Chinese electric car brands have pushed their share of Western Europe's battery electric vehicle market to a record 14.2%, driven by strong UK demand and a subsidy-fueled surge in Italy. The gains come despite EU tariffs of up to 35.3% on Chinese-made EVs and are adding pressure for tighter trade measures, while Tesla posted its own rebound in the same data.
Chinese electric car brands sold 171,800 vehicles across Western Europe in the first five months of 2026. That lifted their share of the battery electric vehicle market to 14.2% — or one in every seven BEVs sold — according to Schmidt Automotive Research. The reading marks an increase of nearly five percentage points versus the same period in 2025.
That growth persists despite EU tariffs of up to 35.3% on electric cars made by some Chinese manufacturers, on top of the standard 10% import duty. Critics say Chinese carmakers are "dumping" state-subsidized vehicles in the EU and UK to gain market share, and the figures are likely to add impetus to calls for quotas and higher tariffs. Brands including BYD, Chery, SAIC and Xpeng have targeted Europe for exports as the Chinese industry seeks to dominate the global electric vehicle market.
The UK and Italy drive the surge
The UK leads as the largest European market for Chinese EVs because its government has not followed the EU in imposing extra levies. It accounted for a quarter of Chinese BEV sales across the 18 biggest Western European markets. Italy took a fifth of the total, an outcome Matthias Schmidt, founder of Schmidt Automotive Research, called an "anomaly."
Leapmotor pushed thousands of its T03 electric cars into Italy to exploit government purchase subsidies, which at one point brought the price as low as €5,000 — well below even the cheapest rival models. Chinese manufacturers have sold more than 120 different models in Europe this year, compared with about 100 from European brands.
PHEVs open a tariff loophole
Schmidt said China's share of the BEV market may have peaked, partly because manufacturers are shifting focus toward plug-in hybrids, which are not yet subject to EU tariffs. "I think they are hitting a wall when it comes to pure electric models", he said. Automakers will prioritize PHEVs over the next 12 months while that gap remains open, he said, before BEVs take priority again once local EU production comes online.
Tesla rebounds in the same data
The same figures showed Tesla sales rose 60% year-on-year across Europe, helped by demand for cheaper versions of the Model 3 and Model Y. The Model Y was the bestselling individual model across Europe during the period.
Source: Business | The Guardian
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