Top 10 Best Chinese Car Brands UAE

The automobile industry is one of the largest industries in the world by revenue. It is also one of the earliest industries to be established in the world, beginning as early as 1898. However, in China, the first automotive roots were only established in the 1950s.

Despite this, only the wealthy were able to own a car for the first three decades and the general population still relied on bicycles and horse-drawn carriages until the late 80s and even through the 90s. However, the Chinese auto industry saw immense growth in the 90s and through the first decade of this century.

In 2008, China was named the largest producer of automobiles in the world. Since then, Chinese car manufacturers have been on a rapid expansion spree and are currently found in almost all corners of the world. In the UAE too, Chinese car manufacturers are slowly but surely finding acceptance and admiration.

In general, Chinese cars are less expensive when compared to their immediate competitors. Initially, buyers were skeptical of the quality. However, the quality issues no longer exist and Chinese cars are now made to a high standard. Here is a list of the Top 10 Chinese car manufacturers in the UAE and the products they sell:

10. GAC Motor

GAC Motor is a Chinese car manufacturer established in 2008. However, it was in 2013 that it first ventured into foreign markets. It is owned by the GAC Group and its name is basically an acronym for Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. Ltd. The GAC Group owns several other brands including Trumpchi, Aion, Hycan, Changfeng Motor, and Gonow.

GAC has also partnered with several well-known car manufacturers like Honda, Toyota, Hino, BYD, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Peugeot, Fiat, etc. In the UAE, GAC has partnered with Gargash Motors & General Trading, giving Gargash exclusive distribution rights to GAC cars in the UAE.

Sedans sold by GAC in the UAE:

Empow

MPVs sold by GAC in the UAE:

SUVs sold by GAC in the UAE:

Here are several used GAC cars for sale in the UAE and new GAC cars for sale in the UAE.

9. Geely

Geely is one of the largest car manufacturers in China. The entire name is Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. Ltd and is headquartered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. The Geely Group has several automotive brands under its umbrella. This includes Volvo, Smart Automobile, Lynk & Co, Lotus cars, Polestar, Maple, etc.

In the UAE, Geely has partnered with Union Motors and the brand currently sells only three models in the country.

Sedans sold by Geely in the UAE:

SUVs sold by Geely in the UAE:

Emgrand GS Sport
Emgrand X7 Sport

Here are a few used Geely cars for sale in the UAE and new Geely cars for sale in the UAE.

8. BAIC Motor

Headquartered in Beijing, BAIC is one of the well-known Chinese car manufacturers. BAIC Motor is quickly gaining popularity across several countries in the middle east. It was founded in 2010 as a sub-brand of the BAIC Group. BAIC is a state-owned brand and is currently the sixth-largest car maker in China.

In the UAE, BAIC has partnered with the Marwan Alshaali Group, giving them exclusive rights for retailing BAIC cars. Some of the BAIC SUVs are much-loved in the UAE and this especially applies to the BAIC BJ80.

SUVs sold by BAIC in the UAE:

BJ80
BJ40 C
BJ40 SE
BJ40 S
X7
F40
X55
BJ60
X35

Check out the new BAIC cars for sale in the UAE and used BAIC cars for sale in the UAE.

7. JAC Motors

While it is commonly known as JAC, the official name of this Chinese car manufacturer is Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co. It is one of the older car manufacturers in China as it was established way back in 1964. It is one of the few Chinese brands to be partially owned by a foreign entity.

JAC is a subsidiary of JAG Group which is half-owned by Volkswagen while the other 50 percent is held by the Chinese government. In the UAE, JAC Motors has partnered with the Al Habtoor Group and Al Habtoor Motors is the exclusive distributor for JAC Motors in the region.

Sedans sold by JAC Motors in the UAE:

Crossovers sold by JAC Motors in the UAE:

SUVs sold by JAC Motors in the UAE:

Find here used JAC cars that are available for sale in the UAE. However, if new cars are your thing, here are new JAC cars for sale in the UAE.

6. Haval

Haval was formed in 2013 and is known for its SUVs. So far, Haval has only manufactured SUVs and nothing else and going by its future plans, Haval intends to remain an SUV-only brand.

