BYD overtakes Tesla, Kia as best-selling EV brand in key overseas markets

With over 7% market share, BYD is now the top-selling EV brand in the UK so far in 2026, surpassing Tesla, Kia, and Volkswagen to take the top spot. And it’s not just the UK, BYD is outpacing the competition in several overseas markets.

BYD becomes top-selling EV brand in overseas markets

BYD sold 321,123 new energy vehicles (NEVs) in April, including battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).

EV sales fell 23% to 156,944, while PHEV sales were down 28% with 157,156. Although overall NEV sales dropped 26% from last April, marking BYD’s eighth consecutive month with lower sales than the year prior, overseas sales reached a new record.

BYD’s NEV exports surged 70% year over year in April to 135,098. That’s up from the previous record of 120,083 set in March 2026. Through the first four months of 2026, the company sold 456,263 vehicles overseas.

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In major overseas markets, such as the UK, BYD is now the best-selling EV brand so far in 2026. According to the latest SMMT registration data, the Chinese automaker sold 12,754 electric cars through April with over 7% market share.

“With fuel prices remaining high, more drivers are turning to electric vehicles as a smarter and more economical choice,” Bono Ge, BYD UK’s Country Manager, said.

Ge said the company is happy to see the UK’s EV market grow by 22% year-on-year, adding he’s “even more proud that BYD has become the UK’s leading EV brand in a little over three years.”

BYD currently sells five EVs in the UK: the Dolphin Surf, Dolphin, Atto 3, Seal, and Sealion 7, with the Atto 2 set to go on sale soon. It also sells three DM-i PHEVs: the Seal U, Seal 6, and Sealion 5.

And it’s not just in the UK that the company is emerging as the most popular EV maker. BYD was also the best-selling EV brand in Australia, Brazil, and several other overseas markets in April.

In Australia, BYD’s Sealion 7 was the top-selling EV last month with 1,780 deliveries, followed by the Geely EX5, Zeekr 7X, Tesla Model Y, and Kia EV5.

BYD also became the first Chinese brand to lead overall vehicle sales in Brazil last month, surpassing Volkswagen, General Motors, and Hyundai. The company sold 14,911 vehicles in April, about 80 more than Volkswagen.

The achievement is impressive, given that BYD launched its first passenger vehicle in Brazil in 2021. Volkswagen has been assembling vehicles in the country since the ’50s.

With plans to ramp up overseas production and to roll out new tech like its 5-minute Flash Charging, BYD said it aims to unlock the full value of electrification by providing affordable, high-tech EVs.