Who Makes Chinese Electric Cars? The Complete Brand Guide
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This is a brand-by-brand guide to who owns, makes, and backs the Chinese electric car brands now on sale in the UK. Every ownership claim below is sourced and dated, so you can see exactly who is behind the badge before you commit to one.
“Who makes Omoda cars?” What does BYD stand for? Who actually owns MG? These are the questions drivers ask after spotting a Chinese-brand EV on the loveelectric platform, on a driveway, or on a dealership forecourt - and they deserve a direct answer, brand by brand.
They're also becoming more common. Chinese-brand new EV deliveries through loveelectric grew from 5.4% of new EV deliveries in 2025 to 16.4% in the year to 28 July 2026 - close to three times the share, year on year (Source: loveelectric delivery data; July 2026).
The Changan Deepal S07 is now our second most-delivered new EV of 2026; the BYD Seal is third. With loveelectric, a Changan Deepal S07 Estate (160kW Ultra, 80kWh) starts from only £286 a month*.
This article sets out exactly who makes, owns, or backs each Chinese EV brand on sale in the UK today, and what - if any - Western connections stand behind them.
*48m contract, £55k salary, 5k annual mileage, 6 months of boosted payments at £717/month.
Here’s our Lead EV Expert’s - Jordan Wright - comment on the rise of Chinese EVs:
“With BYD overtaking Tesla as the UK's best selling EV brand, it's clear that consumers are embracing Chinese brands that were completely unknown to UK drivers only a few years ago. This is reflected with our own customers: in 2025, Chinese EVs made up for only 4.6% of new car orders. This more than doubled to 10.5% in 2026, signalling a huge boost to consumer confidence in previously unknown brands.”
How big is the Chinese EV market in the UK?
Chinese-owned brands took an 11.12% share of all new UK car registrations in the first quarter of 2026, up from 6.41% a year earlier (Source: SMMT registration data, reported by Automotive Logistics, April 2026).
- By April 2026, 12 Chinese-owned brands were registering new cars in the UK, with a combined 16.5% share of that month's market (Source: SMMT data, reported by ChinaEVHome, May 2026).
- BYD registered 12,754 electric cars in the UK between January and April 2026 - more than any other single EV brand, and enough to overtake Tesla as the UK's best-selling EV brand for that period (Source: SMMT registration data)
- Denza launched in the UK in mid-2026, and Nio's Firefly and Zeekr are both expected in UK showrooms within the year, with Xiaomi targeting a UK launch from 2027.
- With loveelectric, Chinese-brand EVs' overall share of deliveries rose from 4.7% in 2025 to 9.9% in the year to 28 July 2026 (Source: loveelectric delivery data).
These aren't niche imports any more - for a growing number of drivers, they're the default choice.
Who owns which Chinese manufacturer, at a glance
BYD - Build Your Dreams
The quick answer
BYD (Build Your Dreams) is a publicly listed Chinese company founded in 1995, and in 2025 it overtook Tesla to become the world's largest seller of battery electric vehicles (Source: Bloomberg, January 2026; electrive.com, January 2026).
- BYD began as a rechargeable battery manufacturer, and that heritage still shapes the company: it designs and builds its own battery cells rather than buying them in.
- Scale: BYD delivered approximately 2.26 million battery electric vehicles worldwide in 2025, ahead of Tesla's roughly 1.64 million (Source: Bloomberg, January 2026).
- Berkshire Hathaway connection: Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway paid around $230 million for a roughly 10% stake in BYD in 2008, and fully exited the position in September 2025.
- UK market: BYD overtook Tesla to become the UK's best-selling EV brand for the first four months of 2026, registering 12,754 electric cars (Source: SMMT data)
- We see this reflected with loveelectric customers too: the BYD Seal is our third most-delivered new EV of 2026 (Source: loveelectric delivery data)
MG - a well-known British marque, Chinese ownership
The quick answer
MG is owned by SAIC Motor, a Chinese state-owned automotive company, which took control of the brand in 2007 after acquiring Nanjing Automotive - the company that had bought MG Rover's assets in 2005.
- MG's British heritage: founded as Morris Garages in 1924, MG built sports cars in Oxfordshire for most of the 20th century - the name is familiar even though the ownership has changed.
- SAIC Motor is one of China's four largest state-owned automotive groups.
- The SAIC ownership has now been in place for almost two decades - this is not a recent or unstable arrangement.
- MG is currently one of the UK's best-selling brands overall: it registered 48,741 cars in the UK in the first half of 2026, up 14% year on year (Source: SMMT data, reported by Motor Trader, July 2026).
Omoda and Jaecoo - both made by Chery
The quick answer - Omoda
Omoda is a brand of Chery Automobile, a Chinese manufacturer founded in 1997 in Wuhu, Anhui Province.
The quick answer - Jaecoo
Jaecoo is also a Chery Automobile brand, sold alongside Omoda as the group's premium SUV line, with both launched globally from Wuhu in 2023.
- Chery's scale: Chery Group sold 2.8 million vehicles worldwide in 2025 and has led Chinese passenger-car exports for 23 consecutive years, shipping 1.34 million vehicles abroad that year (Source: Gasgoo, 2026)
- Where they're made: Chery's core manufacturing base is in Wuhu, Anhui Province.
- RAC partnership: Omoda became the first Chinese car company to partner with the RAC, giving buyers free roadside assistance for up to seven years provided the car is serviced at an Omoda or Jaecoo centre (Source: RAC Media Centre, 2026).