Haval is owned by Great Wall Motors and is currently present in several countries in different corners of the world including the likes of Australia, Argentina, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the USA, Iraq, Iran, etc.

In the UAE, Haval established its first dealership back in 2016 partnering with the Al Naboodah Group.

SUVs sold by Haval in the UAE:

Jolion
Dargo
H6
H6 GT
H9

Find used Haval cars for sale in the UAE and new Haval cars for sale in the UAE.

5. Changan

Changan is a Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Chongqing. It is claimed that the brand was established in 1862. However, the first automobile was only produced almost a hundred years later, in 1959. Like many other Chinese car manufacturers, Changan has dedicated itself to the manufacturing of electric vehicles for the future.

Changan retails quite a few vehicles in the UAE and most of them are SUVs.

Sedans sold by Changan in the UAE:

Eado Plus
UNI-V

SUVs sold by Changan in the UAE:

CS35 Plus
CS85
CS95
CS75 Plus
UNI-K
UNI-T

Here are new Changan cars for sale in the UAE and used Changan cars for sale in the UAE in case you’re looking for one.

4. Jetour

Jetour is one of the several sub-brands under Chery Automobile Co Ltd. It is the ninth-largest car manufacturer in China and Chery was formed in 1997. Jetour on the other hand was created in recent years. Jetour is a brand dedicated to crossovers and SUVs. Notably, the name Jetour was derived from the two words ‘Jet’ and ‘Tour.’

In the UAE, Jetour has partnered with The Elite Cars for exclusive distribution rights. As aforementioned, Jetour is an SUV-only brand and currently retails several SUVs in the UAE.

SUVs sold by Jetour in the UAE:

X70
X70 S
X70 FL
X70 Plus Comfort
X70 Plus Luxury
X90 Plus
Dashing

Despite the names sounding more like variants of the same car, the SUVs are vastly different and have their own characteristics. If you’re looking at purchasing a Jetour car, here are a few Jetour cars for sale in the UAE.

3. Hongqi

Often referred to as the Chinese Rolls-Royce, Hongqi is known for producing some of the most luxurious cars in the world. In Chinese, Hongqi means Red flag and this is no coincidence. It was originally designed and produced only for high-ranking officials in the Chinese government. In fact, the president of China, Xi Jinping is chauffeured around in a Hongqi L5.

Hongqi actually went out of production in 1981 but was revived about a decade later. In the UAE, Hongqi is exclusively distributed by ALTAWKILAT. Hongqi even launched a members club in the UAE for its patrons.

Sedans sold by Hongqi in the UAE:

SUVs sold by Hongqi in the UAE:

EVs sold by Hongqi in the UAE:

E-HS9
E-QM5

Find used Hongqi cars in the UAE and new Hongqi cars in the UAE.

2. Great Wall Motor

Great Wall Motor is the eighth largest car manufacturer in China. However, it is one of the most popular Chinese brands in several international markets. This is because Great Wall Motor and its various subsidiaries have expanded to several countries across the world.

Some of the brands under the Great Wall Motor umbrella include Haval, Tank, Oer, GWM, etc. In the UAE, Great Wall Motors has partnered with the Al Naboodah group for exclusive distributorship.

Currently, Great Wall Motor only retails pickup trucks in the UAE:

Wingle 5
Wingle 7
POER

Find used Great Wall Motor cars for sale in the UAE and new Great Wall Motor cars for sale in the UAE.

1. BYD

An acronym for ‘Build Your Dreams,’ BYD Auto is the automotive subsidiary of BYD Company based in China. BYD solely focuses on electric mobility and with the added emphasis on e-Mobility in the UAE, fits in perfectly. It is without a doubt that we can say, BYD makes the best-looking cars compared to all other Chinese brands.

Alongside manufacturing electric cars, BYD also makes modern buses and trucks. In 2022, BYD announced that it had become the largest manufacturer of electric vehicles in the world, beating even Tesla. BYD ended up selling more than a million EVs in 2022.

With products like the Atto 3, Han, Tang, e6, etc, BYD is sure to find unprecedented growth in the UAE. If you’re looking to purchase a BYD car in the UAE, here are a few BYD cars for sale in the UAE.