South Korea April 2026: Telsa and BYD break records

12 May 2026 at 08:12

The Tesla Model Y sells over 10,000 units in April.

The South Korean new light vehicle market edges up 0.8% year-on-year in April to 151,340 units, however this small gain has everything to do with foreign brands up 58.1% to 33,989 and 22.5% share whereas domestic brands fall -8.8% to 117,351. More precisely, the market is up thanks solely to Tesla up 811.5% to break its records for the third month in a row to 13,190 sales and 8.7% share. Meanwhile Kia (+7.9%) extends its now seemingly unassailable lead over sister brand Hyundai (-15.8%) to almost 8,000 units for the month and just above 16,500 units year-to-date. In 4th place below Tesla, Genesis (-40.3%) is in complete freefall and endures its lowest monthly volume in over 6 years: since March 2020. BYD (+272.6%) crosses the 2,000 monthly sales mark for the first time, reaching an all time high 9th place with 1.3% share.

In the domestic models ranking, the Kia Sorento (+37.3%) surges ahead to break its volume record for the 2nd month running at over 12,000 sales. The Hyundai Grandeur (+8.9%) is far below while the Hyundai Sonata (+22.4%) closes out the podium with a strong YoY gain. The Hyundai Avante (-22.9%), Kia Carnival (-34.2%) and Kia Sportage (-25.8%) follow and all sink. Meanwhile at #7 the Kia Ray (+14.4%) reaches an all time high ranking, also hit in August 2023 and February 2024. The Kia EV3 (+27.5%) also impresses and stays within the Top 10 at #10. The Kia EV5 (#15) is the best-selling recent launch ahead of the Kia PV5 (#21) and Renault Filante (#22).

Looking at foreign models, the Tesla Model Y (+1154.5%!) crosses the 10,000 monthly sales milestone and ranks #2 in the overall models charts including domestic vehicles. The Tesla Model 3 (+306.9%) also surges ahead and repeats at #2, followed by the BMW 5 Series (-7.5%) and Mercedes E Class (-22.2%) both in difficulty. The new BYD Dolphin advances to a record 5th place ahead of the BMW X3 (+53.1%), Polestar 4 (+277.1%) and Mercedes GLE (+23.3%), all sporting fantastic scores. The new BYD Sealion 7 lodges an 8th straight Top 10 finish at #9.

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

One year ago: South Korea April 2025: New gen pushes Hyundai Palisade to #4, Kia EV4 lands

Full April 2026 Top 30 All brands, Top 58 All domestic models and Top 50 foreign models below.

South Korea April 2026 – brands:

