Car sales rise in July across Europe, with Chinese brands hitting record levels

According to preliminary estimates from Dataforce, published in Automotive News Europe, the market for new car sales in Europe recorded a 4 per cent increase by the end of July. This figure contributed to a 5.7 per cent increase from January to July, based on registrations in the EU, the UK, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Chinese brands also achieved a record market share of 11.2% in July. Their sales rose by 107% overall, with BYD in first place, followed by Chery and SAIC. Furthermore, sales of electric vehicles recorded a 51 per cent increase, reaching a market share of 25 per cent – 37 per cent higher than at the start of the year.

The growth in electric vehicles has come at the expense of those running on other fuels. Sales of plug-in hybrids rose by 15 per cent, but this figure is lower than the 24 per cent growth recorded in the previous year. Sales of hybrid vehicles grew by 9 per cent, which is lower than the annual growth rate of 14 per cent. Among Chinese manufacturers, Leapmotor – a brand affiliated with the Stellantis group – saw its sales volume rise by 294 per cent to 9,306 units. Xpeng continues its record-breaking year with a 270 per cent increase to 5,244 sales. Chery, which comprises the Omoda, Jaecoo and Chery brands, recorded a 202 per cent increase, whilst BYD, including its premium brand Denza, saw a 150 per cent rise.

SAIC’s sales rose by 22 per cent, placing it 15th amongst the fastest-growing manufacturers. Geely Group ranked 16th with a 21 per cent increase. The only other manufacturer with significant sales volumes to outperform the market average was Mercedes, with an increase of 4.7 per cent. Other carmakers that recorded increases during the month, whilst losing market share, were Toyota (+2.3 per cent), Stellantis (+2.0 per cent) and the BMW Group (+1.7 per cent). Tesla’s performance remains mixed, albeit with sales down by 36 per cent. Other manufacturers that struggled in July were Ford (-16 per cent), Hyundai-Kia (-8.5 per cent), Nissan (-5.8 per cent) and the VW Group (-3 per cent).

Among the brands that recorded exceptional results, the Chinese brand Changan stands out, having risen from seven sales in July 2025 to 1,249 in 2026. Chery, with 5,868 sales compared with 107 in July 2025, and Geely, with 4,508 sales compared with 168 in July 2025. Among the established brands, Fiat’s sales rose by 25 per cent, Citroën’s by 16 per cent and Renault’s by 11 per cent. Fiat and Citroën benefited from increased production of affordable models based on the Smart Car platform from their parent company, Stellantis, whilst Renault’s small electric vehicles – the new Twingo and the 4 and 5 E-Tech models – were the main drivers of growth. The Twingo ranked twelfth among the best-selling electric vehicles, with 4,831 units sold, just behind the Tesla Model Y, whilst the Renault 5 E-Tech came third among electric vehicles, with a 49 per cent increase. The Dacia Sandero was the best-selling model overall, ahead of the VW Golf and T-Roc. The Mercedes GLC entered the top 10 in seventh place with a 45 per cent increase.