South Korea March 2026: BYD breaks records again, Renault Filante in Top 10

15 April 2026 at 11:40

The Renault Filante is up to #9 for its first full month in market.

Excellent result for new light vehicle sales in South Korea with March volumes up 10.2% year-on-year to 164,393 units. This includes 130,529 local manufacturers (+5.3%) and 33,964 foreigners (+34.6%). Over Q1, the market is up 5.2% to 407,713 including 325,608 locals (-0.4%) and 82,105 foreigners (+35.4%). For the third straight month, Kia (+12.7%) outsells sister brand Hyundai (-2.1%) with 34.3% share vs. 31.3%. Kia commands 34.7% of its home market YTD vs. 32.6% for Hyundai. Tesla (+329.6%) repeats at #3 and breaks its volume (11,130) and share (6.8%) records, previous bests having been established just last month. Genesis (-1.4%) is back from the brink and surpasses 10,000 units for the first time since last November. BYD (+16540%) celebrates one year in market with a record 9th place.

Looking at domestic models, the Kia Sorento (+7%) snaps the top spot for the 16th time in the past 19 months and sees its YTD sales back in positive at +1%. The Hyundai Grandeur (+21.9%) climbs up to #2 both for the month and YTD, followed by the Hyundai Porter (+5.3%) and Sonata (+26.1%) both down one spot on last month. The Kia Seltos (-6.9%) is back up 19 ranks on February to #8. But the surprise of the month is to be found below: the all new Renault Korea Filante is up 46 spots on last month to end March inside the Top 10 at #9. For reference, the brand’s previous success, the Grand Koleos (-75.5%), now cannibalised, peaked at #5 in November 2024. The Kia EV5 (#16), PV5 (#17) and EV4 (#27) are the next best-selling recent launches.

As for foreign models, Tesla manages a 1-2 for the first time with the Model Y (+3691.6%) in first place and the Model 3 (+57.9%) at #2. Note the Model Y would rank #3 in the overall charts when including domestic models. The Mercedes E Class (-24.1%) and BMW 5 Series (-7.2%) struggle below and each drop one rank on February to #3 and #4. The new BYD Sealion 7 cracks the Top 5 for the 2nd time after September 2025. The Polestar 4 (+122.8%) soars to #7 while the BYD Dolphin breaks into the Top 10 at #9 for what is its first appearance inside the Top 50.

Previous month: South Korea February 2026: Tesla breaks records, Kia PV5 up to #4

One year ago: South Korea March 2025: Hyundai and Kia Sorento #1, BYD and Kia Tasman land

Full March 2026 Top 30 All brands, Top 58 All local models and Top 50 foreigners below.

South Korea March 2026 – brands:

