October 5, 2026
On October 5, Britain and Germany reported September, and the two markets looked very different on one line. SMMT counted 350,536 new cars in Britain, up 12.0% and the strongest September since 2017, and Chinese brands took 81,776 of them, more than double their 38,934 of September 2025. The KBA counted 256,774 in Germany, up 9.0%, and the same group of brands took 15,784.
BYD registered 20,140 cars in Britain in September, up 78.7%, and finished second among all marques behind Volkswagen (25,972), ahead of Kia (18,399), MG (18,026) and Audi (16,722). A year earlier BYD ranked 15th on 11,271. Through nine months it ranks 11th on 68,405, so its September position came in the plate-change month, which SMMT says carries around one in seven of the year’s registrations.
Jaecoo 7 was Britain’s best-selling model in September with 10,814 registrations, ahead of the Tesla Model 3 (9,929) and the Ford Puma (6,958). Chery’s four British brands, Chery, Jaecoo, Omoda and Lepas, registered 32,830 cars between them, more than the Volkswagen brand. Through September the Jaecoo 7 (39,474) trails only the Puma (42,926).
Ford moved the other way, from fifth among British marques in September 2025 to 14th, on 11,917 registrations, down 27.3%.
| September 2026 | United Kingdom | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| New car registrations | 350,536 | 256,774 |
| vs September 2025 | +12.0% | +9.0% |
| Battery-electric share | 28.3% | 34.5% |
| Chinese brands | 81,776 | 15,784 |
| Chinese-brand share | 23.3% | 6.1% |
| Chinese-brand share, Jan-Sep 2026 | 17.5% | 4.5% |
| Tesla | 15,875 (+98.6%) | 12,552 (+268.7%) |
| Jan-Sep 2026 registrations | 1,739,271 (+10.2%) | 2,221,798 (+5.3%) |
Sources: SMMT and KBA, October 5, 2026. Chinese brands are brands launched by Chinese carmakers, summed from each release’s marque rows: in the UK Aion, BYD, Changan, Chery, Denza, Geely, GWM, Jaecoo, Leapmotor, Lepas, Maxus, MG, Omoda, Skywell and Xpeng; in Germany BYD, Deepal, Dongfeng, Geely, GWM, JAC, Jaecoo, Leapmotor, Lynk & Co, Maxus, MG Roewe, NIO, Omoda, Xpeng and Zeekr. Volvo, Polestar, Smart and Lotus, which Geely owns or co-owns but which began as European brands, are excluded; Leapmotor’s European cars are sold through Leapmotor International, 51% owned by Stellantis.
Germany went electric with other brands
88,599 battery-electric cars were registered in Germany in September, 34.5% of the market and up 94.7%, more than petrol (44,632) and diesel (23,058) cars combined. BYD was the largest Chinese brand there at 6,040, up 85.6% for a 2.4% share, followed by MG Roewe (4,206), Leapmotor (2,652) and Xpeng (1,250, up 418.7%). Volkswagen stayed the largest brand at 42,461 and 16.5%, down 6.1%.
28.3% of Britain’s September went battery-electric, 99,201 cars, which SMMT calls a record volume, while plug-in hybrids rose 55.5% to 59,571 and a record 17.0% share. Germany’s battery-electric share was 6.2 points higher.
Tesla up 99% in Britain and 269% in Germany
Tesla registered 15,875 cars in Britain in September, up 98.6% and sixth among marques, and the Model 3 was the country’s second-best-selling car. In Germany, Tesla’s 12,552 registrations were up 268.7%, the largest percentage gain of any brand with more than 4,000 registrations in KBA’s table, for a 4.9% share. Germany’s nine-month total for Tesla stands at 44,810, up 201.9%; the Tesla Europe sales page carries the longer history.
Britain’s mandate gap
26.2% is Britain’s battery-electric share for the first nine months, against the ZEV mandate’s 33% requirement for 2026 and the 28% that applied in 2025. SMMT estimates that reaching 33% in a 2.183-million-car year would take another 265,000 battery-electric registrations in the fourth quarter alone. The gap is the same one Britain showed after its July record, and the government’s consultation on the mandate closes on October 23.
The base matters
10.7% was the Chinese-brand share of the EU for May reported in July, from Dataforce’s count across every Chinese-owned brand. The UK and Germany figures here are sums of national marque rows on a narrower list, so they compare with each other and not directly with that EU estimate.
Next dates
October 22 is when ACEA publishes September registrations for the EU, EFTA and UK. October 23 is when Britain’s ZEV mandate consultation closes.
FAQ
How many cars from Chinese brands were registered in the UK in September 2026?
81,776, or 23.3% of 350,536 new cars, counting fifteen Chinese brands including BYD (20,140), MG (18,026), Jaecoo (15,057) and Omoda (7,241). In September 2025 the same brands took 12.4%.
What was the best-selling car in the UK in September 2026?
The Jaecoo 7, with 10,814 registrations, ahead of the Tesla Model 3 (9,929) and the Ford Puma (6,958), according to SMMT.
What share of new cars in Germany were electric in September 2026?
34.5%. KBA counted 88,599 battery-electric cars among 256,774 registrations, up 94.7% from September 2025.