Pos	Brand	Apr-26	%	/25	Mar	2026	%	/25	Pos	FY25
1	Kia	55,108	36.4%	+ 7.9%	1	196,771	35.2%	+ 6.0%	1	2
2	Hyundai	47,183	31.2%	– 15.8%	2	180,190	32.2%	– 6.5%	2	1
3	Tesla	13,190	8.7%	+ 811.5%	3	34,154	6.1%	+ 445.2%	3	6
4	Genesis	6,868	4.5%	– 40.3%	4	32,927	5.9%	– 20.0%	4	3
5	BMW	6,658	4.4%	– 0.8%	5	26,026	4.7%	+ 2.8%	5	4
6	Mercedes	4,796	3.2%	– 2.3%	7	20,658	3.7%	+ 2.7%	6	5
7	Renault Korea	4,025	2.7%	– 23.4%	6	14,894	2.7%	– 21.0%	7	7
8	KGM	3,382	2.2%	– 4.6%	8	14,852	2.7%	+ 26.6%	8	8
9	BYD	2,023	1.3%	+ 272.6%	9	5,991	1.1%	+ 983.4%	9	16
10	Volvo	1,105	0.7%	+ 3.5%	10	4,733	0.8%	+ 3.5%	11	9
11	Lexus	1,079	0.7%	– 20.3%	12	4,834	0.9%	– 7.6%	10	10
12	Audi	918	0.6%	+ 12.4%	11	4,056	0.7%	+ 42.5%	12	12
13	Toyota	829	0.5%	– 5.8%	16	2,982	0.5%	+ 0.5%	14	14
14	GM Korea	785	0.5%	– 39.6%	14	3,325	0.6%	– 38.1%	13	11
15	Mini	696	0.5%	+ 5.3%	15	2,651	0.5%	+ 29.1%	16	15
16	Porsche	679	0.4%	– 37.0%	13	2,786	0.5%	– 20.7%	15	13
17	Polestar	675	0.4%	+ 257.1%	18	1,629	0.3%	+ 143.1%	18	20
18	Volkswagen	458	0.3%	+ 107.2%	19	1,751	0.3%	+ 22.2%	17	18
19	Land Rover	273	0.2%	– 18.5%	17	1,610	0.3%	– 1.2%	19	17
20	Lincoln	120	0.1%	– 4.8%	28	178	0.0%	– 65.2%	26	23
21	Jeep	102	0.1%	– 28.2%	20	423	0.1%	– 22.7%	20	21
22	GMC	73	0.0%	+ 247.6%	21	358	0.1%	+ 336.6%	21	30
23	Cadillac	67	0.0%	+ 0.0%	23	215	0.0%	+ 29.5%	24	25
24	Honda	66	0.0%	– 59.3%	22	277	0.0%	– 68.0%	22	22
25	Ford	55	0.0%	– 90.4%	25	220	0.0%	– 88.4%	23	19
26	Bentley	40	0.0%	+ 300.0%	26	139	0.0%	+ 131.7%	27	27
27	Lamborghini	29	0.0%	+ 107.1%	27	80	0.0%	– 37.0%	28	26
28	Peugeot	28	0.0%	– 71.1%	24	212	0.0%	– 15.5%	25	24
29	Ferrari	17	0.0%	– 34.6%	29	75	0.0%	– 42.3%	29	28
30	Rolls-Royce	13	0.0%	– 51.9%	30	56	0.0%	– 13.8%	30	31
–	Total local manufacturers	117,351	77.5%	– 8.8%	–	442,959	79.2%	– 2.8%	–	–
–	Total foreign manufacturers	33,989	22.5%	+ 58.1%	–	116,094	20.8%	+ 41.3%	–	–
–	Total market	151,340	100.0%	+ 0.8%	–	559,053	100.0%	+ 3.9%	–	–

South Korea April 2026 – domestic models:

