Germany

Chinese cars in Germany: which brands sell there and since when

Facts checked

Germany is Europe's largest car market and one of the hardest for Chinese brands to enter. In 2025 the twelve Chinese-owned marques tracked in the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt's registration data — MG, BYD, Leapmotor, Xpeng, GWM, Lynk & Co, Nio, Omoda, Jaecoo, Chery, Deepal and Zeekr — took 63,617 registrations between them, about 2.2% of the market, against roughly 6% across Europe as a whole. MG led with 26,479 and BYD followed with 23,306, an eightfold rise on its 2,890 cars in 2024. Growth accelerated in 2026: the same group reached 70,209 registrations in the first seven months, around 4.0% of the market, with BYD alone on 31,492.

Germany was the only one of the EU's six largest economies to vote against the anti-subsidy duties on Chinese battery-electric cars on 4 October 2024, reflecting the exposure of its own carmakers to the Chinese market. The duties passed anyway and have applied since 30 October 2024 on top of the EU's standard 10% import duty on cars.

BYD's plant at Szeged in Hungary is the pivot for this market. Trial production of passenger cars began there in January 2026 with series production expected in the second quarter; cars built in Hungary are EU-made and fall outside the countervailing duties altogether.

As in the rest of Europe, several familiar badges are Chinese-built: the Cupra Tavascan from Volkswagen Anhui in Hefei, the Mini Cooper Electric and Aceman from Zhangjiagang, Volvo's EX30 and S90, the Polestar range, the Dacia Spring, the smart #1 and #3 from Xi'an and the Lotus Eletre and Emeya from Wuhan.

At a glance

Country codeDE
RegionEurope
Market statusOpen
Brands recorded19
Chinese-owned plants0
Models on this site59

Brands sold in Germany

Chinese and Chinese-owned brands recorded in Germany.
Brand Status Since Route to market Note
名爵MG Sold 2020 The company itself MG began German sales in 2020, after opening its European operation in the Netherlands, Norway and France in late 2019. 26,479 registrations in 2025, recorded by KBA under 'MG Roewe'.
比亚迪BYD Sold October 2022 The company itself BYD presented its European passenger-car range at the Paris show in October 2022 with Germany among the first delivery countries. 2,890 registrations in 2024, 23,306 in 2025 and 31,492 in the first seven months of 2026.
蔚来NIO Sold October 2022 The company itself Nio's European launch event in Berlin in October 2022 covered Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden. Only 325 registrations in 2025; Nio has said its German operation may move to a distributor model.
欧拉Ora Sold October 2022 An independent importer GWM launched the Ora brand in Europe with the Funky Cat in October 2022, Germany among the first markets.
长城GWM Sold 2022 An independent importer GWM entered Germany in 2022 with the Ora and Wey brands and is refocusing its European range on Haval SUVs from mid-2026.
小鹏Xpeng Sold 28 March 2024 An independent importer Xpeng announced its German market entry on 28 March 2024, sold through a national distribution partner. 2,991 registrations in 2025.
零跑Leapmotor Sold September 2024 A joint venture One of the nine launch countries for Leapmotor International, the Stellantis–Leapmotor venture, from September 2024. 7,280 registrations in 2025.
欧萌达Omoda Sold September 2025 The company itself Chery launched Omoda and Jaecoo in Germany at IAA Mobility in Munich in September 2025, making Germany the ninth European market for the pair.
奇瑞探索Jaecoo Sold September 2025 The company itself Launched alongside Omoda at IAA Mobility in September 2025.
奇瑞Chery Sold not published The company itself Chery's own marque appears in the German registration data alongside Omoda and Jaecoo; entry date not established in this pass.
极氪Zeekr Sold March 2026 The company itself Zeekr completed its first German customer deliveries in March 2026 and named France as its next market. KBA recorded just 16 Zeekr registrations in 2025, before the retail launch.
领克Lynk & Co Sold not published The company itself Lynk & Co entered Europe with city 'clubs' and a subscription-first model, converting to conventional dealer sales in 2024. The brand became a subsidiary of Zeekr in February 2025. German entry date not established in this pass.
极星Polestar Sold 2020 The company itself
沃尔沃Volvo Cars Sold not published The company itself Geely Holding has owned Volvo Cars since 2010; German entry long predates that.
智马达smart Sold not published The company itself smart is a German-born marque, since 2020 a 50/50 Mercedes-Benz–Geely Holding joint venture; the #1 and #3 are built at Geely's Xi'an plant.
路特斯Lotus Sold not published An independent importer Geely Holding has held a controlling stake in Lotus since 2017.
腾势Denza Sold April 2026 The company itself BYD's premium marque launched in Europe on 8 April 2026 with Germany among the first sales countries.
上汽大通Maxus Sold not published An independent importer SAIC's Maxus sells mainly vans in Germany; entry date not established in this pass.
爱驰Aiways Withdrawn 2020 An independent importer Aiways began European sales in 2020 and had its European headquarters in Germany. Production in China stopped in the summer of 2023 and the company withdrew from its home market in 2024; sales have effectively ceased.

