IBRM SAMAR: Chinese brands take a record 15.9 percent of the Polish market

Poland's new car market keeps growing, but its structure is shifting. The Automotive Market Research Institute SAMAR compiled the figures from the Central Register of Vehicles and Drivers. They show 51,116 passenger cars and vans up to 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight registered in Poland in August 2026. That is 8.07 percent (+3,817 units) more than a year earlier, but 18.14 percent (-11,330 units) less than in July. For the year to date, 463,431 units have been registered, 9.95 percent more than a year earlier.

The passenger car segment closed August with 45,909 registrations (+8.07 percent year on year, -18.32 percent month on month), and 414,162 units for the year to date (+9.56 percent). Private buyers accounted for 33.4 percent of all passenger car registrations and companies for 66.6 percent. In absolute terms, that means 30,597 cars bought by institutional customers. The corporate share for 2026 so far stands at 66.29 percent. SAMAR notes that the statistics exclude sole traders, so the real fleet share may be even higher.

A record for Chinese brands

The most striking figure concerns Chinese brands. Their share of the Polish passenger car market rose to 15.9 percent in August, up from 15.5 percent in July and another record in the history of the survey. BYD is the new leader among Chinese brands.

Alternative powertrains are not growing nearly as fast. The share of new purely electric cars (BEV) was 4.7 percent in August, down from 7.8 percent a year earlier. IBRM SAMAR forecasts around 645,000 passenger cars and 77,000 vans registered for the whole of 2026, though the institute notes that the pace of growth points to a possible revision of that forecast.

This year's holiday season was unusually strong. The combined July and August registration total, traditionally a weaker period for new car sales, exceeded 100,000 units for the first time in the history of the survey. Six of the top ten brands posted growth. Volkswagen recorded the biggest increase in the top ten (+15.86 percent) and Hyundai the biggest decline (-13.32 percent).

Barriers on the customer side

The data show that Chinese brands are gaining share mainly in combustion and hybrid cars, not electric ones. An OTOMOTO report confirms this: 54 percent of drivers across ten surveyed markets say they would like to own an electric car, while in Poland the figure is 35 percent, unchanged from the previous edition of the survey. At the end of July 2026, 157,000 electric cars were on Polish roads, including 145,000 passenger cars. Price is no longer the only barrier respondents name. They also point to charging options, battery condition and trust in new brands.