Pos	Brand	Mar-26	%	/25	Feb	2026	%	/25	Pos	FY25
1	Kia	56,468	34.3%	+ 12.7%	1	141,663	34.7%	+ 5.3%	1	2
2	Hyundai	51,404	31.3%	– 2.1%	2	133,007	32.6%	– 2.7%	2	1
3	Tesla	11,130	6.8%	+ 329.6%	3	20,964	5.1%	+ 335.1%	4	6
4	Genesis	10,446	6.4%	– 1.4%	4	26,059	6.4%	– 12.1%	3	3
5	BMW	6,785	4.1%	+ 6.4%	5	19,368	4.8%	+ 4.1%	5	4
6	Renault Korea	6,630	4.0%	+ 8.4%	8	10,869	2.7%	– 20.1%	8	7
7	Mercedes	5,419	3.3%	– 19.9%	6	15,862	3.9%	+ 4.3%	6	5
8	KGM	4,582	2.8%	+ 42.8%	7	11,470	2.8%	+ 40.2%	7	8
9	BYD	1,664	1.0%	+ 16540.0%	12	3,968	1.0%	+ 39580.0%	9	16
10	Volvo	1,496	0.9%	+ 5.1%	10	3,628	0.9%	+ 3.6%	11	9
11	Audi	1,300	0.8%	+ 18.2%	11	3,138	0.8%	+ 54.7%	12	12
12	Lexus	1,178	0.7%	– 16.7%	9	3,755	0.9%	– 3.1%	10	10
13	Porsche	911	0.6%	– 16.5%	17	2,107	0.5%	– 13.6%	15	13
14	GM Korea	899	0.5%	– 34.5%	13	2,540	0.6%	– 37.6%	13	11
15	Mini	878	0.5%	+ 41.6%	16	1,955	0.5%	+ 40.4%	16	15
16	Toyota	738	0.4%	– 28.6%	14	2,153	0.5%	+ 3.2%	14	14
17	Land Rover	727	0.4%	+ 38.0%	18	1,337	0.3%	+ 3.3%	17	17
18	Polestar	684	0.4%	+ 122.8%	19	954	0.2%	+ 98.3%	19	20
19	Volkswagen	476	0.3%	– 18.5%	15	1,293	0.3%	+ 6.7%	18	18
20	Jeep	102	0.1%	– 41.4%	21	321	0.1%	– 20.7%	20	21
21	GMC	100	0.1%	+ 284.6%	20	285	0.1%	+ 367.2%	21	30
22	Honda	84	0.1%	– 63.3%	25	211	0.1%	– 70.0%	22	22
23	Cadillac	75	0.0%	+ 56.3%	26	148	0.0%	+ 49.5%	25	25
24	Peugeot	72	0.0%	– 5.3%	22	184	0.0%	+ 19.5%	23	24
25	Ford	35	0.0%	– 93.8%	23	165	0.0%	– 87.5%	24	19
26	Bentley	31	0.0%	+ 121.4%	24	99	0.0%	+ 98.0%	26	27
27	Lamborghini	26	0.0%	+ 30.0%	30	51	0.0%	– 54.9%	29	26
28	Lincoln	20	0.0%	– 85.0%	28	58	0.0%	– 85.0%	28	23
29	Ferrari	18	0.0%	– 59.1%	29	58	0.0%	– 44.2%	27	28
30	Rolls-Royce	15	0.0%	– 16.7%	27	43	0.0%	+ 13.2%	30	31
–	Total local manufacturers	130,429	79.3%	+ 5.3%	–	325,608	79.9%	– 0.4%	–	–
–	Total foreign manufacturers	33,964	20.7%	+ 34.6%	–	82,105	20.1%	+ 35.4%	–	–
–	Total market	164,393	100.0%	+ 10.2%	–	407,713	100.0%	+ 5.2%	–	–

South Korea March 2026 – domestic models:

