Smaller Chinese EV brands chip away at BYD's dominance in Singapore

SINGAPORE: Chinese electric vehicle (EV) sales in Singapore have surged past last year’s total in just seven months, with lesser-known brands steadily chipping away at market leader BYD’s dominance.

Data from the Land Transport Authority shows that 7,796 Chinese EVs were registered between January and July, edging past the 7,772 recorded across the whole of 2024. 

The growth has further entrenched Chinese makers as the leading force in Singapore's EV market, with their collective share rising from 53.8 per cent in 2024 to 65.7 per cent so far this year.

While BYD continues to lead, its grip is weakening. Last year, it accounted for 79.7 per cent of all Chinese EV registrations. This has fallen to 70.9 per cent in 2025, as rival brands make inroads.

Excluding BYD, 15 Chinese brands are now active in Singapore: Avatr, Chery, Deepal, Dongfeng, EvEasy, GAC, Geely, Great Wall, MG, Maxus, Neta, Seres, Skyworth, Xpeng and Zeekr. Together, they sold 2,264 EVs from January to July, compared with 1,581 EVs sold by 11 such brands over the whole of 2024.

All but two brands – Great Wall and MG – have already surpassed their 2024 sales.

CarTimes Group's chief operating officer Benjamin Loo said growing consumer interest in Chinese EVs beyond BYD has been driven by a wider variety of new models this year, such as GAC's Aion V, MG’s MG4 and the Zeekr 009.

“In 2024, market demand for EVs was not as strong and distributors were cautious about ordering too much stock as well,” he said. “With the success of BYD, consumers in 2025 are much more receptive to the idea of buying a brand new EV and this spilled over to the rest of the brands as well.” 

Analysts said last month that the rise in popularity of Chinese EVs, along with EV incentives doled out by the government, have led to a surge in demand for these cars, pushing COE prices to record highs.

On Monday, the Land Transport Authority announced it will extend the rebates for early EV adoption to end-2027, but with scaled-down incentives. 

BUYERS CITE MORE CHOICE AND VALUE

Car owners told CNA that they were drawn by new models that gave them more options outside of BYD.

Mr Andrew Tam, 58, said the no-frills design of Dongfeng’s Box model caught his eye. He collected the five-seater hatchback – Dongfeng’s first model launched in Singapore – in February after purchasing it at a promotional price of S$138,000 (US$107,500).

“We discovered that it offered almost everything we needed, and the price was surprisingly reasonable compared to other cars with similar or even fewer features,” said Mr Tam, who works as an assistant director at a tertiary institution.

At the other end of the market, Mr Roy See opted for the Zeekr 7X, as he felt the brand was “positioned as more premium”. He paid S$236,000 for the car.

“They’re in the likes of continental cars like BMW, Mercedes Benz and Audi, such as the features, the comfort, the finishing and the performance of the car. I think this is the differentiation between Zeekr and BYD,” said the 46-year-old business development director.

He said China’s leadership in EV battery technology gave him confidence in the purchase. “The brain of the car is the battery, so that’s more important – and China is the leader.”

BANKING ON BYD'S MOMENTUM

Analysts and consumers alike said the success of BYD has helped open doors for other Chinese brands.

Associate Professor Raymond Ong, a transport infrastructure researcher at the National University of Singapore, said trust in Chinese EVs is rising due to BYD's performance.

“If people have tried BYD cars and say they are good, and that they don’t see any issue, with the car functioning better than what they have driven in the past, then the faith in Chinese brands will keep on growing,” he said.

“People know that globally, China is the leading EV manufacturer, so why not trust (in the brands)?”

Mr See agreed, noting that he “wouldn't dare to touch” Chinese brands before BYD overtook Toyota as Singapore’s most popular car.

“But over the years, they’ve improved tremendously, they’ve built upon their technology and made a lot of improvements, so I gained a lot of confidence to switch over to a Chinese brand,” he said.

Another buyer, tech entrepreneur Willy Tan, recently purchased a GAC E9 plug-in hybrid. While not a fully electric vehicle, he said his confidence was buoyed by the broader market’s acceptance of Chinese EVs.

“If the cars were brought in by smaller dealerships, I would trust them less … but the Chinese offerings that have been coming here, especially those brought in by the bigger distributors, do give me confidence,” he said.

CHINESE BRANDS LOOK TO EXPAND FURTHER

Several brands report strong sales momentum and ambitious expansion plans.

MG told CNA it has recorded five straight months of growth, with more than 100 units sold each month for the past three months. Dongfeng said showroom visits and enquiries have risen fourfold compared to 2024, with monthly sales up by 20 to 30 per cent.

Zeekr Singapore general manager Isabel Hong said walk-ins and enquiries were up 75 per cent year-to-date compared to the same period in 2024. Deepal reported monthly sales growth of 10 to 30 per cent since opening its showroom in March.

Xpeng also said it is working to improve charging infrastructure in Singapore by collaborating with local providers.

More expansion is planned. MG will open a new showroom next month and launch additional car models. Dongfeng, Zeekr and Deepal also confirmed they will release new models in the coming months.

“Zeekr remains confident about continued growth, and we look forward to expanding our all-electric lineup locally,” said Ms Hong.