Chinese car repairs are becoming part of daily life on British ramps. New entrant brands, most of them Chinese, now make up 15.8% of the UK car market, and AutoTrader’s own research shows that share is still climbing fast.
If a BYD, an MG or a Jaecoo hasn’t rolled onto your ramp yet, it will do soon. The real question for any garage or dealership is whether you’re actually set up for it and could 0% car repair finance help?
Chinese Car Repairs: How Big Is the Shift?
This is no longer a niche trend.
Autotrader’s research found that Chinese brands now account for 43% of all plug-in hybrids registered in the UK this year, and the Jaeco 7 was the UK’s best-selling new car in March 2026, pipping the Ford Puma and the Nissan Qashqai.
In other news, SMMT figures reported by AM Online show Jaecoo’s market share alone jumped from 0.7% to 3.0% in a single year, adding more than 22,000 registrations.
Whatever your patch looks like, more of these cars are on the road, and plenty more will be booked in for a service, an MOT or a repair before long.
Want to Prepare for Expensive Chinese Car Repairs by Offering Flexible Finance?
Payment Assist lets customers spread repair costs interest-free, so pricier import parts don’t stop them saying yes. Get in touch.
Are Chinese Cars Reliable?
Depends which badge you’re talking about, frankly. Warranties tell part of the story. Omoda, Jaecoo and MG all offer seven years of cover, which suggests a decent amount of manufacturer confidence in the hardware.
Reliability surveys tell a slightly different tale.
MG finished bottom of the 2024 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, with just over a quarter of owners reporting faults, while newer BYD models have picked up more positive early feedback.
For your workshop, that means judging each Chinese brand on its own merits rather than lumping them all together.
A BYD and a Jaecoo can throw up very different problems, and your technicians need to know the difference before the car’s even on the ramp. Keeping a simple brand-by-brand fault log on file will pay off the first time a similar model rolls through the door.
Chinese Car Parts Delays: What’s Really Going On?
UK independent garages are protected by the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Order, which guarantees access to technical data and parts right through to 2029.
The trouble is that plenty of Chinese manufacturers are still building out the UK infrastructure to make that access meaningful in practice. Established European brands run slick, decades-old parts networks. Newer arrivals often don’t, and a routine part can end up stuck in transit for weeks rather than arriving overnight.
Recently, Motor Trade News reported that aftermarket suppliers are actively expanding their coverage of Chinese vehicles precisely because independent garages are already facing practical gaps, from unfamiliar vehicle systems to thin parts availability.
Is It Expensive to Repair Chinese Cars?
Often, yes, though not always for the reasons you’d expect. It’s less about individual parts costing a fortune and more about the knock-on cost of scarcity and unfamiliarity.
Carwow explain that half the insurers it approached refused to quote for some newer Chinese models, with premiums for cars like the Xpeng G6 running hundreds of pounds higher than comparable Korean rivals, a pattern Evo also put down to ongoing uncertainty over parts and repair costs.
For garages, that uncertainty applies just as much to bodywork and mechanical jobs, where brand-specific diagnostic kit is often needed on top of the parts themselves.
Getting Your Garage Ready for Chinese Car Repairs
Turning Chinese brands away isn’t the answer; preparing properly is. That starts with training. Kevan Wooden, CEO of LKQ UK & Ireland, told Professional Motor Mechanic that technicians increasingly need to work across everything from ageing diesels to four-year-old Chinese EVs, sometimes on the same day, and warned that without the right skills, work risks being pushed towards dealer networks instead.
It also means budgeting for brand-specific diagnostic and calibration tools where needed, building relationships with parts suppliers early, and being upfront with customers about realistic repair timescales.
The financial side matters just as much.
Import parts and specialist kit tend to carry a higher price tag, and that gets passed on to the customer. A bigger bill for a Chinese import makes plenty of customers hesitate, delay, or shop around for a cheaper, possibly less thorough, quote, which is bad news for safety as much as for your bottom line.
That’s exactly where flexible payment options earn their keep, giving customers a way to say yes to the work there and then rather than putting it off until something fails on the road.
Want a Finance Partner That Helps Manage Chinese Car Repairs?
Payment Assist is the UK’s leading provider of interest-free, FCA-regulated finance for car repairs, already trusted by more than 9,000 garages, dealerships and workshops nationwide, with over £1 billion funded to date.
As Chinese brands push up the average cost of parts and repairs, our flexible 3, 4 and 6-month payment plans help customers say yes to bigger jobs instead of walking away, while our recently lowered rates on 3-month plans make it more affordable than ever for your garage to offer them.
Get in touch with Payment Assist to find out how we can help your garage handle whatever rolls onto the ramp next.
FAQs
Are Chinese cars reliable?
It varies by brand. MG has ranked poorly in UK owner satisfaction surveys, while newer BYD models are picking up more positive feedback. Long warranties suggest manufacturer confidence, but UK-specific long-term reliability data is still fairly limited.
Is it expensive to repair Chinese cars?
Often, yes, mainly due to parts scarcity and unfamiliar diagnostic requirements rather than parts cost alone. Insurance premiums for some models run hundreds of pounds higher than for comparable European or Korean rivals.
Why are Chinese car parts delayed in the UK?
Many Chinese manufacturers are still building UK parts networks and distribution centres. Without established, decades-old logistics, routine parts can take weeks rather than days to reach independent garages.
Do independent garages have access to Chinese car parts and data?
Yes, in principle. The Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Order protects independent access to parts, tools and technical data until 2029, though newer Chinese brands are still catching up on UK infrastructure.
Further Reading
Why Your Garage Needs to Provide Flexible Finance
How 0% Car Repair Finance Can Help Your Customers Say Yes
Payment Assist is lowering its Rates to Help Dealerships Grow
We’re Powering Automotive Growth with Our New Business Lending Division
