BYD sales reached a new record in the United Kingdom with nearly 6,500 vehicles sold in March. Figures represent a new record since the Shenzhen-based carmaker arrived in the UK two years ago and a year-on-year jump of more than 750%, industry data released earlier this Friday showed.
March result sent first-quarter sales to 9,271 vehicles, a 625% growth from the first three months of 2024.
BYD announced the launch of its Atto 2 in Europe in February. The model, which the brand is calling its “most accessible SUV”, is set to arrive in the UK in the summer.
Currently, BYD‘s portfolio in the UK includes the fully electric Atto 3 and Sealion SUVs, the compact Dolphin, and the Seal sedan. The hybrid Seal U DM-i is also available, starting at £33,200, equivalent to $43,200.
Competitors
Tesla sold 7,164 vehicles in March, up 2.42% from the same period last year. While the US company’s sales are declining all over Europe, the brand is still growing in the UK, with the first quarter’s results showing a 6% increase year over year.
Geely-backed company Polestar registered 2,434 vehicles, setting a new record in the UK — and up 203.11% year over year. The EV maker finished the first quarter with 3,695 vehicles sold, a 184,67% increase.
MG registered 15,876 units last month, a 22.75% growth. In the first three months, the brand controlled by Chinese SAIC Motor sold 24,641 cars, up 6.5%. Chinese competitor XPeng launched in the UK in February and sold 36 EVs in its first month.
European Expansion
In Germany, BYD‘s March sales jumped over 400% year over year to 805 units, nearly doubling its previous record of 431 set last November. In the first quarter of 2025, it sold 1,225 vehicles in the country — a 211.7% increase from a year earlier.
The company entered the German market in late 2022, and its new Atto 2 began selling there last month, starting at €31,990 ($35,400).
The Chinese automaker sold 270 vehicles in the Netherlands in March, a 58% increase from the same month in 2024. Of those, 171 were the Seal U SUV — equal to BYD’s total sales across all models during the same period last year. Prices for the SUV start at €45,690 ($50,400).
The Chinese automaker is expanding in Europe, with construction underway on its first factory in the region, which makes BYD the first Chinese car brand to build its vehicles in Europe, sidestepping EU tariffs on imported Chinese EVs.
However, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced this Thursday that both parties have agreed to swiftly restart talks surrounding tariffs on Chinese and European companies.
BYD also intends to begin vehicle production in Turkey in 2026. The brand now operates more than 250 retail outlets across 20 European countries. This week, the brand announced its entry into Switzerland.
Global Results
Earlier this week, BYD reported a 25% year-over-year increase in vehicle sales for March, totaling 377,420 units — with 72,407 sold internationally. In the first quarter of 2025, the company delivered 986,098 vehicles, over 400,000 of which were fully electric.
The brand has set a goal of selling 5.5 million vehicles in 2025, including 800,000 units outside of China. To meet this target, it still needs to sell 4.5 million more vehicles, with at least 727,000 of those being overseas sales.
EV Adoption
In March, 69,313 fully electric vehicles (BEVs) were registered in the UK, representing 19.5% of the market—a 27.63% increase compared to the same month last year.
BEVs now make up nearly 20% of the UK car market. Hybrid vehicles account for 15.7%, while traditional combustion engine cars still still dominate with a 49.5% share.
During the first quarter of the year, BEVs represented 20.7% of total car sales. Altogether, new energy vehicles—including both hybrids and fully electric—captured a 44% share of the UK market.
