More and more Germans ready to buy a Chinese car

Buying a car from China? Recently, an increasing number of Germans are ready to take this step, a study by the consulting company Horváth reveals piese auto online.

More and more Germans ready to buy a Chinese car

Germans are increasingly looking to models from the Far East when it comes to buying a car. This is evidenced by the results of a survey by the consulting company Horváth. More than half of the respondents in it – 52%, have abandoned their prejudices against Chinese cars. For comparison – at the beginning of last year this percentage was only 37%.

Significant growth in trust in a very short period

According to the survey participants, the price and the good price-quality ratio are the most important advantages of the “Chinese”. The power of the cars and their design are also quite well received. However, doubts about Chinese quality have not disappeared: according to the survey, 44% of potential buyers have concerns about possible defects. 29% say that they generally do not trust Chinese brands. One in four has concerns about data privacy in connected cars.

Automotive expert Georg Mrusek von Horvath commented to: “Chinese manufacturers are becoming increasingly important in Europe and customers are increasingly open to them – thus a new order is emerging in the global automotive market.

The market share of Chinese manufacturers in Europe is growing significantly

The trend in attitudes towards Chinese cars is also reflected in their sales: according to the consulting company, the market share of Chinese brands in Europe increased from 2.7% in the first quarter of 2024 to 8.0% in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Most Chinese models are sold in the UK, Spain and Italy, and Chinese manufacturers achieve the highest market share (13.8%) in Norway, the hub of electric mobility. In Germany, their market share is 2.4%, the study shows.

"While Chinese brands are clearly gaining popularity in Europe as a whole, capturing the German market remains a difficult goal for them. Strong local brands, high customer demands and strong loyalty to traditional brands make it significantly more difficult to break through here," says Mrusek.

Chinese manufacturers – still unknown

In Germany, four Chinese manufacturers reported significant sales in 2025: MG Motor was at the top with a total of 26,479 sales, an increase of 26.2%. Electric car leader BYD came in second with 23,306 units and a remarkable increase in sales of 706.2%. Leapmotor (7,280) and XPeng (2,991) sold significantly fewer cars in Germany. This may also be due to the fact that many Germans have only heard of a few Chinese manufacturers. Only two brands are known to more than half of the Germans surveyed: Smart (52%) and BYD (51%).

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Germans are increasingly looking to models from the Far East when it comes to buying a car

Significant growth in trust in a very short period