Singapore’s top auto brand BYD sells over a fifth of all new cars in 2025, as EVs reach record high – The Straits Times
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BYD's dominance comes amid a surge in popularity for EVs, which made up about 45 per cent of new cars sold in 2025.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Aqil Hamzah
Summary
AI generated
Published Jan 23, 2026, 12:23 PM
Updated Jan 23, 2026, 12:26 PM
SINGAPORE – Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD is the Republic’s best-selling car brand for the second consecutive year after it topped sales in 2025, accounting for over 20 per cent of all new car sales.
Its 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.
BYD is the only manufacturer to register more than 10,000 vehicles in Singapore.
With 11,184 units registered, its cars, including its luxury line Denza, accounted for slightly more than a fifth of all new car registrations (21.2 per cent). This marked an 80.6 per cent increase from 2024, when it put 6,191 cars on the road.
Its closest competitor – Japan’s Toyota – trailed at 7,466 units (including its luxury brand Lexus), followed by Germany’s BMW with 5,091 units. Both brands retained their positions from the previous year.
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 the previous year, when there were 14,448 new EVs registered, out of a total of 43,022 new cars.
The only other EV brand 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 American automaker slipped one spot in the rankings, falling from fifth to sixth place.
Honda pipped Tesla to fifth place, after the Japanese brand more than tripled its registrations year on year. It recorded 4,845 units in 2025, a sharp increase from 1,457 units in 2024.
While Honda 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, Mr Nicholas Wong, chief executive of Honda agent Kah Motor, said the brand’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 placed 16th with 716 units registered, after being overtaken by Audi, which recorded 730 registrations.
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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