The rules

Stated from the document that issued them, with the date each was read. Nothing here is an interpretation.

Rules that shape the market in Germany.
Rule What it says As of Source
EU import duty on cars The European Union's standard most-favoured-nation duty on imported passenger cars is 10%. Any countervailing duty is charged on top of it. European Commission, Access2Markets
Countervailing duties on China-built battery electric cars Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2754 of 29 October 2024 imposed definitive countervailing duties on new battery electric vehicles for the transport of persons originating in China, applicable from 30 October 2024 for five years. The rates are: BYD Group 17.0%, Geely Group 18.8%, SAIC Group 35.3%, Tesla (Shanghai) 7.8% following an individual examination, other cooperating companies 20.7%, and all other non-cooperating companies 35.3%. These apply only to battery electric cars built in China, not to plug-in hybrids or combustion models, and not to Chinese-brand cars built inside the EU. European Commission, Access2Markets
Price undertakings as an alternative to the duties On 12 January 2026 the European Commission published a guidance document telling Chinese exporters how to offer a price undertaking instead of paying the duty. Offers must set a minimum import price high enough to remove the injurious effect of the subsidisation, and address sales channels, cross-compensation, annual volume caps and future investment in the EU. European Commission, Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security
First accepted price undertaking On 10 February 2026 the Commission accepted a price undertaking from Volkswagen (Anhui) Automotive Company Ltd. covering the Cupra Tavascan. The company committed to a minimum import price, a limit on import volumes and defined investment milestones in EU battery-electric projects, and is exempt from the countervailing duty on those exports. The Commission can withdraw the undertaking and reinstate the duty retroactively if the terms are broken. The duties remain in force for every other exporter. European Commission, Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security
Germany's vote on the duties In the member-state vote of 4 October 2024, ten states supported the duties, twelve abstained and five voted against. Germany was among the five against — the only one of the EU's six largest economies to oppose the measure — but the proposal passed and the Commission adopted the regulation regardless. European Council on Foreign Relations

