German versus Chinese brands: which sell more electric cars in Switzerland?
January to August 2026 · new registrations with a plug · as of 31.08.2026
German brands are ahead. They account for 20’137 new registrations with a plug, Chinese brands for 7’396 — 2,7 times as many. If the Geely brands Volvo, Polestar, Smart and Lotus are assigned to the group rather than to their European home countries, the figures are 19’521 against 13’142, a factor of 1,5. Chinese brands change by +383 per cent against the same period last year, German brands by +8,5 per cent.
Two readings of the same figure: depending on where the Geely brands are counted, the Chinese total differs by 5’746 vehicles.
Both readings side by side
| Reading | Registrations | Previous year | Change | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany, Geely European | 20’137 | 18’567 | +8,5 % | 36,0 % |
| China, Geely European | 7’396 | 1’530 | +383 % | 13,2 % |
| Germany, Geely as China | 19’521 | 18’099 | +7,9 % | 34,9 % |
| China incl. Geely brands | 13’142 | 6’763 | +94,3 % | 23,5 % |
How origin is assigned
The classification follows the group a brand belongs to, not the production site. Brands of the Geely group under European management — Volvo, Polestar, Smart, Lotus — are marked separately, so the choice stays transparent instead of quietly falling into the China total. Both readings can be checked in the filter of the model radar.
How this is calculated
New registrations of every model whose brand is assigned to the country in question are added up. The share is the country total divided by all new registrations with a plug in the same period. The 5’746 vehicles of the 3 Geely origin groups appear in both readings, only in different rows — they are never counted twice.
Source: auto-schweiz, Register ASTRA/IVZ, ASTRA/IVZ register, own analysis of the original Excel files · as of 31.08.2026. 346 models with a plug are covered.
Where to next
- Which countries do the electric cars newly registered in Switzerland come from?
- Battery electric or plug-in hybrid: which is registered more often in Switzerland?
- Which electric models arrived on the Swiss market in 2026?
- Which brand sells the most electric cars in Switzerland?
- Which electric models are growing fastest in Switzerland — and which are losing?
- The current market report with all models
- All brands in the Swiss market
- Index of all model pages
- Methodology and data gaps