Chinese cars are making great inroads on Portugal’s roads – quite literally with over 30,000 currently circulating.
A few years ago, seeing a Chinese car in Portugal was like finding a needle in a haystack, but the strong push by manufacturers from the world’s second-largest economy into the European and national markets has changed this scenario. By the end of last year, there were already around 24,000 passenger cars of Chinese brands circulating on Portuguese roads. And by the end of April this year, another 7,300 had been delivered, bringing the Chinese contingent to over 30,000 vehicles.
Among the manufacturers from the Asian giant present in Portugal, MG and BYD clearly stand out. The former, which was revived by the Chinese state-owned Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) in 2007, had 11,877 cars registered in Portugal at the end of last year. BYD, which only arrived in Portugal in May 2023, has shown exponential growth year after year and had 10,100 units sold by December 31, 2025. Rounding out the top three, but at a considerable distance, is Xpeng, with 914 cars.
In total, there were 15 Chinese brands with passenger cars present in the national market at the end of last year. This year, Ebro, a Spanish brand that partnered with the Chinese company Chery to revive its presence, and Zeekr, a “premium” brand from the Geely group, joined them. Many of these manufacturers only entered the national market last year or in 2024, and still have a small number of registered vehicles. This group includes Leapmotor (276 units), Dong Feng (151), Aiways (150), Forthing (102), as well as the almost newcomers Aion, Changan, Deepal, Omoda, Voyah, Jaecoo and Nio, all still below one hundred units by the end of 2025.
Uptick in Chinese invasion of electric cars
In the first four months of this year alone, Chinese brands added 7,327 new vehicle registrations, bringing the total number of cars from manufacturers in the Eastern giant to over 30,000. While MG and BYD continue to dominate, with 2,966 and 2,298 units sold respectively by the end of April, newer brands are accelerating towards more robust numbers. The Chinese manufacturers are betting on electrified vehicles – 100% electric, plug-in hybrids, and mild hybrids.
Xpeng increased its presence in Portugal by 552 units, while Omoda also surpassed 500 registered cars, and Leapmotor totaled 339 registered vehicles.
Meanwhile, the newcomers Ebro and Zeekr accounted for 14 units each, in the case of the brand originating from the neighboring country, and three vehicles, in the case of the premium brand owned by Volvo’s parent company.
Source: Negócios; Credits: Car Magazine