BYD hits record 20,129 UK sales in September, second only to VW

BYD registered 20,129 new cars in the UK in September, its highest monthly total yet and 80% more than a year earlier, according to BYD UK. Only Volkswagen sold more. For UK drivers it shows that a Chinese brand with no Electric Car Grant support can now compete for volume with the biggest names, and that its own deals matter to anyone comparing prices.

The record came in a strong plate-change month. The market grew 12.1% to 350,518 cars and battery electric registrations hit a record 99,199, a 28.3% share, the SMMT said. Chinese brands took 23.3% of all sales, which we break down in our analysis of Chinese brands’ record September.

Where does BYD now rank in the UK?

BYD’s own count is 20,129. Industry figures reported by The Car Expert put it at 20,140, up 78.7%, against 25,972 for Volkswagen. BYD gives its market share as 5.76%. On the industry figures, the gap to first place was 5,832 cars (our calculation).

Brand	September 2026 registrations	Note
Volkswagen	25,972	UK’s best-selling brand
BYD	20,140	Up 78.7%; BYD’s own count is 20,129
Kia	18,399	Behind BYD
MG	18,026	Second-biggest Chinese brand
Tesla	15,875	Up 99%

Kia’s total is from Carwow, which also reports that the Jaecoo 7 was September’s best-selling car overall. Tesla’s total is from Electrek and MG’s from GoodCarBadCar. BYD also says the third quarter was its best ever.

Which BYD models drove the record?

The Seal U DM-i plug-in hybrid SUV was again BYD’s best seller. Its biggest pure electric model was the Sealion 7, with 3,191 registrations, third in the September battery electric chart, while the Seal saloon was fourth on 3,184, AM Online reported. Only the Tesla Model 3 (9,929) and Model Y sold more electric cars. BYD has since added a larger plug-in hybrid, covered in our BYD Ti 7 seven-seat UK price report.

BYD also says the Atto 2 sold strongly after its DM-i plug-in hybrid version launched in June. The new Dolphin G DM-i plug-in hybrid supermini went on sale in the UK alongside BYD’s September sales event, Business Motoring reported.

How much of BYD’s volume is plug-in hybrid?

The published figures do not give a full split. The Sealion 7 and Seal together made 6,375 registrations, about a third of BYD’s total (our calculation). The Seal U DM-i outsold each of them and the Atto 2’s strong month followed its hybrid launch, so plug-in hybrids look to have carried a large share. Yet those two electric models alone equal about 6.4% of September’s battery electric market, above BYD’s 5.76% share of the whole market (our calculation). BYD is strong in both camps.

Model	Powertrain	September detail
Seal U DM-i	Plug-in hybrid	BYD’s best seller; from £349 a month in the sales event
Sealion 7	Electric	3,191 registrations, third in the electric car chart
Seal	Electric	3,184 registrations, fourth in the electric car chart
Atto 2	Electric and plug-in hybrid	Strong sales after the DM-i launch in June, BYD says
Dolphin G DM-i	Plug-in hybrid	Launched alongside the September sales event

For prices and trims across the line-up, see our BYD range and prices guide. None of these cars gets the Electric Car Grant.

Did the Electric Car Grant matter?

Not to BYD directly. There are 45 models on the grant list, nine at £3,750 and 36 at £1,500, Free Plate Check reports, and none is a BYD. Chinese-built electric cars, BYD’s among them, have been shut out of the grant, Electric Car Scheme explains. The grant is aimed at electric cars, so BYD’s plug-in hybrids fall outside it in any case.

BYD has filled the gap with its own offers. Its “biggest-ever” sales event ran from 10 to 21 September, with savings of up to £2,500 across its electric and plug-in hybrid range and the Seal U DM-i from £349 a month at 0% APR, Electrek reported.

Where the grant matters most is on cheaper electric cars, where some rivals get up to £3,750 off. Our read: BYD’s record was led by a plug-in hybrid and two larger electric models, so its growth is coming from parts of the market where the grant counts for less.

What does BYD’s push mean for discounts and resale values?

BYD’s record month came during its biggest-ever sales event, with savings of up to £2,500 and 0% finance on offer. Carmakers also have ZEV mandate targets to meet by the end of the year. That pressure, which we cover in our ZEV mandate gap analysis, makes us think EV deals will stay generous to the end of the year.

Resale is the bigger question. Cap HPI’s September data showed used EV and hybrid values rising while plug-in hybrid and diesel values fell, Motor Trade News reported. A brand that can now register more than 20,000 cars in a month, led by a discounted plug-in hybrid, will put many similar cars back on the used market when today’s finance deals end. Our guide to whether electric cars hold their value explains what drives this.

What this means for you

• Negotiate as if the sales event never ended. Savings of up to £2,500 and 0% finance were on offer in September, and the year-end ZEV push gives dealers reason to keep deals going.
• Compare net prices, not list prices. Put a discounted BYD against a grant-eligible rival’s after-grant price, since the grant takes up to £3,750 off some competitors.
• Protect yourself on hybrids. If you choose a Seal U DM-i or Atto 2 DM-i, a PCP with a guaranteed future value shifts the resale risk to the lender while plug-in hybrid values are falling.

Our take: BYD’s record is broad and real, and more competition is good for buyers. We would lean towards its electric models, such as the Sealion 7 and Seal, over its hybrids for anyone who can charge at home, because the used-value trend currently favours EVs. If you cannot charge at home, a DM-i hybrid on a guaranteed-value finance deal is a reasonable middle ground.