Will residual values become the downfall of Chinese BEVs in Europe?

DAT Deutsche Automobil Treuhand reports that residual values for Chinese BEVs and PHEVs in Germany fell from 61% of original list price at the start of 2024 to 47% in April 2026.

That is not a side issue. It goes straight to the heart of whether Chinese OEMs can really scale in Europe. There have been rumors that some Chinese brands have a massive residual value problem that impedes directly their growth or even sales.

The European market does not run on product alone. It runs on leasing, fleet sales, used cars, aftersales and trust. Residual values connect all of these.

If RVs fall, leasing rates rise. If leasing rates rise, fleet business becomes harder. And without fleet and leasing, even strong products remain stuck on the edge of the market.

That is the real risk for Chinese brands in Europe.

A car can be technically strong, well equipped and aggressively priced. But if it is pushed into the wrong channels, discounted too hard, or allowed to flood back into the used market too early, the brand may win registrations and lose the market.

This is why RV management is strategy, not clean-up.

The Chinese OEMs that understand used-car management, aftersales and channel discipline will have a real chance in Europe.

The ones that do not may discover that the biggest problem is not the first sale.

It is the second one.