China → EU, Jan–Aug1.56mcars exported
Plug-in hybrids+179%year on year
Chinese share of EU PHEVsup to 25%H1 2026
After talks on 9 October, the EU and China issued a joint statement on hybrid car trade. Details were not published, but EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said Chinese hybrid exports to the EU over the next four years should come in more than 50% below earlier projections.
Hybrids and plug-in hybrids were not covered by the EU’s 2024 duties on Chinese electric cars, and Chinese brands used that gap: plug-in hybrid exports to the EU rose 179% in the first eight months of 2026.
What it means for the UK
Britain has no equivalent duties or quotas, so the deal does not limit what Chinese brands can sell here. If fewer hybrids go to the EU, more could be offered to the UK.
