BYD's latest registrations put it ahead of MG as Spain's best-selling Chinese car brand, reversing the July year-to-date standings. In July 2026, BYD registered 3,899 vehicles, outpacing MG's 3,688. At that point, MG still held the year-to-date lead: its 28,825 registrations were 2,066 more than BYD's 26,759.
Figures reported by Spanish business newspaper Expansión on 24 October, citing registration data from Ideauto and ANFAC, show how the race later turned. BYD had recorded 36,755 registrations in Spain during 2026 to that point, up 105% year on year, while MG had 35,657, down 4.7%. BYD's lead had grown to 1,098 vehicles, confirming that its July monthly advantage developed into a cumulative lead later in the year.
The July figures had already signalled a change in momentum: BYD's registrations were up 80.7% compared with July 2025, while MG's were down 0.4%. For January to July, BYD's total had risen 116.6% year on year, while MG's had slipped 1.3%. Expansión's later figures put BYD's growth at 105% across the period it reported and MG's decline at 4.7%, extending the comparison beyond the first seven months.
Several models have contributed to BYD's growth. Expansión reported that the Atto 2 was the brand's best-selling model in Spain, with more than 13,000 registrations, followed by the Seal U with more than 9,000 and the Dolphin Surf with more than 5,000. Together, these model-level totals show that the advance was spread across multiple vehicles rather than resting on a single nameplate.
MG benefited from entering the Spanish market earlier and building brand recognition with competitively priced vehicles. BYD, which arrived later, has expanded its range and in little more than three years moved ahead of its rival among Chinese brands, information from Expansión. The shift reflects both BYD's rapid growth and MG's falling registrations.
The competition takes place under a European trade regime that affects some imports differently. Regulation (EU) 2024/2754, in force from 30 October 2024 for five years, imposed additional countervailing duties on battery-electric passenger cars made in China: 17.0% for BYD, 18.8% for Geely and 35.3% for SAIC, the parent group associated with MG. These duties are additional to the standard 10% customs duty; plug-in hybrids are outside the measure. The commercial impact also depends on a vehicle's powertrain and country of production.
Chinese manufacturers' growth in Spain extends beyond BYD and MG. In the first seven months of 2026, the registration dataset cited by ANFAC and Ideauto listed Omoda at 15,066 units, Jaecoo at 8,087, Leapmotor at 3,691, Changan at 2,360 and Geely at 1,383. Omoda was up 105% year on year, Jaecoo 56% and Leapmotor 189%, albeit from a smaller base. Together, Chinese brands accounted for more than 50,000 new registrations between January and July.
Despite these gains, Chinese brands had yet to enter Spain's overall top 10 in the first-seven-month figures. Toyota led with 64,387 registrations, followed by Volkswagen, Seat, Renault, Kia, Peugeot, Dacia, Hyundai, Mercedes and BMW. MG, at 28,825, was 1,707 vehicles behind BMW, while BYD, at 26,759, was also closing in.
Several established brands also reported declines in the January to July comparison: Citroën was down 5.7%, Jeep 0.8%, Alfa Romeo 12.5% and Abarth 88.5%. Dacia, Ford, Hyundai, Land Rover, Nissan and Renault also posted negative results. The registration figures point to a changing competitive field, though they do not by themselves establish a single cause for each brand's performance.
Competition between Chinese and European automakers is intensifying across the continent, including in Spain. New models and pricing strategies are reshaping the market, as the rivalry between Chinese and German brands shows. A recent comparison of premium electric vehicles in Europe, including the Zeekr 7GT and BMW iX3, highlights how new idea from China is challenging established players.
By late October, the contest for Spain's leading Chinese car brand had moved beyond the close July year-to-date comparison: BYD had overtaken MG in cumulative registrations, while MG remained a major market participant. The later figures underline the pace of BYD's expansion and the increasingly broad field of Chinese automakers competing for Spanish buyers.
