Cheap Chinese electric cars with price tags of just 8,000 set to hit UK dealerships

Electric cars priced at just £8,000 could soon be heading to the UK in a revolution set to shake up the motor industry.

Chinese EV firm BYD has shipped over 5,000 new vehicles to Europe with the budget price motors soon to hit forecourts.

The maiden voyage of BYD’s first ocean-going truck carrier was a success with 5,449 new vehicles on board.

Reaching the ports of Vlissingen in the Netherlands and Bremerhaven in Germany, the models will soon be distributed across European dealerships.

BYD could present the biggest threat yet to the burgeoning electric car market with costs to rival OEMs and new brands such as Tesla and Polestar.

A typical Tesla will set customers back around £40,000 whereas BYD’s entry-level new Seagull supermimi comes in at just £8,000.

Although not at the top end of the power spectrum, Seagull’s top speed of up to 60 mph and 100 miles if battery range could make them ideal for city centres.

The House of Lords latest ‘EV strategy: rapid recharge needed’ report said politicians were now aware that Chinese manufacturers produced a greater range of affordable EVs than in the UK and EU.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Chinese-owned brands account for 10 percent of the UK’s new EV market.

Respondents to the report claimed the influx of affordable Chinese-produced EVs may incentivise UK manufacturers to compete at cheaper prices.

However, some manufacturers have raised concerns that they would not be able to compete with Chinese companies.

One of the biggest concerns is manufacturing costs with European electric cars costing more to produce than combustion models due to often stringent environmental checks.

SMMT boss Mike Hawes has even claimed that Chinese-produced models tend to have higher embedded carbon costs in production.

The UK market is trying to lower the cost of producing EVs with the Government investing an extra £2billion into the automotive industry back in November.

Last month, Frank Schwope, automotive industry lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences FHM Hannover, told Forbes: “In the next few years, a wave of more than 20 Chinese manufacturers will come to Europe, of which 5-10 will stay.

“Market shares of 10-15 percent for Chinese car manufacturers in Europe are realistic.

“Calls for protectionist measures will become louder. We can only hope that politicians decline because then the Chinese will also take protectionist measures. In the end, everyone would lose out, especially consumers.”

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