Buy a new car from one of the Chinese brands filling UK showrooms and you could leave with a warranty of up to eight years, free servicing, a 0% finance deal and, increasingly, somebody else paying for your first stretch of insurance.

The latest to put cover on the table is Lepas, which the Chery group was set to launch this year as its fourth UK brand. Buyers of its L8 PHEV get 30 days of complimentary drive-away insurance, arranged through the car maker's partnership with Car Care Plan, if they activate it by 31 October 2026.

There's also a £350 excess voucher and a free, no-obligation annual quote. When the promotion ends, the standard offer drops back to one or five days, depending on what the customer prefers. The L8 is priced from £34,900 to £37,900 on the road.

A month is generous by forecourt standards. Chery already offers up to five days of drive-away cover and a £350 excess-return voucher on new and used cars, and sister brands Omoda and Jaecoo run similar schemes. BMW, hardly a newcomer, gives five days on qualifying cars.

The pitch is simple: take the keys, then shop around without the handover-day scramble. What gets less airtime is that, a month later, those buyers walk into an open market that has not always been pleased to see them.

Read next: UK insurers hit the brakes on Chinese EV cover

Carwow's investigation earlier this year approached 10 major insurers about four Chinese models and four established rivals. The Skywell BE11 was the hardest to cover. Only esure would quote, at £2,203, against £655 from the same insurer for an equivalent Peugeot 3008. Half the insurers declined the Jaecoo 7, and those that quoted averaged around £858, about £166 more than a Volkswagen Tiguan.

The picture wasn't uniformly grim, though. The BYD Seal U was the easiest to cover, with only three insurers unable to quote and an average of £645. Carwow's Iain Reid summed up the problem: "the bigger issue isn't just price; it's availability."

Thatcham Research, which rates cars for insurers, pushes back on the idea that this is a matter of nationality. "It's easy to label this as a 'Chinese problem,' but it really isn't," Ben Townsend, its head of automotive, told Carwow, describing a market in transition. Any new model with little claims history or a thin repair network tends to be priced cautiously. That caution costs more when parts make up around 40% of repair costs, and Thatcham's data shows an average headlamp rose from £1,039 in 2020 to £1,528 in 2025.

The evidence suggests the fix is engineering, not marketing. Aion earned a Group 32 rating for its V after a 12-month collaboration with Thatcham. Townsend said the resulting design changes should cut repair times after an accident by around 50%. Aion also set up a pre-stocked UK parts warehouse with DHL before selling its first car. Omoda and Jaecoo went through a similar process: UK country director Victor Zhang said last year that the changes had brought Jaecoo's group ratings down from the low 30s to the low 20s. Thatcham is now moving the industry from the old 1-50 groups to its Vehicle Risk Rating system, which scores cars across five areas including damageability and repairability.

Read next: Motor insurers to stay loss-making through 2026 as rates turn

All this is happening while claims costs are running hot. Insurers paid out a record £3.2bn in motor claims in Q2 2026, and the average claim rose 4% to £4,900, according to the Association of British Insurers. EY projects a net combined ratio of 111% for UK motor this year, meaning £1.11 paid out for every £1 of premium. Unfamiliar cars with uncertain repair bills are not what anyone in that position wants to be guessing about.

Yet this is no longer a niche risk. At the end of July, SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said Chinese-owned brands, led by MG, BYD and Chery's Omoda and Jaecoo lines, account for roughly 15% of UK new car registrations. In March, the Jaecoo 7 was the UK's best-selling car outright. Insurers who sit this segment out are sitting out a growing slice of the market.

Then there's the business behind the freebie. Car Care Plan was founded in 1976 and issues more than 1.5 million policies a year in the UK for over 30 manufacturers and more than 2,500 dealers. Its Protex arm supplies manufacturer- and dealer-branded drive-away insurance and excess vouchers. The free quote at the end of the free month is the point: drive-away cover is a distribution play as much as a customer perk.

The MGA is also changing hands. ANV Group Holdings agreed to buy it from AmTrust in a deal expected to close around the end of September. Chief executive Ben Russell and the leadership team stay on, and AmTrust remains the long-term underwriting partner.

