BYD’s first flash charging station in the UK located in Uxbridge. Credit: BYD
- BYD becomes the fastest brand in UK automotive history to reach a 5% market share.
- BYD sold 26,396 NEVs in the UK in the first four months this year, up 124% year-on-year.
BYD (HKEX: 1211) has delivered its 100,000th new energy vehicle (NEV) in the UK, marking another milestone in the Chinese carmaker’s expansion across Europe.
BYD executive vice president He Zhiqi announced the milestone on Wednesday. He said BYD is the fastest brand in UK automotive history to reach a 5% market share.
He also visited BYD’s first flash charging pile in the UK, located in Uxbridge, and said the company plans to roll out 300 flash charging stations across the country by year-end.
BYD executive vice president He Zhiqi (left) hands delivers a vehicle to a British customer. Credit: BYD
BYD unveiled its new-generation fast-charging facilities in China in March. Paired with the latest second-generation Blade Battery, they can charge a vehicle from 10% to 97% in just nine minutes.
BYD’s growth momentum in the UK market has been strong. The company sold 26,396 NEVs in the UK in the first four months this year, up 124% year-on-year.
On the back of that performance, BYD’s market share exceeded 7%. The company has overtaken BMW, Tesla and Volkswagen to become the UK’s largest EV brand.
Notably, BYD models do not qualify for UK government subsidies. Some of its rivals’ models can still receive discounts of up to 3,750 pounds ($5,040).
BYD has been in the UK passenger vehicle market for only a short time. The company entered the market in March 2023, with the Atto 3 — the Yuan Plus in China — as its first model.
Since then, the pace of BYD’s sales has clearly accelerated. The company took 19 months to reach cumulative sales of 10,000 units, but went from 10,000 to 20,000 in just five months.
This increase in sales was primarily due to the broad coverage of the product lineup. Its models sold in the UK range from the 18,675-pound Dolphin Surf to the 47,025-pound Sealion 7.
BYD currently offers 11 NEV models in the UK, spanning battery electric vehicle (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) products.
BYD prefers to operate the factories independently rather than through joint ventures.
($1 = 0.7447 pounds)
