What is BYD and where is it from? The Chinese battery maker now selling 1 in 26 new UK cars

BYD is a Chinese company from Shenzhen that began as a rechargeable battery maker in the 1990s and now builds electric cars, plug-in hybrids, buses and batteries. In the UK it registered 74,470 new cars from January to October 2026, 3.9% of the market, according to the SMMT.

If you searched for a “dyb car”, you almost certainly meant BYD. The brand’s first car arrived in British showrooms in March 2023, so many drivers are seeing the badge for the first time. This guide explains where the company comes from, who owns it, what it sells here and how it stacks up against Tesla, using published data. EV Compared has not driven these cars.

What does BYD stand for?

BYD stands for Build Your Dreams, according to the company’s own UK launch material. Its Chinese name is 比亚迪, written Biyadi in pinyin. In adverts, in showrooms and on the cars, the brand is simply BYD, said as three letters.

Where is BYD from and when was it founded?

BYD is from Shenzhen in southern China. Wang Chuanfu, who had been running another battery company, founded Shenzhen BYD Industrial in February 1995, according to his BYD biography. BYD’s own company boilerplate dates the business to 1994.

The first products were rechargeable batteries, which is why people still describe BYD as a battery maker first. The car business, BYD Auto, followed in 2003. The group also makes electronics, solar products, energy storage and rail systems, and sells electric buses; BYD has sold electric buses in the UK since 2013, ten years before its cars came here.

Two decisions explain BYD’s shape today. In March 2022 it stopped making petrol-only cars and switched to battery electric cars and plug-in hybrids, Carscoops reported. And because it builds its own cells, including the LFP Blade battery used across its range, it controls more of its own supply chain than a car maker that buys in batteries.

Who owns BYD?

BYD is a public company listed on the Hong Kong and Shenzhen stock exchanges, with founder Wang Chuanfu as chairman. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway bought about 10% of BYD in 2008 and had sold all of it by 30 June 2025, according to a Berkshire filing reported by Fortune.

BYD runs several passenger car brands. In China these include Denza, Fangchengbao and Yangwang alongside the BYD Dynasty and Ocean ranges. BYD UK has said Denza is coming to Britain, and our page on Denza, BYD’s premium brand covers what to expect.

How big is BYD?

BYD sold 2,254,714 battery electric cars worldwide in 2025, up 28%, against Tesla’s 1,636,129 deliveries, Auto Express reported. Counting plug-in hybrids too, BYD sells new energy vehicles in more than 100 countries and regions on six continents, the company says.

Milestone	Year	Source
Wang Chuanfu founds Shenzhen BYD Industrial	1995	BYD
BYD Auto founded	2003	BYD UK
Berkshire Hathaway buys about 10%	2008	Fortune
BYD electric buses on sale in the UK	2013	BYD
Stops making petrol-only cars	March 2022	Carscoops
First UK car, the Atto 3, delivered	March 2023	BYD
UK sales of about 8,700 cars	2024	paultan.org
Outsells Tesla on battery electric cars worldwide	2025	Auto Express
74,470 UK registrations, January to October	2026	SMMT
First European car plant, Szeged, Hungary, due to start	Q4 2026	Just Auto

How fast is BYD growing in the UK?

BYD’s UK registrations have almost doubled this year. The SMMT’s figures give it 74,470 registrations from January to October 2026, up 90.5% from 39,103 in the same months of 2025. Its October share was 4.0%, up from 2.4% a year earlier. That is roughly one new car in every 26 sold in Britain so far this year.

BYD said in October 2025 that the UK had become its biggest market outside China, Auto Express reported. In the first quarter of 2026 it registered 21,337 cars here, and its best seller was not a pure EV but the BYD Seal U DM-i plug-in hybrid. It had 132 UK retail sites at that point, aiming for 150.

None of BYD’s cars in our dataset qualifies for the government’s Electric Car Grant, so a BYD has to win on list price and equipment alone. The government’s possible response to Chinese imports is covered in our guide to proposed UK tariffs on Chinese electric cars.

What BYD cars can you buy in the UK, and what do they cost?

BYD sells seven models in our UK dataset, six fully electric and one plug-in hybrid, from £18,650 to £46,990 in November 2026. The running costs below are EV Compared’s own: efficiency is WLTP miles divided by usable battery, priced at a 6.5p/kWh off-peak home rate and an 82p/kWh public rapid rate, ignoring charging losses (our methodology).

