Chinese automaker BYD has recorded its strongest quarter in the UK market, selling 9,271 cars in Q1 2025. This figure exceeds the company’s entire 2024 UK sales volume, just two years after introducing passenger vehicles to British consumers in March 2023.
The sales surge has boosted BYD’s UK market share to 1.6%, up from 0.45% in 2024. In March alone, the company captured 1.8% of the market.
Two models drove the company’s Q1 performance: the SEAL U DM-i plug-in hybrid, which topped its segment with 3,975 registrations, and the all-electric SEAL, which ranked seventh in the pure electric category with 2,521 units sold.
“I am incredibly proud of our latest achievement in the UK; thanks to the tireless work of our team and retailer partners we have smashed yet another sales record,” said Steve Beattie, Sales and Marketing Director for BYD UK. “At BYD our mission is to bring high-tech and high-value cars to our customers, and it’s great to see this resonating with UK buyers.”
The company expanded its lineup in March with the all-electric Sealion 7 SUV, which offers up to 312 miles of range. Built on BYD’s e-platform 3.0 and equipped with the company’s Blade Battery technology, the new model aims to help BYD reach more UK consumers.
While BYD’s passenger car business is relatively new to Britain, the company has operated in the UK commercial vehicle market for over a decade. Since introducing its first fully electric buses in 2014, BYD has deployed over 2,500 buses across major British cities. The company has also supplied 1.8GWh of battery energy storage to the UK’s national grid since 2016.
