With over 7% market share, BYD is now the best-selling EV brand in the UK in 2026, overtaking Tesla, Kia and Volkswagen to take the top spot. And it’s not just the UK, BYD is outpacing the competition in many overseas markets.
BYD becomes best-selling EV brand in overseas markets
BYD sold 321,123 new energy vehicles (NEVs), including battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), in April.
EV sales fell 23% to 156,944, while PHEV sales fell 28% to 157,156. Although overall NEV sales declined 26% from last April, marking BYD’s eighth consecutive month with lower sales than last year, overseas sales reached a new record.
BYD’s NEV exports in April rose 70% year on year to 135,098. This exceeds the previous record of 120,083 set in March 2026. During the first four months of 2026, the company sold 456,263 vehicles overseas.
In major foreign markets, Like in the UK, BYD is now the top 20 selling EV brand of all time26. According to the latest SMMT registration data, the Chinese automaker sold 12,754 electric cars during April with a market share of over 7%.
“With fuel prices remaining high, more drivers are turning to electric vehicles as a smarter and more affordable option,” said Bono Ge, country manager of BYD UK.
GE said the company was pleased to see 22% year-on-year growth in the UK EV market, adding that it was “even more proud that BYD has become the UK’s leading EV brand in just over three years.”
BYD currently sells five EVs in the UK: the Dolphin Surf, the Dolphin, the Eto 3, the Seal and the Eto 7, with the Eto 2 set to go on sale soon. It also sells three DM-i PHEVs: the Sealion U, Sealion 6, and Sealion 5.
And it is not just in the UK that the company is emerging as the most popular EV manufacturer. BYD was also the best-selling EV brand in Australia, Brazil and several other overseas markets in April.
In Australia, BYD’s Sealion 7 was the best-selling EV with 1,780 deliveries last month, followed by the Geely EX5, Zeekr 7X, Tesla Model Y and the Kia EV5.
BYD last month became the first Chinese brand to lead overall vehicle sales in Brazil, overtaking Volkswagen, General Motors and Hyundai. The company sold 14,911 vehicles in April, about 80 more than Volkswagen.
This feat is impressive, considering that BYD launched its first passenger vehicle in Brazil in 2021. Volkswagen has been assembling vehicles in the country since the 50s.
With plans to increase overseas production and introduce new technology such as its 5-minute flash charging, BYD said it aims to unlock the full value of electrification by providing affordable, high-tech EVs.
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