China's share of European electric car sales accelerates

China's share of the European electric car market has more than doubled in less than two years, as the world's second largest economy tries to take the lead in the transition away from petrol and diesel cars.

- Jasper Jolly

The UK is the largest market in Europe for Chinese electric car brands, accounting for almost a third of sales in 2023, according to data from Schmidt Automotive Research. Sales across Europe are accelerating: Chinese carmakers sold almost the same number of electric cars in Europe in the first seven months of 2023 as they did in the whole of 2022.

Chinese brands have long struggled to break into Europe because of a reputation for lower-quality cars. But some analysts believe the advent of new battery electric technology has wiped the slate clean for Chinese brands - and sales are booming.

The Chinese battery and carmaker BYD, which is backed by the American investor Warren Buffett, is the biggest maker of electric cars worldwide barring the US manufacturer Tesla. The state-owned Chinese company SAIC and the private car conglomerate Geely are also vying with a host of electric-only startups such as Nio and Xpeng for a slice of the growing global market.