BYD model	Type	Price (Nov 2026)	WLTP range	Usable battery	Max DC	Boot	Home p/mile	Rapid p/mile
Dolphin Surf	Electric	£18,650	137 miles	30 kWh	65 kW	308 L	1.42p	17.96p
Dolphin	Electric	£26,195	211 miles	44.9 kWh	65 kW	345 L	1.38p	17.45p
Atto 2	Electric	£30,850	214 miles	51.1 kWh	82 kW	400 L	1.55p	19.58p
Seal U DM-i	Plug-in hybrid	£33,205	50 miles electric	18.3 kWh	18 kW	425 L	n/a	n/a
Atto 3	Electric	£38,990	316 miles	74.8 kWh	220 kW	490 L	1.54p	19.41p
Seal	Electric	£45,730	354 miles	not published	150 kW	485 L	n/a	n/a
Sealion 7	Electric	£46,990	300 miles	82.5 kWh	150 kW	520 L	1.79p	22.55p

The BYD Dolphin Surf is the car sold in China as the Seagull. It is a small four-seat city car that charges from 10 to 80% in 30 minutes, at £136 of list price per mile of WLTP range. Above it, the BYD Dolphin is a five-seat family hatchback, and the Atto 2 is a compact SUV with a 400-litre boot.

The BYD Atto 3 was BYD’s first UK car. It now has 316 miles of WLTP range and the highest peak charging power of the BYDs listed here, 220 kW, with a 25-minute 10 to 80% time.

At the top, the BYD Seal saloon has the longest WLTP figure in the table, 354 miles. The BYD Sealion 7 is the family SUV, with the biggest boot here at 520 litres.

What does a BYD cost to run? A worked UK example

A BYD Dolphin driven 10,000 miles a year costs about £138 a year to charge on a 6.5p/kWh off-peak home tariff, on EV Compared’s figures. That comes from its 1.38p a mile, which in turn comes from 211 WLTP miles on 44.9 kWh, or 4.70 miles per kWh.

The same 10,000 miles on 82p/kWh public rapid chargers would cost about £1,745, at 17.45p a mile. On the standard price cap rate of 26.32p/kWh, without an off-peak tariff, it is 5.60p a mile, or £560 a year. A full charge of the Dolphin’s battery at home on the off-peak rate costs £2.92.

The gap is the point: a BYD, like any EV, is cheap to run if you charge at home overnight and expensive if you rely on rapid chargers. Home charging set-up and installers are covered on Best Chargers.

Is BYD as good as Tesla?

On published figures, BYD’s cars match Tesla’s for range at similar sizes, while Tesla keeps an edge on rapid charging power and price in the saloon class. The Seal has 354 miles WLTP at £45,730 against 332 miles for the Tesla Model 3 at £37,990, so the Model 3 is £7,740 cheaper and charges at up to 175 kW against the Seal’s 150 kW.

The Atto 3 turns that round: 316 miles at £38,990 against 309 miles for the Tesla Model Y at £44,990, although the Model Y’s 854-litre boot is far larger than the Atto 3’s 490 litres. Neither brand wins outright; the choice comes down to the model, the body style and the money.

Why is BYD falling?

BYD’s sales are falling in China, not overseas. Its domestic sales were down 27.81% from January to October 2026, so total sales were down 2.16% to 3,621,744, according to CnEVPost’s reading of BYD’s monthly filings. Exports rose 93.75% over the same period, and October sales returned to growth, up 10.97% to 490,168.

That shift explains why BYD is pushing so hard in Britain and building its first European car plant in Szeged, Hungary. Executive vice president Stella Li told Reuters that production there would start in the fourth quarter of 2026, about a year later than planned.

Should you go fully electric instead of a BYD plug-in hybrid?

Yes, if most of your driving is local and you can charge at home. The Seal U DM-i plug-in hybrid covers 50 miles on electricity from an 18.3 kWh battery, then runs on petrol. The fully electric Atto 3 costs £5,785 more but covers 316 miles on electricity at 1.54p a mile on an off-peak home tariff, with no petrol at all.

The plug-in hybrid makes more sense for drivers who regularly cover long distances without home charging, or who cannot yet install a charger.

What BYD means for choosing a car

BYD suits buyers who want a lot of range and equipment for the money, charge mainly at home, and are happy with a newer brand that had 132 UK retail sites in early 2026 rather than a long-established dealer network. It suits less well buyers who want the Electric Car Grant, which no BYD in our dataset gets, or who want years of UK ownership history, since BYD has sold cars here only since 2023.

Our verdict, based on published data rather than our own driving: BYD is a large, battery-led car maker whose UK prices and ranges compete with the established brands. Pick the model that fits your mileage and parking, then compare it with grant-eligible rivals before you buy.