Pos	Model	Mar-26	/25	Feb	2026	/25	Pos	FY25
1	Kia Sorento	10,870	+ 7.0%	1	26,951	+ 1.0%	1	1
2	Hyundai Grandeur	7,574	+ 21.9%	5	16,523	– 5.1%	2	5
3	Hyundai Porter	5,955	+ 5.3%	2	13,909	– 1.8%	7	8
4	Hyundai Sonata	5,786	+ 26.1%	3	15,365	+ 20.1%	3	11
5	Kia Sportage	5,540	– 16.3%	6	15,355	– 22.2%	4	4
6	Hyundai Avante	5,479	– 19.8%	8	14,351	– 22.8%	6	2
7	Kia Carnival	5,407	– 29.9%	7	14,397	– 33.1%	5	3
8	Kia Seltos	4,983	– 6.9%	27	10,111	– 30.1%	12	9
9	Renault Korea Filante	4,920	new	55	4,960	new	25	–
10	Kia EV3	4,468	+ 47.4%	9	8,674	+ 51.7%	15	22
11	Kia Ray	4,238	– 7.5%	10	11,925	– 6.4%	8	12
12	Hyundai Kona	4,104	+ 43.0%	14	10,143	+ 40.0%	11	19
13	Genesis G80	4,001	+ 3.9%	18	9,241	– 12.9%	14	13
14	Hyundai Tucson	3,915	– 13.7%	13	11,156	– 13.6%	9	10
15	Hyundai Santa Fe	3,621	– 35.2%	15	9,679	– 37.5%	13	7
16	Kia EV5	3,513	new	17	6,884	new	21	49
17	Kia PV5	3,093	new	4	8,086	new	16	45
18	Kia K5	3,067	+ 7.1%	19	7,994	+ 0.6%	17	16
19	Genesis GV70	2,981	– 4.0%	20	7,773	– 9.6%	19	18
20	Kia Bongo	2,873	– 16.0%	16	7,905	– 13.3%	18	17
21	Hyundai Staria	2,797	– 24.8%	22	6,906	– 25.0%	20	15
22	Genesis GV80	2,538	– 13.3%	24	6,613	– 20.0%	22	20
23	Hyundai Ioniq 5	2,410	+ 113.5%	11	5,951	+ 123.1%	23	26
24	Kia K8	2,252	– 16.7%	29	5,771	– 22.6%	24	21
25	Hyundai Palisade	2,134	– 53.8%	12	10,209	– 7.0%	10	6
26	KGM Musso	1,854	+ 564.5%	28	4,370	+ 1466.3%	29	44
27	Kia EV4	1,809	new	21	4,079	new	31	34
28	Hyundai Casper	1,804	– 10.9%	31	4,103	– 3.3%	30	24
29	Hyundai Bus/Truck	1,488	– 2.4%	33	4,379	+ 16.4%	28	23
30	Kia Morning	1,428	+ 146.6%	32	4,656	+ 64.6%	26	25
31	Kia EV6	1,296	+ 11.4%	34	2,510	+ 7.5%	35	30
32	Renault Korea Grand Koleos	1,271	– 75.5%	26	4,408	– 61.1%	27	14
33	Hyundai Ioniq 9	1,239	+ 58.0%	23	3,214	+ 233.1%	33	33
34	Hyundai Venue	1,068	+ 83.2%	37	2,491	+ 26.2%	36	28
35	Hyundai Nexo	1,025	+ 246.3%	41	1,577	+ 177.6%	41	39
36	Hyundai Ioniq 6	862	+ 54.5%	25	2,678	+ 192.4%	34	42
37	KGM Musso EV	784	+ 49.0%	35	2,153	+ 309.3%	37	37
38	Chevrolet Trax Crossover	725	– 33.9%	36	2,103	– 33.7%	38	29
39	KGM Actyon	676	+ 118.1%	38	1,819	+ 59.1%	39	35
40	Genesis G90	635	+ 13.6%	39	1,633	– 6.2%	40	36
41	Kia Niro	568	– 51.7%	30	3,937	+ 51.4%	32	27
42	KGM Torres	519	– 50.9%	44	1,247	– 42.9%	43	31
43	KGM Tivoli	492	+ 26.2%	40	1,359	+ 22.1%	42	41
44	Renault Korea Arkana	438	+ 16.8%	42	1,143	+ 26.0%	44	40
45	Kia Tasman	400	+ 316.7%	43	1,104	+ 1050.0%	45	32
46	Kia EV9	351	+ 73.8%	51	504	+ 54.1%	46	53
47	Kia Bus/Special	201	+ 55.8%	48	485	+ 40.6%	47	46
48	Genesis G70	191	+ 32.6%	46	443	+ 7.3%	48	50
49	KGM Torres EVX	174	– 34.1%	54	275	– 61.6%	53	52
50	Chevrolet Trailblazer	165	– 36.3%	49	424	– 44.2%	49	48
51	Hyundai ST1	143	+ 31.2%	45	373	+ 17.7%	50	55
52	Kia K9	111	– 50.9%	52	335	– 34.7%	52	54
53	Genesis GV60	88	+ 1366.7%	50	228	+ 850.0%	55	58
54	KGM Rexton New Arena	81	– 22.9%	53	245	– 20.7%	54	57
55	Genesis GV60 Magma	12	new	–	12	new	56	–
56	Chevrolet Colorado	8	– 38.5%	–	12	– 67.6%	57	63
57	KGM Korando	2	– 95.1%	–	2	– 98.6%	58	60
58	Renault Korea Scenic E-Tech	1	new	47	358	new	51	59

South Korea March 2026 – foreign models:

