British firms working with the UK’s military and intelligence services are urging employees not to connect their mobile phones to Chinese-made electric vehicles, The i Paper reported on Monday.
In March alone, more than 25,000 new Chinese vehicles were sold in the UK, with BYD, MG, and Polestar among the top-performing Chinese brands in the market.
According to the report, executives at two of the nation’s leading defence giants said the entire sector is taking a “cautious” and “belt and braces” approach to the possibility of the Chinese state spying on staff via the country’s electric vehicles (EVs).
MG, a brand acquired by the Chinese SAIC Group back in the late 2000’s, sold nearly 16,000 vehicles in the UK last month, including petrol, fully electric and hybrid models.
Precautionary steps being taken include avoiding parking in production plant car parks, refraining from discussing work inside the vehicle, and not connecting mobile phones via Bluetooth or charging cable.
In late March, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said there were no centrally mandated restrictions on the movement of Chinese-manufactured EVs onto military barracks or training areas, despite growing concerns over potential security risks.
The security clampdown within the UK’s highly secretive defence sector follows revelations from The i Paper that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has banned cars relying on Chinese technology from sensitive military sites across the country.
In some cases, the MoD has asked staff to park their EVs “at least two miles from their workplace,” according to the report.
The report says BAE Systems, Rolls Royce, and Raytheon, as well as US defence giant Lockheed Martin and French defence and cyber security firm Thales, are among those firms that have taken precautions against the potential for Chinese EVs to spy on their staff.
Chinese carmakers currently selling in the UK include BYD, MG, Ora, Geely, XPeng, Volvo, and Polestar.
XPeng sold 36 electric vehicles in the market last month following the brand’s entrance in mid-February. The Chinese EV maker began UK deliveries with its first-generation G6 SUV, priced from £39,990 ($53,200).
A spokesperson for XPeng told The i Paper that the company “takes its customers and their data protection seriously.”
“XPeng is fully compliant with UK and EU rules and regulations and is committed to continuously adhering to and complying with the applicable UK and EU privacy laws and regulations,” the spokesperson added. “To demonstrate our privacy compliance in the UK and EU, we have two globally recognised privacy information management certificates.”
In March, MG registered 15,876 units, a 22.75% growth. The SAIC Motor-backed brand sold 24,641 cars in the first three months of the year, an increase of 6.5%.
BYD hit a new milestone in the UK, selling nearly 6,500 vehicles in March — a staggering year-on-year growth of over 750%. This strong performance pushed its total sales for the first quarter to 9,271 vehicles, representing a 625% surge compared to the first three months of 2024.
Polestar, backed by the Chinese Geely Group, also set a new UK sales record in March with 2,434 vehicles registered — a 203.1% increase year over year. The EV manufacturer wrapped up the quarter with 3,695 vehicles sold, up 184.7% from the same period last year.
Tesla delivered 7,164 vehicles in the UK in March, a 2.4% increase from a year earlier. While the U.S. automaker is facing a steep sales slowdown in Europe, it continues to grow in the UK, with first-quarter deliveries rising 6% year-over-year.
