Car imports from China decline: Ukrainians' preferences shift

In Ukraine, demand for passenger cars imported from China has significantly decreased. In the first nine months of 2026, Ukrainians purchased 9,184 such cars - 37% fewer than in the same period last year. At the same time, the demand structure has changed noticeably: the share of electric vehicles decreased, while hybrids and cars with internal combustion engines took a much larger part of this segment.

This is reported by "Ukrautoprom" based on the results of January-September 2026.

Sales of new cars imported from China decreased the most. In nine months, Ukrainians bought 7,251 new cars, 40% fewer than in the same period of 2025.

In the used car segment, a decline was also recorded, although it was slightly smaller. The number of purchased cars with mileage was 1,933 units - 26% less year-on-year.

The ratio of powertrain types changed especially noticeably. Electric vehicles remain the largest category among passenger cars imported from China, but their share decreased from 87% last year to 53% in 2026.

Thus, over the year, the share of electric cars decreased by 34 percentage points.

At the same time, hybrid cars accounted for 26% of purchased cars from China. Petrol models accounted for 18%, and diesel models for another 3%.

So, although electric vehicles still dominate in this segment, almost half of passenger cars imported from China now consist of cars with other powertrain types. A year ago, their combined share did not exceed 13%.

Most popular new cars from China

Among new passenger cars, the electric crossover BYD Sea Lion 06 became the sales leader, purchased 862 times.

The top five most popular models also included:

1. BYD Sea Lion 06 - 862 cars;
2. BYD Leopard 3 - 513;
3. Zeekr 001 - 338;
4. Volkswagen ID.UNYX - 306;
5. Chery Tiggo 4 - 284.

The presence of Volkswagen in this ranking is explained by the fact that the statistics cover cars imported from China, regardless of the country of origin of the car brand.

Most popular used cars from China

In the used car segment, BYD Song L took first place, purchased 198 times.

The top five look like this:

1. BYD Song L - 198 cars;
2. Zeekr 7X - 124;
3. Buick Envision - 106;
4. BYD Sea Lion 05 - 104;
5. BYD Sea Lion 06 - 103.

Thus, BYD remains one of the most notable brands among cars of Chinese origin presented on the Ukrainian market. The manufacturer's models topped the rankings of both new and used cars.

At the same time, the provided statistics primarily indicate a reduction in purchases of cars imported directly from China. It does not cover all sales of Chinese car brands, since part of their products may come to Ukraine from other countries.

Based on materials: Ukrautoprom