Jaecoo 7 becomes the UK’s best-selling car

In a market long dominated by names such as the Ford Puma, Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage, something unprecedented has happened: a Chinese model became the best-selling car in the United Kingdom.

The headline-maker is the Jaecoo 7, an SUV from the Chery-owned brand. It has only just arrived in Portugal, and has been on sale in the UK since January 2025.

Jaecoo 7 sales in March: the UK’s new best-seller

Offered with a petrol engine as well as a plug-in hybrid option, the Jaecoo 7 posted 10,064 registrations in the UK in March. That was enough to overtake the usual frontrunners: the Ford Puma (9,193 units), the Nissan Qashqai (8,718 units) and the Kia Sportage (7,310 units).

The achievement carries extra significance because it came in the most important month of the year for the British market. March is when new registration plates come into force and, traditionally, it is the period that concentrates the highest sales volumes of the year.

Those March results also lifted the Jaecoo 7 to second place in the year-to-date UK sales table. Only the Ford Puma remained ahead, with a gap of under 600 units: 15,569 for the Jaecoo 7 versus 16,128 for the Ford Puma.

Where does this success come from?

Although many people still do not recognise the Chinese brand, reaching the top of the UK charts so quickly rests on several factors. Pricing is one of them. The Jaecoo 7 can be priced around €5,000 lower-or more-than its rivals, particularly in the case of the 7 plug-in hybrid, which is the best seller, while still including as much (or more) standard equipment.

Another driver is distribution. In a little over a year, Jaecoo put together a network of nearly 130 sales outlets, built through agreements with multiple dealer groups.

Jaecoo 7 design and the “Temu Range Rover” effect

There is, however, another major influence: styling. The prevailing view in the British press is that it did not take long for the Jaecoo 7 to be dubbed the Temu Range Rover.

The SUV has design cues that bring to mind the Range Rover Evoque, a model widely admired for its looks. That resemblance between the 7 and the Evoque, combined with the more accessible price point, is drawing many customers into the showrooms of the young Chinese brand.

Can it keep up the success?

It remains to be seen whether this lead was a one-off moment or the start of a deeper, structural shift. The Jaecoo 7 has frequently featured among the 10 best-selling cars in the UK in recent months, but holding on to the top spot in one of Europe’s biggest markets (it was the second largest in 2025) is another matter.

What is clear is that, like Jaecoo, Chinese brands as a whole have been rising sharply in the British market. BYD stands out in particular: its sales more than doubled in March 2026, moving past more established brands such as Hyundai and Peugeot. In March, the combined market share of all Chinese brands reached 15% in the UK.

Chinese brands have already stopped being bit-part players in the United Kingdom.