Europe has a new electric car challenger, but China has just proven why it is undeniably taking over the UK. Take a look around London, and you’ll see Polestar’s popping up everywhere. The Swedish manufacturer has produced four models covering everything from a fastback to an SUV coupe.

Everything looks great, that is until you look at the sales. Just over 9,000 models have left the forecourt so far 2026, a reasonable amount for a new brand, but nothing on the behemoth of China. UK BYD sales now sit at 37,795 for the year, above nearest rival Tesla which sits on 27,677, almost 10,000 more cars.

The Chery group, composed of Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo, is stealing the show with over 70,000 UK sales so far in 2025. Jaecoo alone has over 36,000 sales, astounding. Polestar is Europe’s latest EV disruptor and shares many of the similarities of the Chinese brands that are ripping up the rulebook in 2026. That is except the one thing they can’t beat Beijing on. Price.

Polestar isn’t exactly premium pricey, but it’s not as cheap as China either and that ultimately is making a huge difference. With its cheap labour costs, battery technology and Government subsidies, China can offer models at prices no one else can, and that’s showing in the market.

Even the brand new top-of-the-range Omoda 9 is cheaper, with the plug-in hybrid model starting from just under £45,000. China is cheaper and customers are realising that.

Traditional European car brands could be heading for complete disaster, with data showing that sales have dipped so far this year.

UK sales of Peugeot cars are down 14% on last year, Seat has fallen 28%, BMW is down 4% and Ford have dipped 3%. Is it a coincidence, maybe? But the boost in China’s market share has to come from somewhere.

Customers want comfortable cars at a cheap price. When Chinese brands started offering tech-focussed interiors for a fraction of the cost, there was only going to be one outcome.