Cars from Chinese manufacturers account for five of Autotrader’s top 10 most enquired about new cars so far in July.
The car sales platform said its data pointed to an increasingly competitive new car market ahead of the September number plate change, with visits to its new car site up by 11% year-on-year in the last quarter, and advertised new car stock currently up by 16% year-on-year.
It said the MGS9 (pictured) had accounted for the biggest share of new car enquiries so far in July, generating 5.8% of the leads sent through the platform, ahead of the MG HS with 3.5% and the Jaecoo 7 with 3%. The other Chinese models in the top 10 are the ninth-placed Jaecoo 5 with 1.6% and the 10th-placed Chery Tiggo 8 with 1.5%.
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Most in-demand new car models on Autotrader in July 2026 ranked by enquiries/leads – all fuel types.
MG is also the most enquired about new car brand so far in July, at 13.3%, ahead of BMW on 10.2% and Audi on 7.9% – Jaecoo and Chery are sixth and ninth respectively.
Autotrader points out that the Chinese showing is less strong in its new electric car enquiry rankings, which are topped by the Renault 5 E-Tech with 5.5% of enquiries. Although the Jaecoo 5 is second on 4.2%, this is then followed by the BMW iX3 (3.9%), Ford Explorer (3.3) and Hyundai Inster (3.1%).
MG is however the most enquired about EV brand, at 9.7%, ahead of Renault on 6.5% and Kia on 6.3%.
Most in-demand new car brands on Autotrader in July 2026 ranked by enquiries/leads – all fuel types.
Level of discounting reduced
Autotrader has also reported a softening in the level of new car market discounts, which at 10.3% is a monthly decline, although still up on the 9.4% seen 12 months ago. The average EV discount is also down, from 11.6% in June to 11.3% in July.
Bex Kennett, head of new car at Autotrader, said: “The latest data points to a new car market that is becoming increasingly competitive as we approach the September plate change.
“Chinese-brand models are gaining traction, with five appearing in our July top 10, but it’s important to keep that in context. Established brands continue to account for a significant share of demand, particularly in electric, where the rankings remain highly competitive.
“For retailers, the key point is that buyer attention is becoming more fragmented. Compelling products, competitive pricing and the right stock mix will be especially important in the run-up to September. Encouragingly, visits to our new car platform were up year-on-year last quarter and advertised stock is also ahead of last year, pointing to a healthy pipeline of activity building ahead of the plate change.
“With discounts also softening in July, the market remains competitive, but less heavily supported than earlier in the summer.”