Western badges built in China and sold in Germany

Models assembled in China and sold in Germany under a non-Chinese badge.
Model Badge Plant Years Note
Tavascan Cupra Volkswagen Anhui, Hefei 2024–present The first model covered by an EU price undertaking, accepted on 10 February 2026, which exempts it from the countervailing duty.
Cooper Electric and Aceman Mini Spotlight Automotive, Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu 2023–present Spotlight Automotive is a BMW–Great Wall Motor joint venture.
Model 3 Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai 2021–present The Model Y sold in Europe is built at Tesla's Berlin-Brandenburg plant in Germany. Start year for Shanghai supply not confirmed from a primary source.
EX30 Volvo Zhangjiakou, Hebei; also Ghent, Belgium from April 2025 2023–present
S90 Volvo Daqing, Heilongjiang 2018–present
Polestar 2 Polestar Luqiao, Taizhou, Zhejiang 2020–present
Polestar 3 Polestar Chengdu, Sichuan 2024–present
Polestar 4 Polestar Ningbo (Hangzhou Bay), Zhejiang 2024–present
Spring Dacia Shiyan, Hubei 2021–present Built by the Renault–Dongfeng–Nissan joint venture; sold in EU markets but never in right-hand drive.
C5 X Citroën Chengdu, Sichuan 2022–present
#1 and #3 smart Xi'an, Shaanxi 2023–present
Eletre and Emeya Lotus Wuhan, Hubei 2023–present
iX3 (first generation, G08) BMW BMW Brilliance, Shenyang, Liaoning 2021–2025

BMW iX3 (G08) · Citroen C5 X · Cupra Tavascan · Dacia Spring · DS Automobiles DS 9 · Honda e:Ny1 · Lotus Eletre · Lotus Emeya · Mazda 6e · MG MG3 · MG MG4 EV · Mini Cooper E / Cooper SE (J01) · Polestar Polestar 2 · Polestar Polestar 3 · Polestar Polestar 4 · smart #1 · Tesla Model 3 · Volvo EX30 · Volvo S90

Models recorded in Germany

Models with a recorded status in Germany.
Model Body Status Range
Aion Aion UT Hatchback Announced 320 km CLTC
BYD Atto 2 SUV Sold 430 km WLTP
BYD Atto 3 SUV Sold 508 km WLTP
BYD Dolphin Hatchback Sold 427 km WLTP
BYD Seagull Hatchback Sold 322 km WLTP
BYD Seal Saloon Sold 570 km WLTP
BYD Seal U SUV Sold 500 km WLTP
BYD Sealion 6 SUV Sold 80 km WLTP
BYD Sealion 7 SUV Sold 482 km WLTP
BYD Tang SUV Sold 530 km WLTP
Deepal Deepal S05 SUV Sold 520 km CLTC
Deepal Deepal S07 SUV Sold 550 km CLTC
Denza Denza D9 MPV Announced 98 km NEDC
Denza Denza Z9 GT Estate Sold 161 km WLTP
Fangchengbao Bao 5 SUV Announced 125 km CLTC
Firefly Firefly Hatchback Announced 420 km CLTC
IM Motors IM5 Saloon Sold 490 km WLTP
IM Motors IM6 SUV Sold 450 km WLTP
Leapmotor B10 SUV Sold 510 km CLTC
Leapmotor C10 SUV Sold 605 km CLTC
Leapmotor T03 Hatchback Sold 403 km NEDC
LEVC TX MPV Sold 109 km (manufacturer figure, cycle not stated)
Lotus Eletre SUV Sold 600 km WLTP
Lotus Emeya Saloon Sold 610 km WLTP
Lotus Emira Coupé Sold not published
Lynk & Co 01 SUV Sold 70 km WLTP
Lynk & Co 02 Crossover Sold 435 km WLTP
Lynk & Co 08 SUV Sold 200 km (manufacturer figure, cycle not stated)
Maxus Maxus Mifa 9 MPV Sold 540 km NEDC
Maxus Maxus Terron 9 Pickup Sold 430 km WLTP
MG MG3 Hatchback Sold not published
MG MG4 Hatchback Sold 437 km CLTC
MG MG5 Saloon Withdrawn 320 km WLTP
MG MG Cyberster Coupé Sold 507 km WLTP
MG MG HS SUV Sold 135 km NEDC
MG MG S5 EV SUV Sold 450 km WLTP
MG MG ZS Crossover Sold 263 km WLTP
NIO ES8 SUV Sold 630 km CLTC
NIO ES6 SUV Sold 450 km CLTC
NIO ET5 Saloon Sold 585 km CLTC
NIO ET7 Saloon Sold 550 km CLTC
Polestar Polestar 2 Hatchback Sold 658 km WLTP
Polestar Polestar 3 SUV Sold 647 km WLTP
Polestar Polestar 4 Crossover Sold 619 km WLTP
Polestar Polestar 5 Saloon Sold 677 km WLTP
Skywell Skywell ET5 SUV Sold 410 km NEDC
smart smart #1 SUV Sold 311 km WLTP
smart smart #3 Crossover Sold 325 km WLTP
smart smart #5 SUV Sold 463 km WLTP
Volvo Cars EX30 SUV Sold 344 km WLTP
Volvo Cars EX90 SUV Sold 460 km WLTP
Volvo Cars XC40 / EX40 SUV Sold 569 km WLTP
Volvo Cars XC60 SUV Sold 77 km WLTP
Xpeng G6 SUV Sold 625 km CLTC
Xpeng G9 SUV Sold 725 km CLTC
Zeekr 001 Estate Sold 710 km CLTC
Zeekr 007 Saloon Sold 715 km CLTC
Zeekr 7X SUV Sold 620 km CLTC
Zeekr X SUV Sold 330 km WLTP

