Car statistics

BYD car statistics

How many BYD cars are on the road in Great Britain, every BYD model, its share of new cars over time and which fuels they use and their safety recalls. Built from DVLA licensing records.

Last updated
Records analysed
37,339,879 car records (licensed and SORN)
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed in Great Britain 78,331 +316.7% on a year earlier
  • Rank among makes No. 33 0.23% of licensed cars
  • Declared SORN 165 0.2% of those still registered
  • New registrations in 2025 50,507 2.5% of all new cars
  • Most common fuel Electric 60.8% of those licensed
  • Safety recalls since 1992 1 naming 1 BYD model

How many BYD cars are on the road?

There were 78,331 BYD cars licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 165 declared off the road (SORN). That is 0.23% of all licensed cars, or about 1 in 428, making BYD the No. 33 make on the road. That is the most on the road at any year end since 2022. Electric makes up 60.8% of licensed BYD cars, against 5.5% of all cars.

BYD cars licensed in Great Britain

Numbers are still rising: the latest count is the highest in this series.

BYD cars licensed in Great Britain at the end of each year
Year Licensed
2022 2
2023 1,158
2024 9,699
2025 58,178
2026 78,331

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Fuel type

BYD cars

All cars in Great Britain

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

BYD models

6 BYD models have a page of their own. The most common is the BYD Seal, with 49,851 licensed: 63.6% of all BYD cars on the road. The totals above also count models too small for a page of their own.

BYD models with their own page, most licensed first
Model Licensed Change on a year SORN Main fuel
Seal 49,851 +440.9% 105 Plug-in hybrid
Dolphin 13,025 +217.6% 30 Electric
Atto 3 10,161 +85.4% 24 Electric
Sealion 5 2,330 0 Hybrid
Seal 6 1,822 0 Plug-in hybrid
Atto 2 1,140 5 Electric

New BYD cars registered each year

Registrations of new BYD cars in Great Britain peaked at 50,507 in 2025. In 2025, 50,507 were registered for the first time: 2.5% of all new cars.

Registered for the first time, by year

BYD cars registered for the first time in Great Britain, by year
Year First registrations
’22 2
’23 1,161
’24 8,674
’25 50,507

Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated

Share of all new cars

BYD’s first registrations as a share of every car registered for the first time in Great Britain that year.

BYD share of all new cars registered in Great Britain, by year
Year Share of new cars
2022 0.0%
2023 0.1%
2024 0.4%
2025 2.5%

Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated

BYD safety recalls

DVSA lists 1 safety recall naming a BYD car model since 1992, across 1 model. 1 was launched from 2016 to 2025, ranking BYD No. 57 of the makes with recalls in those years. A recall naming several BYD models counts once.

Recalls launched each year, 2022 to 2025

Safety recalls naming a BYD car model, by year launched
Year Recalls
’22 1
’23 0
’24 0
’25 0

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated

Models mostly registered as vans are left out, as on our recalls hub. A recall applies to vehicles built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every BYD. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check. How we match recalls to models.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated

Makes of a similar size

BYD compared with makes of a similar size
Rank Make Licensed Change on a year Main fuel MOT vs same ages
30 Cupra 125,229 +48.7% Petrol +0.4 pts
31 Jeep 90,483 +6.7% Petrol −2.7 pts
32 Smart 85,932 −1.6% Petrol +1.6 pts
33 BYD 78,331 +316.7% Electric
34 Alfa Romeo 66,633 −3.9% Petrol −1.3 pts
35 Subaru 55,424 −2.4% Petrol +6.4 pts
36 Polestar 52,194 +45.3% Electric −1.7 pts

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed and SORN counts Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 37,339,879 car records (licensed and SORN) 15 September 2026
Registered for the first time Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport 2001 to 2025 15 September 2026
Safety recalls Vehicle safety recalls Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Derived statistics UK Motoring
January 1992 to September 2026 7,495 road vehicle recalls (R/) 15 September 2026
  • Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
  • Make totals count every car DVLA records under the make, including models too small for a page of their own. The rank is among all 525 makes on the record.
  • Licensed counts are vehicles with a current tax or exemption at the end of each year (or the latest quarter). SORN counts are shown separately.
  • First registrations count cars registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.