South Korea's imported car market has moved almost entirely to electrified vehicles. In October, electric and hybrid models together made up roughly 92% of newly registered imported passenger cars, leaving gasoline and diesel with only single-digit shares.
Tesla remained the best-selling imported brand for the ninth month in a row, according to a report by Businesskorea citing data from the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA). The figures also show that the American EV maker's lead narrowed as its monthly registrations fell and German brands advanced.
Electrified Vehicles Now Dominate Imports
Electric vehicles accounted for 14,424 of October's imported registrations, or 46.4% of the total. Hybrids were close behind at 14,272 units, or 45.9%, so together the two made up about 92.2% of the market.
Gasoline cars, once the backbone of imported sales in Korea, fell to 6.8% with 2,130 units. Diesel models nearly disappeared, taking just 0.9% with 291 registrations.
The EV share did slip from the month before. Electric cars represented 52.1% of imported registrations in September, so October's figure was 5.7 percentage points lower, and the gap between EVs and hybrids shrank to only 152 units.
Imports Outpace Domestic Automakers
KAIDA reported 31,117 newly registered imported passenger cars in October. That was up 29.3% from 24,064 a year earlier but down 10.8% from 34,904 in September.
Registrations from January through October reached 310,846 units, a 24.6% increase from 249,412 in the same period of 2025. Domestic manufacturers had a weaker year by comparison.
Korea's five major automakers sold 105,588 vehicles at home in October, only 3.1% more than a year before. Their combined domestic sales over the first ten months fell 7.1% to 1,053,585 units.
Tesla Leads but Loses Momentum
Tesla recorded 9,165 registrations in October, keeping first place among imported brands for a ninth consecutive month, a run that began in February. The Model Y Premium was the top imported model with 5,501 units, and the Model 3 placed third with 2,199.
Its monthly numbers dropped noticeably, however. Registrations fell 25.9% from 12,372 in September, and the brand's share of the imported market declined from 35.4% to 29.5%.
The Model Y also lost its spot as Korea's best-selling passenger car overall after holding it from July through September. The Kia Sportage took the top position in October with 7,708 units.
German Brands Gain Ground
Mercedes-Benz came second among imported brands with 6,744 registrations, up 23.1% from the previous month. Its E 200 was the second most popular imported model with 2,836 units.
BMW placed third with 5,633 registrations, down 7.1% month on month. Combined, the two German manufacturers registered 12,377 vehicles, more than 3,200 units ahead of Tesla.
By region of origin, European brands led with 17,573 registrations, or 56.5% of the market. U.S. brands held 30.0% with 9,336 units, a share driven largely by Tesla, while Japanese brands accounted for 8.0%.
Chinese EV Makers Establish a Presence
Chinese brands took 5.5% of imported registrations in October. BYD ranked fifth among all imported brands with 1,594 units, just behind Volvo, which was fourth with 1,682.
Zeekr, another Chinese EV maker, recorded 129 registrations in its first month of reported sales in South Korea. Its arrival adds to the competition in a market where electrified models already make up most sales.
Individual buyers continued to drive demand, accounting for 65.5% of purchases compared with 34.5% for corporate customers.
What the Shift Means for Carmakers and Buyers
KAIDA vice chairman Jung Yoon-young linked the monthly decline to lower EV sales at some brands and to supply shortages. He said that although the imported market keeps growing year over year, monthly results still depend on supply conditions at individual brands.
For carmakers, October's data shows that Korea's import segment is now competed for almost entirely with electric and hybrid models. Tesla's lead is real but exposed to supply swings, German brands are using hybrids and EVs to close the gap, and Chinese newcomers are starting to win buyers. For domestic automakers, the faster growth of imports is a clear competitive challenge in their home market.
Source: Businesskorea
