The Jaecoo 7 was the UK’s best-selling new car in September, with more than 10,800 registrations, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders. It outsold the Ford Puma and Kia Sportage to reclaim the lead it had previously held in March. The SUV has been sold in Britain for less than two years and is built in China by Chery Automobile.
Jaecoo’s UK range also includes the Jaecoo 8, and together the models gave the brand a 4.3% market share for the month. The Jaecoo 7 starts at about £30,000 and is offered with either a combustion engine or a plug-in hybrid powertrain. September is a particularly busy month for UK car sales because new registration plates arrive; March brings a similar seasonal lift.
The broader gains were substantial: Chinese brands accounted for 23% of UK new-car sales in September. BYD alone represented almost 6% of registrations. Jaecoo and Omoda UK managing director Victor Zhang said potential tariffs would not alter the brands’ investment plans. Chery and Nissan have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore building Chery vehicles at Nissan’s Sunderland plant. The article also notes that Chinese-made EVs face additional EU tariffs, while plug-in hybrids are not currently subject to the same duties. Chery’s UK strategy leans heavily on plug-in hybrids, amid concerns about uneven charging infrastructure; the source says only a small share of its sales are EVs and nearly a quarter are combustion-only.