Pos	Model	Apr-26	/25	Mar	2026	/25	Pos	FY25
1	Kia Sorento	12,078	+ 37.3%	1	39,029	+ 10.0%	1	1
2	Hyundai Grandeur	6,622	+ 8.9%	2	23,145	– 1.4%	2	5
3	Hyundai Sonata	5,754	+ 22.4%	4	21,119	+ 20.7%	3	11
4	Hyundai Avante	5,475	– 22.9%	6	19,826	– 22.8%	5	2
5	Kia Carnival	4,995	– 34.2%	7	19,392	– 33.4%	6	3
6	Kia Sportage	4,972	– 25.8%	5	20,327	– 23.1%	4	4
7	Kia Ray	4,877	+ 14.4%	11	16,802	– 1.2%	8	12
8	Hyundai Porter	4,843	– 9.8%	3	18,752	– 4.0%	7	8
9	Hyundai Santa Fe	3,902	– 38.6%	15	13,581	– 37.8%	12	7
10	Kia EV3	3,898	+ 27.5%	10	12,572	+ 43.3%	14	22
11	Hyundai Tucson	3,858	– 26.1%	14	15,014	– 17.2%	9	10
12	Kia Seltos	3,580	– 29.8%	8	13,691	– 30.0%	10	9
13	Hyundai Palisade	3,422	– 48.6%	25	13,631	– 22.7%	11	6
14	Kia Bongo	3,335	+ 1.0%	20	11,240	– 9.5%	16	17
15	Kia EV5	3,308	new	16	10,192	new	19	49
16	Kia Morning	3,186	+ 209.9%	30	7,842	+ 103.4%	23	25
17	Hyundai Staria	3,039	– 18.5%	21	9,945	– 23.1%	20	15
18	Hyundai Kona	2,559	– 6.0%	12	12,702	+ 27.5%	13	19
19	Genesis G80	2,523	– 41.9%	13	11,764	– 21.3%	15	13
20	Kia K5	2,366	– 33.9%	18	10,360	– 10.1%	17	16
21	Kia PV5	2,262	new	17	10,348	new	18	45
22	Renault Korea Filante	2,139	new	9	7,099	new	26	–
23	Genesis GV70	2,068	– 33.1%	19	9,841	– 15.8%	21	18
24	Genesis GV80	1,693	– 42.2%	22	8,306	– 25.8%	22	20
25	Hyundai Ioniq 5	1,674	+ 14.8%	23	7,625	+ 84.8%	24	26
26	Hyundai Bus/Truck	1,562	+ 24.6%	29	5,941	+ 18.5%	28	23
27	Renault Korea Grand Koleos	1,550	– 64.6%	32	5,958	– 62.1%	27	14
28	Kia K8	1,461	– 43.1%	24	7,232	– 27.9%	25	21
29	Kia EV4	1,432	+ 72.3%	27	5,511	+ 563.2%	29	34
30	Kia Niro	1,289	– 24.9%	41	5,226	+ 21.1%	32	27
31	Hyundai Ioniq 9	1,225	+ 21.4%	33	4,439	+ 124.9%	33	33
32	Hyundai Casper	1,142	– 21.5%	28	5,245	– 8.0%	31	24
33	KGM Musso	1,135	+ 99.5%	26	5,505	+ 549.2%	30	44
34	Kia EV6	1,062	+ 34.6%	31	3,572	+ 14.3%	34	30
35	Hyundai Venue	1,061	+ 39.6%	34	3,552	+ 29.9%	35	28
36	KGM Musso EV	810	+ 12.7%	37	2,963	+ 138.0%	37	37
37	Chevrolet Trax Crossover	613	– 43.2%	38	2,716	– 36.1%	38	29
38	KGM Actyon	520	+ 101.6%	39	2,339	+ 67.0%	39	35
39	Hyundai Ioniq 6	475	– 22.1%	36	3,153	+ 106.6%	36	42
40	Hyundai Nexo	441	+ 418.8%	35	2,018	+ 209.0%	41	39
41	KGM Tivoli	415	– 3.0%	43	1,774	+ 15.1%	42	41
42	Genesis G90	409	– 48.0%	40	2,042	– 19.2%	40	36
43	Kia EV9	393	+ 162.0%	46	897	+ 88.1%	46	53
44	Renault Korea Arkana	336	– 22.4%	44	1,479	+ 10.4%	44	40
45	KGM Torres	327	– 66.9%	42	1,574	– 50.4%	43	31
46	Kia Tasman	302	– 75.8%	45	1,406	+ 4.6%	45	32
47	Kia Bus/Special	193	+ 43.0%	47	678	+ 41.3%	47	46
48	Chevrolet Trailblazer	168	– 19.6%	50	592	– 38.9%	48	48
49	Hyundai ST1	129	+ 12.2%	51	502	+ 16.2%	50	55
50	Kia K9	119	– 19.0%	52	454	– 31.2%	51	54
51	Genesis GV60	94	– 36.1%	53	322	+ 88.3%	55	58
52	KGM Rexton New Arena	90	– 27.4%	54	335	– 22.6%	54	57
53	KGM Torres EVX	85	+ 14.9%	49	360	– 54.4%	52	52
54	Genesis G70	62	– 70.5%	48	505	– 18.9%	49	50
55	Genesis GV60 Magma	19	new	55	31	new	56	–
56	Chevrolet Colorado	4	– 60.0%	56	16	– 66.0%	57	63
57	KGM Korando	0	– 100.0%	57	2	– 99.0%	58	60
58	Renault Korea Scenic E-Tech	0	new	58	358	new	53	59

South Korea April 2026 – foreign models:

