Who are these Chinese car brands?

Chinese car companies have well and truly arrived in the UK. Well over a dozen Chinese brands sell vehicles on our shores, and while many are still relative bit players, others are enjoying considerable success, even making it into the best-seller charts.

For the most part, Chinese cars offer an attractive package in times where the cost of living is rapidly increasing. They tend to cost less than European, Japanese or Korean alternatives, but come loaded with standard equipment. Chinese brands are really hot on EVs and plug-in hybrids, too, and many companies have entered the UK without a single pure petrol or diesel model in their lineup.

But the endless number of brands can be confusing – just like European car companies, Chinese car firms are often owned and operated by overarching companies, meaning they’re more similar than you might expect. Below you’ll find a rundown – the who’s who of the Chinese motor industry in the UK – so you know exactly who’s turning the cogs behind the scenes at each brand.

Remember, you can buy a brand new or used car right here on Carwow. And you can sell your car, too. We’re here to help you through every step of your car-changing journey.

Chery Group

Chery Automobile is one of China’s largest producers, and it sells cars in the UK under four separate sub-brands.

Chery

The Chery group does sell cars under its own name. Currently on offer are the Tiggo 7, Tiggo 8 and Tiggo 9, and they’re intended to be practical and family-friendly with a premium edge. The Tiggo 8 is so good we named it Carwow’s Car of the Year for 2026.

Omoda

Omoda is the ‘stylish’ arm of Chery in the UK. The Omoda 5, Omoda 7 and Omoda 9 have a distinctive, sharp-edged look and plush interiors.

Jaecoo

A more rugged, outward-bound look marks out Jaecoo cars. The Jaecoo 5 and Jaecoo 7 have both proved very popular, with the Jaecoo 7 actually becoming one of 2025’s best-selling cars towards the end of the year.

Lepas

Lepas will be the ‘luxury’ arm of Chery when it launches in the UK later in 2026. Expect their cars to be a little pricier and with lots of standard kit.

SAIC Motor

SAIC stands for Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, and it’s the largest of China’s four state-owned car manufacturers. It’s one of the most present in the UK thanks to its purchase of MG in 2007. It also purchased defunct British van manufacturer LDV in 2010.

MG

MG is SAIC’s largest producer in the UK market, and it has a full model range including the 3 hatchback, ZS small SUV and HS large SUV. It’s also one of the UK’s biggest sellers of electric vehicles with the MG4, MG S5 EV and eye-catching Cyberster roadster. MG’s vehicles sell extremely well, regularly entering the top 10 best-sellers list.

IM

In other countries, IM is a luxury sub-brand of SAIC, but in the UK it’s more of an upmarket badge. IM cars are sold as MGs. Currently the range consists of the MG IM5 and the IM6, which are more expensive and higher-tech than the non-IM MG EVs.

Maxus

This is SAIC’s commercial vehicle arm, built out of the remains of the British LDV group. Maxus sells a full range of vans and pickup trucks powered by diesel or electric, which are popular with large fleets. It also produces two electric MPVs, the Mifa 7 and Mifa 9.

GWM

Standing for Great Wall Motor, GWM sells a huge range of vehicles in its native China but hasn’t invested in the UK market quite as heavily as Chery or SAIC. Its vehicles are distributed by International Motors, the same company that distributes Isuzu and Subaru products. So far it’s launched three ‘brands’ in the UK, though none are true sub-brands in the way that Omoda or Jaecoo are, acting more like individual models.

Ora

Ora launched in the UK with the oddly named ‘Funky Cat’, a small electric car. It was swiftly renamed the Ora 03, and though several other cute-styled Ora products were pitched to be introduced to our shores none have made it here just yet. Ora cars in other markets are nearly all fully electric, with retro styling.

Haval

Haval specialises in SUVs, especially budget models, and has enjoyed considerable success in Australia and other markets. Its sole model in the UK is the Haval Jolion Pro, a hybrid-powered SUV that’s very cheap – but pretty poor.

Poer

Pronounced ‘Power’, this is GWM’s commercial vehicle brand and its sole model is the Poer300 pickup truck – named the Cannon or Cannon Ute in other markets.

