A significant majority of Irish consumers see Chinese electric car brands offering greater value than more established brands, but concerns remain around their resale value, a new survey by Done Deal shows.
Chinese electric car manufacturers have made significant inroads into the Irish market in recent years.
While the Volkswagen ID.4 was the best selling electric car in Ireland in January, the Chinese car manufacturer BYD was the fourth best selling electric car brand in Ireland during January with 716 new registrations.
BYD even beat out Tesla who were absent from the 10 best selling new electric cars last month. The Chinese-owned MG cars sold 624 cars in January while XPeng sold 102.
According to DoneDeal’s survey, 72% of Irish consumers said Chinese brands offer better value in electric cars compared to the established European, Japanese and Korean brands, with 45% saying they offer “much better value”.
Price, cited by 35%, and higher equipment levels, cited by 27%, are the main reasons buyers say they would consider a Chinese car. It also found that 61% of Irish consumers held a positive perception of Chinese car brands.
Of those surveyed, 51% said they are planning to buy or change their car in the next year with 41% saying re-sale value concerns would stop them buying Chinese car brands.
DoneDeal said the surge in interest in Chinese electric vehicles is backed up by behaviour on its website, which it said shows that in January 2026 Chinese brands’ share of electric car ad views on the platform continues to grow, now at 9%, three times more than it was in 2022.
BYD was the most popular Chinese car brand on DoneDeal Cars, followed by MG, Xpeng and Leapmotor. The company said BYD has three models in the most viewed new Electric Vehicles on DoneDeal Cars — the Sealion 7, Seal and Dolphin Surf.
Xpeng’s G6 is the fifth most viewed electric car on DoneDeal Cars, meaning that there are four Chinese models in the Top 10 Most Viewed New Electric Vehicles on DoneDeal Cars.
The survey shows re-sale value is the single biggest barrier to wider adoption with 41% saying they have concerns which would stop them from buying a Chinese car with a further 33% saying it might.
“Concerns around long-term support and parts availability, 15%, and the relative newness of Chinese brands, 21%, also feature prominently,” said DoneDeal.
The presence of dealerships in the Irish market also remains critical for consumers with 91% saying a dealer network and aftersales support are important in their purchasing decision.
