The Chinese car brands on the rise: What you need to know

There has been a steady rise in the number of Chinese manufacturers arriving in the UK and even in the last 12 months alone, they’ve increased rapidly. Joining the fray with a variety of low-cost offerings, these manufacturers have already made a significant impact on the motoring landscape and look set to keep that up in the future.

But what are the current Chinese brands to look out for and how are they doing things differently? Let’s take a look.

It has kicked things off in the UK with the 5 SUV, which competes against the likes of the MG HS and Kia Sportage. While the 5 is available with hybrid engines, the E5 is its battery-powered stablemate.

It only started European sales last year but already has two offerings here in the UK. There’s the tiny T03, which rivals the new Dacia Spring and this is joined by the C10, a mid-size SUV to go up against cars like the Skoda Enyaq.

Jaecoo – like Omoda – is owned by Chery and, as a result, has significant backing for expansion here. It is believed that Jaecoo’s next car will be a smaller version of the J7 to take on cars like the Lexus LBX.

Denza will continue to target the more premium end of the market when it broadens its range of cars with the Z9 and D9 SUVs in the near future.

Haval, meanwhile, only has one car on offer currently, the Jolian Pro. It’s one of the cheapest SUVs on sale in the UK and comes with a hybrid engine to help make this Nissan Qashqai-rivalling car more efficient.,

BYD has a good number of cars on sale in the UK today, with hatchbacks, saloons and SUVs all available.

Today, MG outsells many more established brands such as Skoda and Mini, bringing a range of low-cost electric and hybrid models to market.

Having already established a presence in Scandinavian countries means that Xpeng has a good backing to begin with.

Again, Skywell focuses on making electric vehicles that undercut many rivals on price.

Maxus already has a number of dealers here in the UK, too, giving it a significant launchpad for its electric vehicles.