Best sellers

Published best-selling Chinese-brand models in Germany.
Model Brand Year Note
MG MG 2025 Brand total: 26,479 registrations, the largest Chinese-owned brand in Germany (KBA data as reported).
BYD BYD 2025 Brand total: 23,306 registrations, up 706% on 2,890 in 2024.
Leapmotor Leapmotor 2025 Brand total: 7,280 registrations.
Xpeng Xpeng 2025 Brand total: 2,991 registrations.
Nio NIO 2025 Brand total: 325 registrations.
BYD BYD 2026 Brand total: 31,492 registrations and a 1.8% market share in the first seven months of 2026, leading the Chinese brands in Germany.

Chinese cars in Germany: questions people ask

How many Chinese cars are sold in Germany?
In 2025 the Chinese-owned brands tracked by KBA took 63,617 registrations, about 2.2% of the German market — well below the roughly 6% they held across Europe. In the first seven months of 2026 the same group reached 70,209 registrations, around 4.0%.
What tariff does Germany charge on Chinese electric cars?
Germany applies the EU's common tariff. That means the standard 10% import duty on cars plus, for battery electric cars built in China, a countervailing duty under Regulation (EU) 2024/2754 of 17.0% for the BYD group, 18.8% for Geely, 35.3% for SAIC, 7.8% for Tesla Shanghai, 20.7% for other cooperating companies and 35.3% for non-cooperating ones.
Did Germany support the EU tariffs?
No. In the member-state vote of 4 October 2024 Germany was one of five states that voted against, the only one of the EU's six largest economies to do so. Ten states voted in favour and twelve abstained, and the measure passed.
Can a Chinese brand avoid the duty?
Yes, in two ways. Cars built inside the EU are not covered at all — which is why BYD's plant at Szeged in Hungary matters. And since the Commission's guidance of 12 January 2026 an exporter can offer a price undertaking; the first was accepted on 10 February 2026 for Volkswagen Anhui's Cupra Tavascan.
Which cars sold in Germany are built in China?
The Cupra Tavascan, the Mini Cooper Electric and Aceman, the Tesla Model 3, Volvo's EX30 and S90, the Polestar 2, 3 and 4, the Dacia Spring, the Citroën C5 X, the smart #1 and #3, the Lotus Eletre and Emeya, and the first-generation BMW iX3.
Which Chinese brand sells best in Germany?
MG led in 2025 with 26,479 registrations, but BYD overtook it in 2026, reaching 31,492 registrations and a 1.8% market share in the first seven months of the year.

What changed

The only dated surface on this page. It records status changes, not news.