Pos	Model	Apr-26	/25	Mar	2026	/25	Pos	FY25
1	Tesla Model Y	10,086	+ 1154.5%	1	25,409	+ 740.8%	1	1
2	Tesla Model 3	2,596	+ 306.9%	2	7,146	+ 131.2%	4	5
3	BMW 5 Series	1,887	– 7.5%	4	7,511	– 1.3%	3	3
4	Mercedes E Class	1,695	– 22.2%	3	8,530	– 0.9%	2	2
5	BYD Dolphin	800	new	9	1,527	new	17	–
6	BMW X3	692	+ 53.1%	11	2,665	+ 22.9%	7	8
7	Polestar 4	675	+ 277.1%	7	1,627	+ 146.5%	14	26
8	Mercedes GLE	640	+ 23.3%	6	2,613	+ 48.4%	8	6
9	BYD Sealion 7	621	new	5	2,705	new	6	25
10	Mercedes GLC	597	+ 92.6%	8	2,910	+ 23.7%	5	4
11	BMW X5	564	– 5.7%	10	2,400	+ 16.2%	9	10
12	BMW 3 Series	553	+ 11.7%	13	2,236	+ 28.1%	10	9
13	BMW 7 Series	445	+ 12.1%	17	1,875	+ 8.1%	11	13
14	Tesla Model X	427	+ 42600.0%	16	1,111	+ 18416.7%	23	n/a
15	BMW X7	403	– 8.4%	18	1,581	– 5.2%	15	14
16	BYD Atto 3	395	– 27.3%	n/a	1,179	+ 113.2%	20	22
17	Audi Q4 e-Tron	368	+ 377.9%	14	986	+ 14.5%	26	23
18	Lexus NX	363	– 15.6%	22	1,844	+ 20.8%	12	18
19	Volvo XC60	359	– 15.1%	12	1,744	+ 0.5%	13	11
20	Lexus ES	334	– 41.3%	21	1,555	– 35.3%	16	7
21	BMW i5	319	+ 104.5%	20	1,147	+ 120.2%	21	36
22	Mini Cooper Hatch	314	– 10.8%	15	1,337	+ 25.5%	19	15
23	Mercedes CLE	305	+ 18.2%	26	1,145	– 1.5%	22	20
24	Mercedes G Class	304	– 9.0%	n/a	716	– 34.4%	34	21
25	Mercedes S Class	298	– 4.2%	25	1,343	– 4.8%	18	12
26	Audi Q5	289	n/a	19	1,032	n/a	25	n/a
27	BMW X6	261	– 26.7%	27	1,101	– 18.6%	24	19
28	Porsche Cayenne	246	– 54.1%	42	622	– 53.6%	37	17
29	Toyota Camry	239	+ 9.1%	28	833	– 3.6%	29	31
30	Lexus RX	226	+ 22.8%	24	826	+ 30.7%	30	33
31	BYD Seal	207	new	38	574	new	39	n/a
32	VW ID.4	196	+ 625.9%	30	793	– 2.2%	31	43
33	BMW X1	188	– 24.2%	31	727	– 17.9%	33	28
34	Volvo XC90	184	+ 73.6%	36	773	+ 97.7%	32	38
35	BMW X4	179	– 43.4%	29	846	– 26.8%	28	16
36	Toyota Alphard	174	+ 11.5%	47	544	+ 21.4%	40	42
37	VW Golf	169	+ 89.9%	n/a	492	+ 452.8%	41	n/a
38	BMW 4 Series	164	– 15.5%	43	596	– 12.5%	38	32
39	Porsche Taycan	155	+ 4.0%	23	874	+ 37.4%	27	35
40	Toyota Prius	148	+ 72.1%	n/a	410	+ 74.5%	46	n/a
41	Mini Countryman	146	+ 14.1%	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	40
42	Volvo EX30	145	+ 25.0%	35	368	– 44.1%	50	47
43	Volvo S90	144	+ 58.2%	39	659	+ 73.9%	36	39
44	BMW iX1	136	+ 172.0%	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
45	Volvo XC40	133	– 40.4%	34	696	– 21.8%	35	24
46	Mercedes EQB	133	+ 1562.5%	45	449	+ 1051.3%	43	n/a
47	Toyota Crown	132	+ 207.0%	n/a	401	+ 107.8%	47	n/a
48	Porsche Macan EV	122	+ 100.0%	50	n/a	n/a	n/a	41
49	Mercedes EQE SUV	119	+ 65.3%	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
50	BMW iX	112	– 1.8%	n/a	434	+ 127.2%	45	n/a

Source: KAIDA, Manufacturers

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