1. The Ranking
2. Three Signals
Signal 1
- Fact: Chinese brands took 47.4% of Singapore’s new-car market in October 2026 (44.5% excluding MG), down from 52.9% in September but still far above the 35.5% recorded a year earlier.
- Read: The headline share dipped, but the structure did not. The total market shrank to its lowest since February, and the bloc lost ground in a thinner month rather than losing buyers to legacy badges.
Signal 2
- Fact: BYD led with 1,074 units for a 25.6% share, more than Toyota’s 478 and Tesla’s 361 combined. Tesla rose 34.2% year on year while Toyota fell 6.5%.
- Read: BYD is still lapping the field. Its lead is now larger than the number two and three names put together, and it did this in a market down 3.2% on September.
Signal 3
- Fact: GAC (+217.2%), AvatR (+170.0%), Maxus (+162.5%) and MG (+65.8%) all posted triple-digit or near-triple-digit gains, while Hyundai fell 59.2%, BMW 30.0% and Honda 28.5%.
- Read: The second wave keeps arriving and the legacy retreat keeps widening. Five of the top ten badges are Chinese, and battery-electrics were 59.6% of registrations even in a softer month.
3. The Take
Singapore’s Chinese share slipped in October, and the number deserves a careful reading. Chinese brands took 47.4% of the 4,202 new cars registered, down from 52.9% in September and 51.7% in August, and 44.5% without MG. On its own that reads like a reversal. It is not.
The whole market shrank to its smallest monthly tally since February, down 3.2% on September, and battery-electrics fell from 65.1% of registrations to 59.6%. When the pie contracts and the EV mix cools, a bloc that sells mostly electric cars gives back a point or two of share. The buyers did not leave. Five of the ten best-selling badges were still Chinese, and BYD’s 1,074 cars gave it 25.6% of the market, more than Toyota’s 478 and Tesla’s 361 added together.
Below that headline the structure held. GAC climbed 217.2% year on year to 184, Chery added 61.0% to 161, MG rose 65.8% to 121 and Zeekr held tenth on 99. Against them Mercedes-Benz fell 15.9%, Honda 28.5%, BMW 30.0% and Hyundai 59.2%. The second wave is still arriving while the legacy names retreat across the board, and a softer month did not change either direction.
The share dipped. The score did not. COE still holds this market to roughly 4,000 cars a month, so Singapore will never move a global number, but when scarcity rather than price decides the choice, the preference it reveals is the one that travels.
4. Sources
- Source: LTA new car registrations.
- Published: 2026-11-16.
- Compiled by RobotBelt from LTA new-registration data by make. LTA does not publish a ranking.
- Cross-checked: motormetrics.app (LTA DataMall) / COEkaki / The Straits Times (LTA Jan-Sep release).
- Basis: LTA new car registrations. October 2026 total 4,202 units, -3.2% month on month and the lowest monthly tally since February 2026. Year to date 45,188, +8% year on year. Battery-electric 59.6% of October registrations, down 5.5 points from 65.1% in September. Petrol 5.9%. 50 makes registered cars in October.
- LTA October 2026 registration table by make, via motormetrics.app (LTA via DataMall), retrieved 2026-11-16. The full 50-make table sums exactly to the LTA monthly total of 4,202 units.
- Chinese brands combined: 1,990 units, 47.4% share, down from 52.9% in September 2026. Excluding MG the Chinese total is 1,869 units, 44.5% of the market.
- Cross-check: COEkaki Singapore EV tracker lists October 2026 at 4,202 new cars, of which 2,504 battery-electric (59.6%), matching the LTA DataMall figures. The Straits Times (28 October 2026) reported LTA January-to-September 2026 registrations of 40,986. Adding October’s 4,202 gives the 45,188 year-to-date figure.