What are BYD, Geely and Chery’s top-selling EVs?

The three Chinese automakers are reportedly planning to enter the Canadian market. We explore their bestselling electric vehicles.

BYD Dolphin Surf charging — *Several Chinese automakers are reportedly preparing a Canadian market entry. Here, a BYD Dolphin Surf is charging. – BYD photo*

When Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government dropped its restrictive 100 per cent tariff rate on Chinese-made electric vehicles, it opened the door for China’s automakers to enter Canada.

Three brands are reportedly planning to enter the Canadian market soon and they could be here as early as the end of this year or sometime in 2027, if what’s being reported is accurate.

The three brands in question include BYD, which surpassed Tesla the world’s top seller of battery electric vehicles in 2025, as well as Geely and Chery.

Geely already has some presence in Canada as Geely Holding is the owner of Swedish brands Volvo and Polestar and British brand Lotus.

Chery markets itself as China’s leading vehicle exporter, with operations in more than 130 countries.

Since these brands could soon be in Canada, let’s explore some of their best-selling battery-electric vehicles (BEVs).

BYD Dolphin Surf exterior — *The subcompact BYD Dolphin Surf (Seagull in some markets) is BYD’s top-selling EV. – BYD photo*

BYD

BYD became one of the world’s top 5 automakers in 2025 when it recorded 4.6 million vehicle sales. Nearly half of those vehicles were BEVs.

The company’s top-selling model was the BYD Song, which offers a variety of electric and hybrid powertrain choices.

But the company’s top selling pure electric model was the BYD Seagull, also known as the Dolphin Surf in some markets, such as in the United Kingdom.

The BYD Dolphin Surf is a four-door hatchback.

The subcompact measures 3,990 mm long, 1,720 mm wide and 1,590 mm tall, making it slightly smaller than the current Chevrolet Bolt.

BYD Dolphin Surf interior — *The BYD Dolphin Surf (here in right-hand drive configuration) has a minimalist interior. – BYD photo*

In the U.K., one of the vehicle’s export market, the entry-point model has a 30-kWh battery with an 87-hp motor, but it can also be had with a 43.2-kWh battery and a 154-hp motor.

Estimated driving range ranges from 328 to 490 kilometres on the WLTP test, which by our EPA/NRCan standards would likely fall around 281 to 420 kilometres.

The BYD Seagull, which is what it’s called in China, reportedly starts at around 69,900 yuan in its home market. That works out to $14,200 Canadian.

In the U.K., the BYD Dolphin Surf start at £18,650 ($34,614 Canadian) for the base model, while the longer range Comfort model starts at £23,950 ($44,451 Canadian).

Geely

Geely, which operates multiple brands, has sold a little more than three million vehicles in 2025, with about 1.69 million of those being new energy vehicles.

The company’s EX2, a four-door hatchback, was the company’s top-selling EV in 2025. The company reported 465,775 EX2 sales for the year.

The EX2 measures 4,135 mm long, 1,805 mm wide and 1,580 mm tall.

The EX2, called the Xingyuan in China, reportedly starts at around 68,800 yuan ($13,978 Canadian) in its home market.

While the EX2 was the company’s top-selling EV, most of those sales were in China. When it comes to export markets, the automaker often leads off with the larger EX5, a model that has already launched n the U.K.

Geely EX5 in London, U.K. — *The EX5, shown here in the United Kingdom, is a Geely vehicle sold in many international markets. – Geely Auto/CNW Group*

The EX5 measures 4,615 mm long, 1,901 mm wide and 1,670 mm tall, which might make it more primed for the Canadian market.

Standard-range models in the U.K. have an estimated driving range of up to 429 kilometres on the WLTP test cycle (approximately 367 kilometres by our EPA/NRCan standards), while the Ultra model, which has a 68.39-kWh battery, gets a driving range of up to 450 kilometres (385 kilometres by EPA/NRCan standards).

The EX5 starts at £31,990 ($59,373 Canadian), while the range-topping EX5 Ultra starts at £38,990 ($72,365).

In China, it starts at around 109,800 yuan ($22,305 Canadian).

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Chery

Chery, also operating with multiple brand names, sold nearly three million vehicles in 2025 and nearly half of them were sold outside China.

The company’s Tiggo 7 series of SUVs made up its best-selling series, but that one burns gasoline.

The company’s top-selling BEV wears many names, with different branding and naming depending on region. In some places it’s called the iCar 03, or iCaur 03, or the Jaecoo J6, and who knows what else.

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Whatever you want to call it, the boxy SUV looks like a small Land Rover Defender, and it looks ready to go off-road. Rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive powertrains are available as are various battery capacities.

Some markets advertise the off-roader with a 275-hp (205 kW) powertrain and a battery capacity up to 69.8 kWh.

In Jamaica, the Jaecoo J6 is advertised with a 60-kWh battery capacity and a starting price of $42,424 U.S. ($58,670).

In China, the Chery Fulwin X3 – where it was rebadged from the iCar 03 – reportedly starts at around 89,900 yuan, which works out to $18,263 Canadian.

It’s unclear if any of the above vehicles are destined for Canada – and with what powertrain and battery configurations, and at what prices – but Chinese EVs are coming.

Canada is permitting the annual import of 49,000 Chinese-made EVs at a tariff rate of 6.1 per cent (106.1 per cent above the 49,000 quota). The quota is set to rise over the coming years as well.