Chinese cars in South Korea: which brands sell there and since when
Facts checked
South Korea is a hard market for any importer: Hyundai and Kia dominate it, and imported brands split a minority share. Chinese passenger cars arrived late and then moved quickly. BYD Korea announced its entry on 16 January 2025 with the Atto 3, priced from 31.5 million won for the base model and 33.3 million won for the Atto 3 Plus, took more than 1,000 pre-orders in a week and delivered its first 1,000 cars in under two months. The Seal and Sealion 7 followed later in 2025. By November 2025 BYD was posting 1,164 registrations in a month and entering the monthly top five among imported brands for the first time; in the first half of 2026 it registered 11,675 vehicles, up 807.9 per cent, ranking fourth among importers.
Country-of-origin data tells the same story from another angle. The Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association reported that in April 2026 imports from China reached 2,023 units against Japan's 1,974, the first month China had passed Japan in the country ranking. Counted by where the car was built rather than by brand nationality, China-made vehicles - which include the Shanghai-built Tesla Model 3 and Model Y sold in Korea - grew far faster still.
Korea is also a place where a Chinese-owned brand is manufactured rather than only imported. Polestar, Geely Holding's electric marque, agreed with Geely Holding and Renault Korea Motors to build the Polestar 4 under contract at Renault Korea's Busan plant, alongside production in Hangzhou Bay in China, with Korean output starting in the second half of 2025 for the North American and Korean markets. Geely Holding is also a shareholder in Renault Korea, so the Busan plant is a Chinese-linked site even though it is not Chinese-owned.
At a glance
| Country code | KR |
|---|---|
| Region | Asia-Pacific |
| Market status | Emerging |
| Brands recorded | 3 |
| Chinese-owned plants | 1 |
| Models on this site | 1 |
Brands sold in South Korea
| Brand | Status | Since | Route to market | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 比亚迪BYD | Sold | 16 January 2025 | The company itself | BYD Korea announced its passenger-car entry on 16 January 2025 with the Atto 3 from 31.5 million won; deliveries began in February 2025, with the Seal and Sealion 7 following in the second half of the year. |
| 极星Polestar | Sold | 2022 | The company itself | Polestar sells in South Korea and, from the second half of 2025, has the Polestar 4 built there under contract. Korean sales start year to be re-checked against a primary source. |
| 沃尔沃Volvo Cars | Sold | not published | The company itself | Volvo has sold in South Korea for many years and has been majority-owned by Geely Holding since 2010. |
The rules
Stated from the document that issued them, with the date each was read. Nothing here is an interpretation.
| Rule | What it says | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| No tariff on Chinese-built cars under the Korea-China FTA | South Korea and China have a free trade agreement in force since December 2015, and Chinese-built vehicles enter Korea without the barriers that apply in some other markets. The specific tariff line and staging for passenger cars was not confirmed against the agreement's schedule in the sources used here, so this entry should be re-checked before it is published as a rule. | BusinessKorea | |
| Electric-vehicle purchase subsidies | South Korea's national and local electric-vehicle purchase subsidies are set annually by the Ministry of Environment and vary by battery efficiency, service network and other criteria; the amounts materially affect Chinese models' pricing. Reporting in 2026 identified a possible suspension of subsidies as a risk to imported electric-vehicle sales. The scheme's rules and figures were not confirmed against the ministry's own documents here. | KED Global |
Chinese-owned plants in South Korea
| Owner | Location | Since | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geely Holding | Busan (Renault Korea Motors plant) | 2025 | Not a Chinese-owned plant: the Busan factory belongs to Renault Korea Motors, in which Geely Holding holds a minority stake. Under an agreement between Polestar, Geely Holding and Renault Korea Motors, the plant builds the Geely-owned Polestar 4 under contract for the North American and South Korean markets from the second half of 2025, alongside Chinese production at Hangzhou Bay. The size of Geely Holding's stake in Renault Korea is not confirmed in the sources used here. |
Western badges built in China and sold in South Korea
| Model | Badge | Plant | Years | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model 3 | Tesla | Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai | 2022 onwards | Korean-market Tesla Model 3 and Model Y are supplied from Shanghai and are the main reason China-built vehicles rank so highly in Korean import statistics. |
| Model Y | Tesla | Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai | 2022 onwards | |
| Polestar 4 | Polestar | Hangzhou Bay, Zhejiang | 2024 to 2025 | Korean-market Polestar 4 came from China before Busan production began in the second half of 2025. |
Models recorded in South Korea
| Model | Body | Status | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polestar Polestar 4 | Crossover | Sold | 619 km WLTP |
Best sellers
| Model | Brand | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| BYD Atto 3 | BYD | 2025 | 543 units in April 2025, ahead of the Tesla Model Y Long Range on 533 and the Model 3 Long Range on 350; 14.6 per cent of imported electric-vehicle sales that month. |
| BYD (all models) | BYD | 2026 | 11,675 registrations in the first half of 2026, up 807.9 per cent, fourth among imported brands behind Tesla, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. |
Chinese cars in South Korea: questions people ask
- When did BYD start selling cars in South Korea?
- BYD Korea announced its passenger-car entry on 16 January 2025 with the Atto 3, priced from 31.5 million won. Pre-orders passed 1,000 in a week and the first 1,000 deliveries were completed in under two months.
- Is the Polestar 4 built in Korea?
- Partly. Under an agreement between Polestar, Geely Holding and Renault Korea Motors, the Polestar 4 is built under contract at Renault Korea's Busan plant from the second half of 2025 for North America and South Korea, alongside production at Hangzhou Bay in China.
- How well do Chinese brands sell in South Korea?
- BYD registered 11,675 vehicles in the first half of 2026, up 807.9 per cent, ranking fourth among imported brands. KAIDA reported that in April 2026 imports from China passed Japan in the country ranking for the first time.
- Are Chinese-built cars common in Korea beyond Chinese brands?
- Yes. Tesla supplies the Korean Model 3 and Model Y from its Shanghai plant, so a large share of the China-built vehicles registered in Korea carry a non-Chinese badge.
What changed
The only dated surface on this page. It records status changes, not news.
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KAIDA reported imports from China at 2,023 units against Japan's 1,974, the first time China took third place in the country ranking.
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BYD registered 1,164 vehicles in a month and entered South Korea's monthly top five among imported brands for the first time.
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Contract production of the Polestar 4 began at Renault Korea's Busan plant, per the agreement announced by Polestar.
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BYD completed its first 1,000 Atto 3 deliveries in South Korea in under two months.
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BYD announced its entry into the South Korean passenger-car market with the Atto 3.
Related
Sources for South Korea
- CnEVPost, BYD forays into South Korean passenger car market with Atto 3 electric SUV. Read .
- CnEVPost, BYD completes deliveries of 1,000 Atto 3 EVs in South Korea in less than 2 months. Read . Also carries the April 2025 model-level comparison with the Tesla Model Y and Model 3.
- Polestar, Polestar expands manufacturing footprint to South Korea with production of Polestar 4 set to start in Busan in 2025. Read .
- Renault Group, Renault Korea Busan plant will produce and export pure electric vehicles starting 2025. Read .
- BusinessKorea, BYD-led Chinese cars overtake Japan in Korean import market. Read . KAIDA country-of-origin registrations for April 2026.
- ChinaEVHome, BYD posts 1,164 sales in South Korea in November, enters top five for the first time. Read .
- KED Global, Chinese EVs expand fast in South Korea, home to Hyundai IONIQ series. Read . First-half 2026 BYD registrations of 11,675, up 807.9 per cent, fourth among importers.