Chinese alternatives to the UK’s most popular new car: the Ford Puma
May 22, 2026 by Jamie Edkins
The Ford Puma is the most popular new car in the UK so far this year, but there are lots of affordable Chinese models hitting showrooms with this best-seller in sight. Here are five examples.
The Ford Puma has been the best-selling new car in the UK for quite a while now. It topped the charts in 2025, and it’s currently the most popular car of 2026 as well. It’s a small SUV with a big boot, loads of kit and sweet steering, making it an appealing choice.
However, the Ford is facing more competition than ever thanks to the onslaught of Chinese newcomers. The Jaecoo 7 knocked the Puma off its perch briefly in March, and there are plenty more affordable SUVs from new brands which may tempt buyers away.
Here are five of the best Ford Puma alternatives from Chinese manufacturers for you to consider before parting with your cash.
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1. Jaecoo 7
The Jaecoo 7 has taken the UK by storm. Having only been on sale for around 18 months, it’s already a regular fixture in the top 10 best-selling cars list each month, and it even topped the charts in March.
It costs just over £29,000, which is around the same as a mid-spec Puma with an automatic gearbox. The Jaecoo is bigger, more practical and comes with more standard kit than the Ford, but it’s nowhere near as nice to drive.
2. Chery Tiggo 4
The Chery Tiggo 4 is one of the cheapest hybrid cars you can buy. At just under £20,000, it’s a whopping £7,500 cheaper than a basic Ford Puma. All cars get twin 12.3-inch screens, adaptive cruise control and LED lights
You can also pay an extra £2,000 to get heated seats, front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera. It’s an insane amount of kit for the money. Negatives? The steering is pretty vague and there’s an annoying hump in the boot floor.
3. MG ZS
The MG ZS is mechanically very similar to the excellent MG3, meaning it has a powerful 200hp hybrid engine and lots of standard equipment. It’s also way more spacious in the rear seats than the Ford Puma, but the boot isn’t as big.
That said, the MG’s interior feels slightly posher than the Ford’s, and it’s around £7,000 cheaper to buy. It’s also the only Chinese alternative which is offered with a manual gearbox.
4. Geely Starray
Geely is a pretty new name on UK roads, but it’s kind of been selling cars here for years. It’s the same company which owns Volvo and Lotus, and now it’s making a go of things under its own banner.
The Starray is a plug-in hybrid SUV with a really posh-feeling cabin, over 80 miles of electric range and loads of interior space. It’s a much larger car than the Ford, but it costs about the same as a mid-spec Puma.
5. Leapmotor B10
You can also get the Ford Puma as an electric car called the Gen-E, and if you’re after an EV then you could also consider the Leapmotor B10. At £31,430, it costs around £1,000 more than a top-spec Puma Gen-E, but through Carwow you can save an average of £2,000 on a B10 at the time of writing.
It’s got a plush-feeling cabin, loads of rear seat space and plenty of standard equipment. It also beats the Puma’s 259-mile range, but only by a couple of miles and that’s still pretty underwhelming by modern standards. A Kia EV3 will go up to 375 miles on a charge.
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