Pos	Model	Mar-26	/25	Feb	2026	/25	Pos	FY25
1	Tesla Model Y	6,749	+ 3691.6%	1	15,323	+ 590.8%	1	1
2	Tesla Model 3	3,702	+ 57.9%	4	4,550	+ 85.5%	4	5
3	Mercedes E Class	2,341	– 24.1%	2	6,835	+ 6.3%	2	2
4	BMW 5 Series	1,900	– 7.2%	3	5,624	+ 1.0%	3	3
5	BYD Sealion 7	807	new	8	2,084	new	6	25
6	Mercedes GLE	798	+ 49.4%	6	1,973	+ 58.9%	7	6
7	Polestar 4	684	+ 122.8%	25	952	+ 97.9%	18	26
8	Mercedes GLC	681	+ 0.7%	5	2,313	+ 13.2%	5	4
9	BYD Dolphin	652	new	n/a	727	new	24	–
10	BMW X5	646	+ 52.7%	9	1,836	+ 25.1%	9	10
11	BMW X3	641	+ 10.3%	7	1,973	+ 15.0%	8	8
12	Volvo XC60	599	+ 44.0%	12	1,385	+ 5.5%	13	11
13	BMW 3 Series	580	+ 42.5%	10	1,683	+ 34.6%	10	9
14	Audi Q4 e-Tron	462	– 4.7%	43	618	– 21.2%	28	23
15	Mini Cooper Hatch	458	+ 53.7%	18	1,023	+ 43.5%	17	15
16	Tesla Model X	458	#DIV/0!	n/a	684	+ 13580.0%	26	n/a
17	BMW 7 Series	414	– 11.3%	11	1,430	+ 6.9%	12	13
18	BMW X7	407	– 5.3%	13	1,178	– 4.0%	15	14
19	Audi Q5	385	n/a	23	743	n/a	23	n/a
20	BMW i5	355	+ 110.1%	17	828	+ 126.8%	21	36
21	Lexus ES	351	– 39.8%	14	1,221	– 33.5%	14	7
22	Lexus NX	349	– 20.3%	16	1,481	+ 35.0%	11	18
23	Porsche Taycan	340	+ 38.8%	33	719	+ 47.6%	25	35
24	Lexus RX	315	+ 72.1%	21	600	+ 33.9%	29	33
25	Mercedes S Class	297	– 36.0%	19	1,045	– 5.0%	16	12
26	Mercedes CLE	280	– 8.2%	20	840	– 7.2%	19	20
27	BMW X6	269	– 20.2%	22	840	– 15.7%	20	19
28	Toyota Camry	241	– 19.4%	24	594	– 7.9%	31	31
29	BMW X4	239	– 16.4%	26	667	– 20.6%	27	16
30	VW ID.4	234	– 42.5%	15	597	– 23.9%	30	43
31	BMW X1	227	+ 0.9%	32	539	– 15.5%	34	28
32	Range Rover Sport	227	+ 95.7%	41	369	+ 33.7%	42	45
33	Tesla Model S	220	+ 1122.2%	n/a	365	+ 1927.8%	44	n/a
34	Volvo XC40	207	– 14.5%	28	563	– 15.6%	33	24
35	Volvo EX30	179	– 62.6%	n/a	223	– 58.9%	n/a	47
36	Volvo XC90	178	+ 67.9%	27	589	+ 106.7%	32	38
37	Land Rover Defender	175	+ 16.7%	45	378	+ 8.9%	39	49
38	BYD Seal	174	new	37	367	new	43	n/a
39	Volvo S90	172	n/a	29	515	+ 78.8%	35	39
40	Range Rover	172	+ 63.8%	49	345	– 2.0%	n/a	44
41	Audi A3	166	+ 435.5%	31	485	+ 722.0%	36	n/a
42	Porsche Cayenne	163	– 52.5%	n/a	376	– 53.2%	40	17
43	BMW 4 Series	159	– 12.2%	34	432	– 11.3%	38	32
44	Mini Electric	151	new	n/a	310	new	n/a	n/a
45	Mercedes EQB	150	+ 552.2%	50	316	+ 919.4%	n/a	n/a
46	Porsche Panamera	149	– 44.8%	40	443	– 36.4%	37	34
47	Toyota Alphard	141	+ 10.2%	n/a	370	+ 26.7%	41	42
48	Mercedes A Class	140	– 22.7%	39	342	– 13.0%	n/a	n/a
49	Porsche 911	138	+ 76.9%	n/a	360	+ 361.5%	n/a	n/a
50	Porsche Macan EV	121	– 7.6%	n/a	171	– 21.6%	n/a	41

Source: KAIDA

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