  1. BYD launches its Denza brand in Europe, with Germany among the first sales countries.

    electrive.com

  2. Zeekr completes its first customer deliveries in Germany.

    The Car Expert

  3. The Commission accepts the first price undertaking, from Volkswagen (Anhui) for the Cupra Tavascan; the duties stay in force for everyone else.

    European Commission, Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security

  4. BYD begins trial production of passenger cars at Szeged in Hungary, with series production expected in the second quarter of 2026; cars built there are not subject to the countervailing duties.

    electrive.com

  5. The European Commission publishes guidance on how Chinese exporters may offer price undertakings in place of the duties.

    European Commission, Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security

  6. Chery launches Omoda and Jaecoo in Germany at IAA Mobility in Munich, its ninth European market for the two brands.

    CnEVPost

  7. The countervailing duties of Regulation (EU) 2024/2754 begin to apply for five years.

    European Commission, Access2Markets

  8. EU member states vote on the definitive countervailing duties: ten in favour, twelve abstentions, five against, Germany among the five against.

    European Council on Foreign Relations

  9. Leapmotor International starts selling the T03 and C10 in Germany, one of nine European launch countries.

    Stellantis N.V.

  10. Xpeng announces its entry into the German market.

    XPeng Inc.

  11. BYD, Nio and GWM's Ora brand all begin their German rollouts, BYD from the Paris show and Nio from a launch event in Berlin.

    NIO Inc.

Related

Sources for Germany

  1. Official Journal of the European Union (EUR-Lex), Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2754 of 29 October 2024 imposing a definitive countervailing duty on imports of new battery electric vehicles designed for the transport of persons originating in the People's Republic of China. Read . The legal instrument. Article 1 carries the company-by-company rates and the TARIC additional codes.
  2. European Commission, Access2Markets, EU Commission imposes countervailing duties on imports of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from China. Read . Commission summary listing the per-company rates, the 30 October 2024 application date and the five-year duration.
  3. European Commission, Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security, Commission issues Guidance Document on submission of price undertaking offers for battery electric vehicles from China. Read .
  4. European Commission, Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security, Commission accepts price undertaking from Chinese electric car producer. Read .
  5. European Council on Foreign Relations, Divided we stand: The EU votes on Chinese electric vehicle tariffs. Read . The 4 October 2024 tally — ten in favour, twelve abstentions, five against — and Germany's position.
  6. Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), Fahrzeugzulassungen — Neuzulassungen. Read . Germany's registration authority; publishes monthly and annual new-registration tables by segment, brand and model line. The brand figures quoted here are drawn from published analyses of this series.
  7. Werra-Rundschau (Ippen Media), China-Autos holen in Deutschland massiv auf. Read . Brand-level KBA figures for 2025 and January–July 2026.
  8. XPeng Inc., XPENG expands European footprint with German market launch. Read .
  9. Stellantis N.V., Leapmotor International Begins Operations to Expand Global Electric Vehicle Sales Starting September 2024 in Nine European Countries. Read .
  10. CnEVPost, Zeekr completes 1st deliveries in Germany, targets France next. Read .
  11. The Car Expert, Which new cars are built in China?. Read . Model-by-model list of non-Chinese marques built in China, with plants.
  12. CnEVPost, Zeekr closes deal to integrate Lynk & Co. Read .
  13. electrive.com, BYD begins trial production of passenger cars in Hungary. Read .
  14. NIO Inc., NIO Announces Details of its Expansion into German, Dutch, Danish and Swedish Markets at European Launch Event. Read .
  15. electrive.com, GWM discontinues Ora 03 electric hatchback in the UK. Read . Used for GWM's European repositioning around Haval SUVs from mid-2026.
  16. Automotive News Europe (via Yahoo), Fast-growing Chery brands Omoda and Jaecoo expand Europe push to nine markets. Read . The IAA Mobility 2025 German launch and the nine-market European footprint.
  17. electrive.com, BYD brand Denza celebrates European debut. Read .