Made-in-China Brands Top 5.4 Percent of Spain’s New-Car Mix in H1 2026 as BYD DM-i Pivots the Powertrain Mix

Chinese-brand passenger vehicles crossed a combined 5.4 percent share of new-car registrations in Spain during H1 2026, roughly doubling the country’s 2.8 percent reading from H1 2024 and continuing one of the fastest two-year trajectories anywhere in Western Europe. BYD leads the cohort at 1.8 percent, followed by MG at 1.6 percent, Leapmotor at 1.1 percent and other Chinese brands (Chery’s Omoda & Jaecoo plus smaller entrants) collectively at 0.9 percent.

Key Highlights

The most consequential shift between H1 2025 and H1 2026 is the rise of BYD’s DM-i super-hybrid technology in the Spanish Chinese-brand mix. PHEV nameplates — the BYD Sealion 6 DM-i, Seal U DM-i and Dolphin G DM-i — now account for roughly 32 percent of BYD’s Spanish volume, up from 11 percent a year earlier. For Spanish buyers shuttling between major metros (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville) and remote rural regions (Galicia, Extremadura, Murcia), the PHEV’s 1,000+ km combined range neutralises the DC-fast-charging anxiety that has capped pure-BEV adoption — and is favouring Chinese OEMs whose PHEVs ship credible EV-only ranges versus European competitors’ weaker plug-in offerings.

Why It Matters Inside the European Map

Spain’s 5.4 percent reading puts it ahead of France (5.0 percent) and Germany (4.3 percent) in H1 2026, just behind Italy (around 6.1 percent), and well below the UK (around 9.2 percent). Distribution depth is doing real work: Stellantis-Leapmotor is now pushing Leapmotor through approximately 180 Stellantis dealer points nationwide — the largest Chinese-brand retail footprint in Spain and the third-most-important Chinese pathway after BYD’s owned network and MG. The BYD Dolphin remains Spain’s best-selling Chinese model, narrowly ahead of the Atto 3 and the MG4, with the Leapmotor T03 the fastest-growing nameplate of the past six months. iEVChina’s full coverage breaks down the brand-by-brand registration table and the PHEV-vs-BEV mix.

What’s Next

If Chinese-brand share keeps doubling on the current 24-month cadence, the Spanish cohort could approach 8 percent share by H1 2027 — provided European Commission tariff and trade-defence actions don’t escalate materially through the back half of 2026.

Source: official disclosure / iEVChina analysis