The Jaecoo 7 has become the UK's best-selling new car for September, beating the Tesla Model 3 and Ford Puma as Chinese brands continue to make serious gains in the British market.
Some 10,813 Jaecoo 7s were registered during the month, according to preliminary figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). That puts the SUV at the top of the sales table for the second time in 2026, after it also led the market in March.
September is one of the two biggest registration months of the year, alongside March, as buyers take advantage of the arrival of new number plates and manufacturers compete hard for sales.
That makes the Jaecoo 7's performance particularly significant.
The SUV has built a reputation for offering plenty of equipment and a premium-looking design at a price aimed well below established luxury rivals. Its styling has even earned it the nickname "Temu Range Rover" because of its resemblance to the Range Rover Velar.
The sales figures suggest that plenty of British buyers are willing to give the newcomer a chance.
Jaecoo 7 sales and UK market position
The Tesla Model 3 finished September in second place with 9,929 registrations, while the Ford Puma took third with 6,958.
The Puma remains Britain's best-selling new car so far this year, with 42,926 registrations by the end of September. The Jaecoo 7, however, has narrowed the gap considerably and now stands at 39,473 registrations for 2026.
The wider figures tell an even bigger story.
Chinese manufacturers are becoming a major force in the UK new-car market, with the preliminary September data suggesting they accounted for around 23 per cent of all new-car registrations.
BYD was the second best-selling brand overall, recording 20,140 registrations and moving ahead of Kia on 18,399. Volkswagen remained at the top with 25,972 sales, while MG finished fourth with 18,026.
Jaecoo itself recorded 15,055 registrations during the month.
When sales from its sister brands Chery, Omoda and Lepas are included, the wider group recorded more than 32,000 registrations.
That growth is putting established manufacturers under increasing pressure.
Chinese cars gain ground in Britain
Several familiar manufacturers recorded sizeable year-on-year falls in September.
Hyundai registrations dropped by 32 per cent compared with September 2025, while Renault was down by almost 30 per cent. Ford also suffered a significant decline, with registrations falling by 27 per cent.
Chinese brands are benefiting from an expanding range of SUVs, hybrids and electric cars, combined with competitive pricing and high equipment levels.
Jaecoo has also been building its UK presence beyond its showroom network.
Its parent company, Chery Group, has opened a research and development facility at the UTAC Millbrook proving ground to help develop vehicles for the UK market.
Chery has also agreed a memorandum of understanding with Nissan that could allow it to use the Japanese manufacturer's second assembly line at its Sunderland plant to build vehicles for British customers.
There is also a long-running relationship between Chery and Jaguar Land Rover. The companies have operated a joint venture in China since 2012, while a 2024 agreement gave Chery access to the Freelander name for a new range of vehicles.
Jaecoo 7 reliability raises questions
The Jaecoo 7's sales success comes with one significant caveat.
Its reliability record has been considerably less impressive than its registration figures.
In the latest What Car? reliability survey, which gathered feedback from around 40,000 UK drivers, the Jaecoo 7 was ranked sixth from bottom among 225 models.
It achieved a reliability score of 71.9 per cent, with around three in ten owners surveyed reporting a fault.
Reported problems included electrical systems, infotainment, batteries and bodywork. Some owners also reported lengthy waits for repairs, with almost two-thirds of reported faults taking more than a week to resolve.
That matters for anyone considering a Jaecoo as a family car. A low purchase price and generous equipment list look attractive on paper, but reliability and aftersales support can have a much bigger impact on the cost and convenience of ownership.
Jaecoo has responded by expanding its warranty coverage to include more components for the full seven-year, 100,000-mile period.
The company is also investing in its parts distribution network as it attempts to keep pace with the rapid growth of its UK customer base.
UK EV sales hit a new high
September was also a landmark month for electric cars in Britain.
Almost 100,000 battery-electric vehicles were registered, with 99,199 deliveries representing a 36.3 per cent increase compared with September 2025.
EVs accounted for 28.3 per cent of all new-car registrations.
Plug-in hybrid sales rose even faster, increasing by 55.7 per cent to 59,563 registrations. Models such as the Jaecoo 7 and BYD Seal U have benefited from growing demand for cars that combine electrification with the familiarity of a petrol engine.
Petrol remained the UK's most popular fuel type, with 131,861 registrations, although that was 6.7 per cent lower than a year earlier.
Diesel was the surprise performer.
Diesel registrations increased by 11.5 per cent despite fuel prices reaching record levels, with the average UK diesel price moving above £2 per litre during the week.
The September figures therefore point to a car market that is changing quickly. Electric and hybrid sales are accelerating, Chinese manufacturers are taking a larger share of registrations, while some long-established brands are losing ground.
Our verdict on the Jaecoo 7
The Jaecoo 7 deserves credit for what it has achieved. Becoming Britain's best-selling new car in two major registration months is a serious statement of intent, particularly for a brand that only recently arrived on the UK scene.
Its combination of styling, equipment and competitive pricing clearly appeals to British buyers.
The reliability figures stop me from calling it an automatic recommendation, though. Anyone tempted by the Jaecoo 7 should look beyond the showroom price and consider warranty coverage, dealer support, parts availability and the experiences of existing owners.
For now, the biggest takeaway is the shift happening across the UK car market. Chinese manufacturers have moved well beyond being a curiosity, and the Jaecoo 7's sales performance shows that established brands can no longer assume buyers will stick with familiar badges.