BYD Auto

BYD is one of those ‘everything’ companies – it makes batteries, forklifts, lorries, solar panels, light rail systems, semiconductors, you name it. BYD even builds most new London buses. BYD Auto is, unsurprisingly, the passenger car-producing arm, and it mostly sells cars under its own name, though new sub-brands are launching soon. BYD is the largest producer of EVs in the world right now.

BYD

BYD stands for ‘Build Your Dreams’ and the first BYD cars sold in the UK had that writ large across the tailgate. Thankfully, that no longer happens. BYD sells a range of hybrid and electric cars in the UK including the Seal U (2025’s best-selling PHEV), Sealion 5, Sealion 7, Seal, Dolphin, Seal 6, Dolphin Surf, and Atto 2 and 3. It’s fair to say that naming isn’t the company’s strong suit – but the cars are good value and high-tech.

Denza

Founded as a joint venture between BYD and Daimler (parent company of Mercedes), Denza is now wholly owned by BYD. It’s the luxury arm of the company and will launch in the UK with the Z9 – a hybrid or electric-powered shooting brake – and the D9, a luxurious MPV. You’ll see them on the road later in 2026.

Yangwang

Yangwang is another BYD brand intended to capture the high end of the market, and it’s shown off two cars here – the rakish U9 electric supercar and the massive U8 hybrid SUV. Neither are expected to sell in particularly large numbers, particularly as the U8 is heavy enough to demand a commercial vehicle licence. Expect rollout sometime in 2027.

Geely Holding

Founded in 1986 and producing its first car in 1997, Geely Holding has its fingers in a lot of pies – especially European ones. In addition to its own brands, it owns established marques including Volvo, Lotus, Proton, Smart, Polestar and LEVC (manufacturer of the London black cab).

Geely Auto

The company’s self-titled brand launched in the UK in 2025 with the EX5, an electric SUV, which was followed shortly by the Starray plug-in hybrid equivalent. A range of new Geely cars will launch in the coming years including the EX2 hatchback and the Galaxy Cruiser off-roader. Geely’s current models trade on value rather than desirability.

Zeekr

This is Geely’s luxury EV producer – the name is made up of ZE for Zero, E for Evolving the Electric Era, and Kr, the chemical symbol for Krypton. It will launch into the UK in 2026 with the 7GT, an all-electric estate car, and that could be followed by the X compact SUV, the 001 luxury saloon or the 7X SUV.

Lynk & Co

This is where things get incestuous, because Lynk & Co is technically co-owned by Geely Auto and Zeekr Group, both of which are owned by Geely Holding. Though a few years ago it was pitched to be in the UK by 2024 with an innovative ‘membership’ leasing model, it still isn’t here and there’s no firm launch date in place.

Farizon

Geely’s commercial vehicle arm currently sells one van in the UK – the SV, standing for Supervan. However, Farizon vans aren’t imported to the UK by Geely itself, instead they’re brought over by international distributor Jameel Motors.

Xpeng

Unusually for a Chinese brand, Xpeng is privately owned – it was founded by former executives at China’s state-owned GAC Group, and takes its name from Chairman He Xiaopeng. In the UK it’s imported by International Motors, just like GWM. It currently sells only the G6 SUV, but the larger G9 is expected to launch in 2026.

Leapmotor

Leapmotor is a Chinese company with European backing – the giant Stellantis group (parent brand of Peugeot, Citroen, Vauxhall and others) owns 20%, as well as 50% of Leapmotor’s European operations. It sells three cars in the UK – the dinky T03, and the B10 and C10 SUVs, all fully electric powered – though range-extender plug-in hybrids are on the way.

Changan Automobile

This is China’s oldest automobile manufacturer, first producing licenced copies of the Jeep back in 1959. It’s fully state-owned. Though it sells vehicles under many brands in different parts of the world, in the UK so far it’s introduced two models both under the Changan Deepal umbrella – the S07 and S05 electric SUVs.

Skywell

Skywell is a car manufacturer formed out of consumer electronics manufacturer Skyworth and commercial vehicle manufacturer Nanjing Golden Dragon. Its sole model in the UK is the BE11 electric SUV, which is imported and distributed by Innovation Automotive.

Aion

This is the first venture in the UK for state-owned Chinese car manufacturer GAC Group, which has several other brands on its home turf. Its first vehicle for our shores will be the Aion V electric SUV.

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