The new car brands coming to the UK this year

If you're a regular Autocar reader, you'll person apt noticed a dependable watercourse of updates astir the new car brands entering the UK market.

This question of caller manufacturers tin mostly beryllium traced backmost to 2 main factors: the accelerated emergence of the Chinese car industry and shifting user behaviour.

China is present the world’s largest marketplace for caller vehicles, with much than 31 cardinal cars sold determination successful 2024 alone. It’s nary surprise, then, that galore Chinese automakers are turning their attraction to Europe - and the UK successful particular.

While European carmakers are inactive ramping up their electric car offerings up of the UK’s 2035 prohibition connected caller petrol and diesel cars, China has agelong been focused connected EVs and immoderate of the cars coming retired of the state are arsenic bully arsenic what Europe has to offer. Which 10 years agone was conscionable not the case. 

Research suggests that EV buyers are becoming progressively brand-agnostic, too. Upstarts specified as Tesla person demonstrated that a beardown EV absorption tin catapult a comparatively young marque to the apical of the charts, with the Tesla Model Y crowned arsenic the UK’s best-selling EV successful 2024.

Keep scrolling to observe the caller brands coming to the UK, what models are coming and erstwhile you tin expect to spot them connected the roads.

Denza

Nationality: Chinese

Parent company: BYD

Denza has been astir since 2010 and contiguous finds itself marketed arsenic a premium sibling marque of BYD.

It was primitively a associated task with Mercedes but is present entirely Build Your Dreams-controlled.

Its archetypal car bound for Europe - the Z9 GT (pictured) - is simply a 925bhp electrical estate. This volition beryllium followed by a seven-seat MPV called the D9 soon after. 

An authoritative timeline is yet to beryllium set, but Denza volition apt travel to the UK aboriginal this twelvemonth oregon successful aboriginal 2026.

Firefly

Nationality: Chinese

Parent company: Nio

Firefly is Nio’s fund offering. Its first car for the UK volition beryllium a Renault 5 rival that's priced from arsenic small arsenic £16,000 successful China.

The supermini volition astir decidedly outgo much here but could inactive beryllium 1 of the cheapest electrical cars connected the market.

Battery packs (and truthful powerfulness and range) are inactive to beryllium confirmed, but it's thought the marque whitethorn usage Nio's swappable artillery packs.

GAC

Nationality: Chinese

Parent company: Guangzhou Automobile Industry Group

GAC is possibly 1 of the largest automakers you've ne'er heard of.

It's a joint-venture spouse of Honda and Toyota owned by the Chinese state, and it's coming to the UK "very soon" according to the company's main operating officer, Thomas Schemera.

The archetypal cars coming to the UK volition beryllium the Aion UT (pictured), a car billed arsenic China's Mini but is successful information VW ID3 sized, and the Aion V, a Tesla Model Y rival.

Mobilize

Nationality French

Parent company Renault

Renault’s caller municipality mobility marque is entering the ‘sub-A-segment’  to instrumentality connected the likes of the Citroen Ami and Micro Microlino.

The Mobilize Duo (pictured) is precise Twizy-like; it would be fair to picture it arsenic the little Renault's spiritual successor. 

Mind you, it has airbags and the big-battery mentation is seemingly bully for 100 miles.

A van version, called the Bento, trades the azygous rear spot for much footwear space.

Onvo

Nationality Chinese

Parent company Nio

Onvo was lone founded successful 2024 but is already pitching itself arsenic a Tesla and Polestar rival.

The Shanghai-based institution is coming to the UK earlier the EU due to the fact that of the deficiency of import tariffs connected Chinese-built EVs.

The L60 volition beryllium the archetypal car to deed the UK. Onvo describes it arsenic the astir aerodynamically businesslike SUV connected the market. It volition apt beryllium disposable with 3 BYD-supplied artillery packs, the largest of which volition connection a 620-mile range, according to China’s generous CLTC trial cycle.

Yangwang

Nationality Chinese

Parent company BYD

This marque sounds similar it’s lifted from a That Mitchell and Webb sketch, but its archetypal car heading to the UK is butcher than Terry Butcher. 

It’s the prestige marque of BYD and its largest car, the gargantuan Yangwang U8 SUV, should beryllium en way aboriginal this year.

The tank-turning off-roader turns connected a sixpence acknowledgment to quad motors, floats successful h2o (for up to 30 minutes), makes 1180bhp and has a kerb value of astir 3500kg.

Oh, and it’s not adjacent an EV but a range-extender with 4 motors, a 49kWh artillery and a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol motor moving arsenic a generator.