China Has Ousted Tesla from the Ranking of New Electric Vehicles in Ukraine: The Five Most Popular Models Have Been Named
11 August 13:36
The Ukrainian electric vehicle market contracted by 44% in July 2026; however, the decline was driven not by a shift in consumer preferences but by a change in the sales mix. In the new car segment, Chinese brands BYD and Zeekr took the top spots, while Tesla continues to dominate the used car market. This is according to data from the Ukravtoprom automotive association, as reported by "Komersant Ukrainian"
In July 2026, more than 3,900 fully electric vehicles were added to Ukraine’s vehicle fleet. This is 44% less than in the same month last year.
Ukrainians predominantly choose used electric vehicles
Passenger electric vehicles made up the bulk of July’s registrations—a total of 3,756 vehicles. However, only 423 of them were new.
Another 3,333 used electric cars were imported into Ukraine. Consequently, the share of used cars in the passenger car segment reached nearly 89%. In other words, approximately nine out of ten electric passenger cars registered in July had already been in use abroad.
On an annual basis, demand for new electric cars fell by 73%, while demand for used ones fell by 37%. This indicates that the new-car segment experienced the sharpest decline.
Commercial electric vehicles accounted for 172 registrations. Only 14 of these were new vehicles. In July 2025, Ukrainians registered 176 commercial BEVs, 20 of which were new.
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Chinese brands have pushed competitors out of the new electric vehicle rankings
The most popular new electric vehicle in July was the BYD Sea Lion 06 EV crossover. A total of 73 such vehicles were registered in Ukraine during the month.
Second place went to another BYD model—the Leopard 3—with 40 registrations. It trails the leader by 33 registrations.
The top five most popular new electric vehicles included:
- BYD Sea Lion 06 EV — 73 cars;
- BYD Leopard 3 — 40 vehicles;
- Volkswagen ID.UNYX — 39 cars;
- Zeekr 001 — 36 cars;
- Zeekr 7X — 28 vehicles.
Four out of the top five spots in the ranking were taken by Chinese brands. The exception was the Volkswagen ID.UNYX, though this model is also manufactured in China through the Volkswagen Anhui joint venture.
Thus, all five of July’s most popular new electric vehicles are manufactured in China. This is one of the main differences between this new segment and the market for used electric vehicles.
In total, the top five models accounted for 216 registrations—more than half of all new passenger electric vehicles registered during the month.
Tesla Remains the Leader Among Used EVs
The situation is different in the used car market. American-made Teslas continue to dominate here, and the Tesla Model Y was the most popular electric car in July.
During the month, 509 used Model Ys were registered in Ukraine. Second place went to the Tesla Model 3 with 456 vehicles.
The top five most popular imported used electric vehicles are as follows:
- Tesla Model Y — 509 cars;
- Tesla Model 3 — 456 cars;
- Nissan Leaf — 383 cars;
- Chevrolet Bolt — 209 cars;
- Kia Niro EV — 139 cars.
The two Tesla models together accounted for 965 registrations. This represents nearly 29% of all used electric passenger cars imported into Ukraine in July.
At the same time, the Tesla Model Y posted a result nearly seven times higher than that of the leader in the new segment, the BYD Sea Lion 06 EV. This demonstrates just how much greater the demand remains in Ukraine for more affordable used electric cars.
The electric vehicle market has split into two segments
July statistics revealed a clear division in the Ukrainian market. Buyers of new electric vehicles are increasingly opting for Chinese models from BYD, Zeekr, and Chinese-manufactured Volkswagen.
Among used cars, well-known models from Tesla, Nissan, Chevrolet, and Kia remain popular. The dominance of the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 can be attributed to the large supply of these vehicles on foreign used-car markets.
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