Burnham faces pressure to slap tariffs on Chinese EVs as they dominate UK sales charts for the first time

From the Newshound archive · first published 10 October 2026.

Chinese electric car brands have swept to the top of UK sales rankings for the first time, with the Omoda E5, Jaecoo E5 and Leapmotor B10 filling three of the top five spots in Q3 2026, even as Britain faces mounting pressure from Germany and Renault to match the EU's tariffs of up to 45 per cent on imported Chinese vehicles. Prime Minister Andy Burnham met German chancellor Friedrich Merz this week to discuss raising tariffs as a show of solidarity with Berlin's proposed 'Made in Europe' policies. Electrified vehicles hit a record 58.4 per cent of all UK registrations in September, with BYD rapidly closing in on Tesla.

Renault Group managing director Francois Provost warned the UK risks being frozen out of EU 'Made in Europe' incentives unless it matches Brussels' Chinese car tariffs.

Diesel hit a record £2 per litre, pushing drivers toward EVs that can cost as little as 2p per mile — making cheap Chinese models increasingly hard to resist.

MG's commercial director warned matching the EU levy would drive up prices and inflation, exposing the Catch-22 facing Burnham as he weighs the decision.