BYD sells over a fifth of all new cars in Singapore in 2025 – The Straits Times

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BYD's dominance comes amid a surge in popularity of electric vehicles, which made up about 45 per cent of new cars sold in 2025.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Aqil Hamzah
Summary
AI generated
Published Jan 23, 2026, 12:23 PM
Updated Jan 23, 2026, 09:25 PM
SINGAPORE – Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD is Singapore’s best-selling car brand after it

accounting for more than 20 per cent of all new car sales.
topped sales in 2025,
This is the first time BYD has emerged at the top of the list. Registration figures for new cars come from those sold through authorised motor distributors and dealers, as well as parallel imports.
BYD’s dominance came amid a surge in sales of EVs, which made up about 45 per cent of new cars sold in 2025, a record high.
It is the only manufacturer to have more than 10,000 vehicles registered in Singapore.
With 11,184 units registered, its cars, including those from its luxury line Denza, accounted for slightly more than a fifth of all new car registrations (21.2 per cent). This is an 80.6 per cent increase from 2024, when it put 6,191 cars on the road.
Its closest competitor, Japan’s Toyota (including its luxury brand Lexus), trailed at 7,466 units, followed by Germany’s BMW with 5,091 units.
Of the 52,678 new cars registered during the year, 23,684 were EVs, according to figures from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) released on Jan 22.
This made EVs the most common type of new car for the first time. They accounted for only 34 per cent of market share in the previous year, when there were 14,448 new EVs registered, out of a total of 43,022 new cars.
Dr Zafar Momin, an adjunct professor at the NUS Business School, said that while hybrid cars will remain a mainstay in Singapore, they are unlikely to overtake EVs in market share.
Hybrid cars were the most common type of new car registered in 2023 and 2024.
He said: “Despite a pivot towards hybrids in Western markets, Singapore’s EV momentum remains strong, fuelled by a growing charging network and generous incentive policies.
“This shift is further accelerated by the phase-out of hybrid tax incentives and the surging popularity of Chinese EVs, which offer superior styling, advanced technology and competitive pricing.”
Meanwhile, Borneo Motors Singapore said it will continue with a strategy that supports Singapore’s electrification journey while providing customers with choices.
This means that rather than going all-in with EVs, the authorised distributor of Toyota and Lexus vehicles here will continue offering hybrids, with drivers able to make decisions that are suited to their driving patterns and charging access, among other considerations.
The only other brand known for EVs in the top 10 was Tesla, which saw a more modest increase in registrations, rising to 3,476 in 2025, from 2,384 in 2024.
Despite the growth, the US carmaker remained in sixth place.
Honda was the only other carmaker that posted similar growth. It recorded 4,845 units in 2025, up from 3,892 the previous year.
While Honda agent Kah Motor did not have EV models, its stronger sales were bolstered by the introduction of more hybrid models.
Describing 2025 as “extremely challenging” due to the popularity of EVs, Kah Motor chief executive Nicholas Wong said Honda’s reputation helped to sway customers when it came to choosing a non-electric vehicle.
Apart from BYD, no other Chinese brand was in the top 10.
Five of them made it to the top 20, with four occupying the 11th to 14th places.
GAC took 11th place with 1,103 cars registered, followed by Xpeng (940), MG (922) and Zeekr (764).
Chery was ranked 16th with 716 units registered, after being overtaken by Audi, which recorded 730 registrations.
Mr James Ng, the managing director of BYD Singapore and the Philippines, said that rather than perceiving these other EV brands as competitors, the company sees their growing presence and popularity here as a vote of confidence by the public.
“These brands are becoming more recognised, and the fact that more of them are entering the Singapore market means there’s more room to expand.
“BYD has the lead, and we are confident that we have an edge.”
Clarification note: The story and graphic have been updated to include parallel imports in 2024’s car registration figures.
Aqil Hamzah is a transport journalist at The Straits Times. He is also interested in issues related to crime and technology.
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