking 7 SUV. The Jaecoo 7 and Omoda 5 share plenty of parts, but the Jaecoo is designed to be a bit more luxurious and off-roady.
You can therefore assume that the Jaecoo has its eyes set on Range Rover models, but the prices are closer to a Nissan Qashqai or Vauxhall Grandland. And the Jaecoo has more warranty than both, matching Kia’s seven-year/100,000-mile period of cover.
Haval
Haval is another GWM sub-brand, and will be sold alongside Ora models in GWM dealerships. Its first UK release is the Haval Jolion Pro, a hybrid SUV that is set to start from a supermini-rivalling £24,000.
Read more about the Haval Jolion Pro here.
Leapmotor
Leapmotor is a joint venture with Stellantis – the empire that includes Peugeot, Vauxhall, Fiat and others. That should bode well for the start-up that first sold a car in 2019. Over here, Leapmotor is offering two electric cars: the C10, a generic-looking SUV that is priced in line with well-known European rivals, and the T03, which is a bit more interesting. The T03 (not toe) is a city car with a 165-mile range and a cheap £16,000 starting price.
Skywell
Skywell (known as Skyworth in its home market) is a new addition to the UK, leading with its BE11 electric SUV. Prices are high, reviews are poor at best and the styling is forgettable. There are more models coming, apparently – a hatchback, saloon and van – so time will tell if Skywell gets a hold in the UK market.
Maxus
Maxus is part of SAIC, the company that owns MG. It mainly sells commercial vehicles in the UK, including vans and pickups – the Maxus T90 was the UK’s first electric pickup. But Maxus also does a mean line in swish people carriers, and it sells the Mifa 9 EV in the UK. You get 10 points if you ever see one on the road – we haven’t yet.
Seres
Another generic-looking compact electric SUV, the Seres 3 is brought to the UK by Innovation Automotive, who also import Skywells. Prices start from £30,000, which gets you keyless entry, a reversing camera and a 10.25-inch touchscreen, while spending two grand more gets you a panoramic sunroof and heated seats. The 54kWh battery enables a decidedly average 205-mile range.
Seres currently has two UK dealerships, so you’re good as long as you live in Berkshire or Norwich.
Nio
Where BYD and GWM have decades of manufacturing experience, Nio is an electric-vehicle startup following a similar path to Tesla. The first car to arrive in the UK will be the Model-3-rivalling ET5 saloon as well as the ET5 Touring estate. These could be followed by the ES8 large SUV, the luxurious ET7 saloon and the EL7 SUV.
Nio's unique selling point is its battery-swapping technology. This lets owners drive their Nio into a small garage, where an automated machine detaches the old battery pack from under the car and replaces it with a refreshed one. This completely eliminates recharging and makes tackling long drives as easy as a fuel-powered car. Nio is aiming to launch in the UK once it builds out its battery-swapping infrastructure – it's already selling cars in some other European countries.
XPeng
XPeng (pronounced chow-pung) is another Chinese EV startup, hoping to shake up a market dominated by established brands. It already sells cars in Europe and is planning to launch in the UK imminently. Its most recent models, built on its SEPA 2.0 platform, use an 800V electrical architecture like some recent Hyundai EVs to achieve rapid recharging.
The XPeng G6 SUV is expected to be the first model launched on our shores. This swoopy electric SUV looks like the offspring of a Porsche and a Mazda, and promises a competitive price point and range performance. XPeng could follow this up with several different models including the G3 small SUV, the P5 mid-size saloon and the G9 large SUV.
IM
IM is positioned as the posh arm of MG, and its acronym stands for Intelligent Mobility. We don’t have too much info on the IM L6 saloon yet, besides that it’ll apparently do 0-62mph in under three seconds and can charge at 300kW, but it’s due to launch in 2025.
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