Six new BYD cars by 2026, but they won’t all be EVs

BYD may have only started selling cars in the UK in 2023, but it has already successfully launched a diverse range of six models and the Chinese brand is not slowing down, with plans to double the size of its line-up in half that time.

Speaking exclusively with Auto Express at the UK launch of the new BYD Dolphin Surf – the brand’s newest, most affordable and probably most attractive offering to date – UK sales and marketing manager Steve Beattie revealed BYD will launch another six models here before the end of 2026.

Next to arrive in showrooms will be the new BYD Atto 2, a tech-focused compact SUV which we drove for the first time earlier this year, and is set to finally go on sale in September. Initially it’ll only be available as an EV, with a choice of standard- or long-range batteries, however Beattie told us there will also be a plug-in hybrid ‘DM-i’ version sometime in 2026 – which will give the newcomer an edge over rivals like the Kia EV3 or Smart #1.

The BYD Seal 06 estate car and saloon will also be launching in the UK before the end of the year, along with the BYD Seal 05 – another BMW 3 Series-sized saloon - and both will feature plug-in hybrid power. However, while the Seal 5 will be an entry-level option for the brand, the Seal 06 is a more premium offering, and essentially the sister to BYD’s Seal U SUV that landed not too long ago.

The company is going to be updating some of its existing models soon, as well, Beattie tells us. We’ve already seen the updated BYD Seal – the brand’s rival to the Tesla Model 3 – which features a revamped interior and LiDAR system for more advanced autonomous driving capabilities. The Atto 3 family SUV is in line for a spruce-up, too, as this was the first car the brand sold in the UK, and images of a facelifted version surfaced online earlier this year, sporting a new sharper look, more in-line with the smaller Atto 2.

Three more as-yet-unnamed new models will be joining the BYD line-up in 2026. Beattie didn’t tell us anything about this trio, but it seems likely that the BYD Seal 06 GT will be come here eventually, as the electric hatchback could serve as a rival to the Volkswagen ID.3 and Cupra Born, plus there’s a hot 416bhp version too called the Seal X.

BYD Shark could come to the UK to challenge the Ford Ranger

While not confirmed for the UK either, the BYD Shark hybrid pick-up truck also has a strong chance of coming to our shores. For one thing it would offer a new challenger to the best-selling, multi-award-winning Ford Ranger, a plug-in hybrid version of which recently went on sale, offering up to 27 miles of pure-electric driving. 

The Shark meanwhile manages to boast up to 62 mils of EV range, thanks to its much larger  29.58kWh battery, plus a combined power output of 435bhp – compared to the 275bhp for the Ranger PHEV. However the BYD’s 2,500kg towing capacity does fall short of the Ford’s 3,500kg limit.

Beattie informed us that BYD has now brought a few Australian-spec Shark pick-up trucks into the UK for testing. “We’re driving those around at the moment and it's definitely been getting some really good and interesting reactions from the UK team.”

He added that the team is working to bring the truck to the UK, because “we want that truck here, because I think there's an opportunity for it here.”

The opportunity he’s referring to is double-cab pick-up trucks used to be classed as commercial vehicles, meaning company car drivers running one had to pay a flat tax rate of little as £792 per year. However these types of trucks are now classed as private vehicles, like passenger cars, and because they’re not very efficient, they fall into the highest Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) band for company car tax.

But of course, electric or plug-in hybrid trucks get around this thanks to their much greater fuel efficiency and zero-emissions driving capabilities. That’s why the Ranger PHEV attracts as little as 19% company car tax, while the equivalent diesel is slapped with the maximum 37% rate.

“[The pick-up truck] market is dominated by the Ranger and Ford does an incredible job with that. But what's interesting is the market has just changed for that vehicle because it was effectively a company car tax break, but [trucks] are now being classed as cars

“So, ultimately, all of those diesel [pick-up truck drivers] now have to move to something that is either plug-in hybrid or electric, and this being plug-in hybrid I think is going to fit really well.

“It’s also just something different, you know. We've seen that with Tesla Model 3 customers and Model Y customers, they say ‘I've had this for a while, I want to change into something different’ and that gives us an opportunity. Now for those Ranger customers, we’ll have an alternative here.”

As well as launching six cars in less than two years, BYD accounted for 2% of all new cars sales in the UK in April and May this year, with Beattie hoping to retain that market share this month. Another milestone that seems in sight is 20,000 sales within the first half of the year. 

All the while, BYD plans to continue expanding its dealership network, which included 50 locations at the start of the year, but now stands at 75, and according to Beattie will reach 90 locations by September.

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