The past year 2025 was not just successful, but truly abnormal for the Ukrainian market of new electric vehicles. In total, over the past twelve months, the fleet has been replenished with 22,809 new battery-powered passenger cars, which means an increase of a considerable 122.9% compared to 2024.
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December was special, as it gave the final "chord" before the tax rules changed: 5,846 registrations in one month. This is 84.9% more than in November, and when compared to December of the previous year, the volumes soared by an incredible 852.1%.
The share of electric vehicles reached 29%, almost doubling from 15% at the beginning of 2025.
This dynamic indicates not only excitement, but also that the new electric mobility has finally become mainstream.
Geography and brands: China is beyond competition
The main trend of the year is the total dominance of vehicles manufactured in China: 94% of all new electric vehicles purchased by Ukrainians in 2025 will be made in China. This has completely reshaped the brand popularity rating.
The absolute market leader was the BYD brand, which, thanks to its huge model range and aggressive pricing policy, left virtually no chance for competitors. Volkswagen confidently occupies the second place, but it is worth remembering that this success is ensured by the companyʼs Chinese factories and their specific line of electric crossovers. The top three are closed by Zeekr, a brand that has become the main discovery of recent years in the technological premium segment.
Honda remains in consistently high demand, chosen for its clear name in the affordable segment. The German trio of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz follow, but they are increasingly sharing the attention of buyers with new players such as Denza or the ambitious Xiaomi, whose appearance on the market has become one of the most high-profile events. The top ten is rounded out by the MG brand.
It is worth explaining the situation with Tesla separately. In the category of new cars, the brand has modest figures — only a few dozen registrations. This is due to the specifics of logistics: cars from the USA usually arrive as used after auctions, and cars from Europe, due to the nuances of paying VAT, often arrive as "one-day" used cars (already registered in the EU). If we were to rely solely on the year of manufacture, Tesla would take a place between Audi and Honda with a result of about 2,000 units, but legally these cars do not fall into the statistics of "new".
Models shaping a new reality
In the model ranking , the Volkswagen ID. Unyx unexpectedly took first place, which became a real hit thanks to its design. It managed to bypass even the long-standing favorite — its relative VW ID.4, and the BYD Song Plus crossover, which remains the main choice of pragmatists.
New products from Zeekr, including the 7X model, and sub-brands from the market leader BYD Leopard and the Sea Lion series are rapidly gaining momentum. Also in the top ten are the time-tested Honda e:NS1 and Zeekr 001, and the top is closed by the Audi Q4 e-tron and the affordable compact BYD Yuan UP.
Expert opinion
Ostap Novitsky, car market analyst:
"We see a picture that a few years ago would have seemed like a fantasy: the mass fascination of Ukrainians with the Chinese auto industry. But there is no mysticism here — it is pure calculation. When the new BYD Tang L is identical in size and multimedia level to the VW Touareg, but costs half as much, the buyer easily turns a blind eye to the risks. The car is new, and people hope that there will be no serious breakdowns in the near future, and the difference in price more than covers any service costs in the future.
We have not yet tested the liquidity of these cars on the secondary market. If the Chinese new products prove themselves well, they will continue their expansion. If systemic problems with the body, electronics, or software begin, the drop in resale price may become critical. This will scare rational buyers who are used to internal combustion engines.
However, there is another group of consumers for whom a car is a big gadget. They don’t care about kilowatts or newton meters, they need infotainment and screens. They will buy such cars and change them as often as smartphones. It is this approach that is currently driving this part of the market forward.”
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