- Ownership: Chery has mixed state/private ownership, with Anhui and Wuhu local government holding a stake of just over a third.
Leapmotor - Stellantis backed
The quick answer
Leapmotor is a Chinese EV company founded in 2015. Stellantis - the European group behind Vauxhall, Fiat, Peugeot and Citroën - paid €1.5bn for a 20% stake in 2023 and holds 51% of the resulting joint venture, Leapmotor International, which handles all sales, distribution and production outside China.
- Stellantis is a major Western manufacturer that chose to invest in and distribute this brand, rather than simply importing it.
- European assembly: a CKD plant in Zaragoza, Spain is due to start building the Leapmotor B10 from October 2026, with the B05 hatchback following in 2027 and a supporting battery-pack plant reaching mass production in July 2026.
- UK presence: Leapmotor began UK sales in March 2025 and had 79 retailers as of mid-2026, rising toward 100 by the end of the year (Source: Stellantis Media, 2026).
- Current UK models are the T03, B10 and C10, with the B05 hatchback due later in 2026.
Geely - the Chinese company that owns Volvo, Polestar and Lotus
The quick answer
Geely is a private Chinese automotive group, founded in 1986 by Li Shufu. It owns Volvo Cars, Polestar, Lotus, and LEVC - the maker of London's black cabs - and holds a stake in Mercedes-Benz.
- Geely arguably has the strongest Western connection among Chinese-owned brands: Geely bought Volvo Cars outright from Ford in 2010, and has owned it ever since.
- A driver who'd consider a Polestar is already driving a Geely-owned brand - Polestar and Volvo sit together under Volvo Car Group, which is wholly owned by Geely.
- Lotus and LEVC are both British manufacturing names under Chinese ownership. LEVC builds the London black cab and the VN5 electric van in Coventry (Source: carparisonleasing.co.uk, 2026).
- Geely also owns Zeekr and co-owns the ‘smart’ brand with Mercedes-Benz. The company itself started as a refrigerator-parts maker in 1986, moved into motorcycles in 1994, and entered the car market in 1997.
Changan - one of China's oldest automakers
The quick answer
Changan is one of China's four major state-owned automotive groups, tracing its history back to 1862 - making it over 160 years old - with long-running joint ventures alongside Ford (since 2001) and Mazda.
- The Ford and Mazda joint ventures matter because Western manufacturers don't typically enter long-term co-manufacturing agreements without holding partners to their own quality and engineering standards.
- Deepal is Changan's dedicated EV brand for international markets: it started in 2018 as a division of Changan New Energy and became an independent brand in 2023.
- When it comes to loveelectric’s customers, the Changan Deepal S07 is now our second most-delivered new EV of 2026 (Source: loveelectric delivery data; July 2026).
XPeng - China's premium EV startup
The quick answer
XPeng is a Chinese EV company founded in 2014 by He Xiaopeng, a former Alibaba executive. It has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since August 2020 and counts Alibaba among its major shareholders.
- The NYSE listing means XPeng is subject to US public-company audit and disclosure requirements - a different level of scrutiny to a privately held manufacturer.
- The XPeng 6 is the ‘Ultra Smart Coupe SUV’ that is positioned against against Tesla’s uber popular Model Y.
ORA - 'Great Wall Motor's EV brand
The quick answer
ORA is the electric vehicle brand of Great Wall Motor (GWM), one of China's largest SUV manufacturers, founded in 1984 by Wei Jianjun.
- GWM is a very well established company: it has been building vehicles since the mid-1980s, and also owns the Haval and Tank brands.
- In the UK, GWM has consolidated its retail presence under the GWM name, with Ora now sold as a model line - the GWM Ora 03 - rather than a standalone brand identity.
- There’s currently 30+ service centres across the UK for maintenance and repairs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who makes Omoda cars?
A: Omoda is a brand of Chery Automobile, a Chinese manufacturer founded in 1997 in Wuhu, Anhui Province.
Q: Who makes Jaecoo cars?
A: Jaecoo is also a Chery Automobile brand, sold alongside Omoda as the group's premium SUV line.
Q: What does BYD stand for?
A: BYD stands for “Build Your Dreams”. It's a publicly listed Chinese company founded in 1995 that became the world's largest seller of battery electric vehicles in 2025 (Source: Bloomberg, January 2026).
Q: Who owns MG in 2026?
A: MG is owned by SAIC Motor, a Chinese state-owned automotive company, which has held the brand since 2007.
Q: Who makes Leapmotor cars?
A: Leapmotor is a Chinese EV company. Stellantis holds a 20% stake and controls the joint venture, Leapmotor International, responsible for sales and production outside China (Source: Stellantis, 2023).
Q: Is Geely a reliable car company?
A: Geely owns established Western brands including Volvo, Polestar and Lotus, and has owned Volvo since 2010 - a track record of 15-plus years managing a major European manufacturer to Volvo's own safety and quality standards.
Getting to know the brands behind the badge
These are the companies drivers on the loveelectric platform are actually choosing in growing numbers. These are named manufacturers with public shareholders, state backing, or well-known Western partners standing behind them. Chinese-brand new EV deliveries through loveelectric have nearly tripled year on year, and the Changan Deepal S07 and BYD Seal are now among our most-delivered new EVs of 2026.
Want to learn more about Chinese EVs?
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