There’s a bewildering number of new manufacturer names appearing in the European market right now, and they’re mainly coming from China.
This Chinese new wave of cars is predominantly all-electric, making them ideal as company cars or as part of a salary sacrifice scheme. So, should you be considering these new-to-market brands for your fleet and do they meet European safety standards?
Euro NCAP, the independent safety body responsible for rigorously testing new cars, has been assessing the Chinese arrivals to see how they fare. Our main picture shows the BYD Atto 3 SUV having undergone one of Euro NCAP’s rigorous tests.
The extensive testing covers safety assessments for the adult occupant, child occupant, vulnerable road users and safety assist.
The great news is that the Chinese EVs tested have been given the very highest five-star safety rating which NCAP defines as ‘Overall?excellent?performance in crash protection and?well equipped with?comprehensive and?robust crash avoidance technology’.
In fact, the new Chinese manufacturers feature high up in the list of the Euro NCAP safest fleet cars tested in 2022. Reassuringly, Nio, Wey and Ora sit comfortably in the safety performance table alongside well-known brands such as BMW, Tesla and Volvo. It means the new Chinese cars comfortably satisfy European fleet duty of care requirements.
Mike Manners, Managing Director at CBVC Vehicle Management, commented:
The new Chinese EVs tick all the fleet boxes. A BYD Atto 3 is the same safety standard as a Mercedes-Benz EQE, for example. The cars are Euro NCAP assured, well-priced, have good range and are specified to suit fleet drivers. That all adds up to making them serious contenders for your fleet choice list.
Euro NCAP safety data summary for new Chinese ORA, Wey, BYD and NIO models
| ? | Star rating | Adult occupant | Child occupant | Vulnerable road user | Safety assist |
| ORA Funky Cat | 5 | 92% | 83% | 74% | 93% |
| Wey Coffee 01 | 5 | 91% | 87% | 79% | 94% |
| BYD Atto 3 | 5 | 91% | 89% | 69% | 74% |
| NIO ET7 | 5 | 91% | 87% | 73% | 95% |
So, which are the key Chinese manufacturers and what are the cars to look out for?
GWM (Great Wall Motor Company)
GWM Ora
Ora is a pure-electric only brand positioned as attainable premium. It’slaunching with the Ora Funky Cat – a fully electric compact hatchback, available to lease shortly with deliveries expected in 2023.
GWM Wey
Wey is the luxury offering from GWM pitched as a premium offering alongside BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, anticipated to be more competitively priced than its rivals. Wey is launching in Europe next year with the Coffee 01 SUV (above), a large SUV starting out as a plug-in hybrid.
BYD (Build Your Dreams)
BYD started as a battery manufacturer in 1995 and then moved into vehicle development and production. BYD has ceased production of all combustion engine cars and is solely focused on pure-electric vehicles. In December, the Atto 3(above) arrives, an all-electric small family SUV with immediate supply expected.
Nio
Following a strong marketing drive, Nio is one of the better-known Chinese brands in Europe. Positioning itself in the premium market, the brand prides itself on offering superior driving range. Expected to launch in 2023, the ET7 saloon is advertised with a range of over 600 miles.
MG
MG is owned by the SAIC group, a huge player in China. MG is already building a reputation in Europe for great value EVs like the MG4, MG5 and MG ZS. Coming in the next couple of years are the Marvel R, a compact SUV, and the Cyberster, an EV sports roadster.