Read next: ANV enters vehicle warranty market with Car Care Plan deal

Point-of-sale motor add-ons are also an area the regulator has already taken an interest in. In early 2024, several GAP insurers paused sales after the FCA raised fair value concerns under the Consumer Duty. Free cover obviously isn't the same thing. But any firm using a complimentary month as the route into a paid annual policy may want its customer journey and conversion data in good order.

Insurance is only one weapon in the showroom. Geely offers up to eight years or 125,000 miles, made up of a six-year base warranty plus a two-year extension. Chery, Omoda, Jaecoo and Changan offer seven years or 100,000 miles, and MG seven years. Aion's Great 8 Promise bundles eight years of warranty, servicing, roadside assistance and MOTs, which the brand reckons saves owners around £2,900 over that period.

On finance, MG is advertising 0% APR PCP with no minimum deposit on selected models, and Changan is adding a £3,000 deposit contribution to 0% finance on its Deepal S07. Established marques aren't standing still, with Kia long offering seven years or 100,000 miles, though Volkswagen and Skoda stick to three years of standard cover.

Read next: UK car insurance premiums record first quarterly rise in over two years

For brokers, the number to watch is 31. Every free-cover customer reaches the point where they need a real policy, sometimes on a car mainstream panels won't touch. Specialist brokers are already targeting that gap. Adrian Flux markets dedicated Chinese car cover, arguing that some insurers still lack detailed rating data on newer marques, which can mean inflated premiums, exclusions or refusals.

A free month of cover is a nice gesture. Whether buyers can find someone willing to insure the car on day 31, at a price that doesn't wipe out the finance deal, will decide how many of them come back to these brands a second time.

Buy a new car from one of the Chinese brands filling UK showrooms and you could leave with a warranty of up to eight years, free servicing, a 0% finance deal and, increasingly, somebody else paying for your first stretch of insurance.

The latest to put cover on the table is Lepas, which the Chery group was set to launch this year as its fourth UK brand. Buyers of its L8 PHEV get 30 days of complimentary drive-away insurance, arranged through the car maker's partnership with Car Care Plan, if they activate it by 31 October 2026.

There's also a £350 excess voucher and a free, no-obligation annual quote. When the promotion ends, the standard offer drops back to one or five days, depending on what the customer prefers. The L8 is priced from £34,900 to £37,900 on the road.

A month is generous by forecourt standards. Chery already offers up to five days of drive-away cover and a £350 excess-return voucher on new and used cars, and sister brands Omoda and Jaecoo run similar schemes. BMW, hardly a newcomer, gives five days on qualifying cars.

The pitch is simple: take the keys, then shop around without the handover-day scramble. What gets less airtime is that, a month later, those buyers walk into an open market that has not always been pleased to see them.

Read next: UK insurers hit the brakes on Chinese EV cover

Carwow's investigation earlier this year approached 10 major insurers about four Chinese models and four established rivals. The Skywell BE11 was the hardest to cover. Only esure would quote, at £2,203, against £655 from the same insurer for an equivalent Peugeot 3008. Half the insurers declined the Jaecoo 7, and those that quoted averaged around £858, about £166 more than a Volkswagen Tiguan.

The picture wasn't uniformly grim, though. The BYD Seal U was the easiest to cover, with only three insurers unable to quote and an average of £645. Carwow's Iain Reid summed up the problem: "the bigger issue isn't just price; it's availability."

Thatcham Research, which rates cars for insurers, pushes back on the idea that this is a matter of nationality. "It's easy to label this as a 'Chinese problem,' but it really isn't," Ben Townsend, its head of automotive, told Carwow, describing a market in transition. Any new model with little claims history or a thin repair network tends to be priced cautiously. That caution costs more when parts make up around 40% of repair costs, and Thatcham's data shows an average headlamp rose from £1,039 in 2020 to £1,528 in 2025.

The evidence suggests the fix is engineering, not marketing. Aion earned a Group 32 rating for its V after a 12-month collaboration with Thatcham. Townsend said the resulting design changes should cut repair times after an accident by around 50%. Aion also set up a pre-stocked UK parts warehouse with DHL before selling its first car. Omoda and Jaecoo went through a similar process: UK country director Victor Zhang said last year that the changes had brought Jaecoo's group ratings down from the low 30s to the low 20s. Thatcham is now moving the industry from the old 1-50 groups to its Vehicle Risk Rating system, which scores cars across five areas including damageability and repairability.

Read next: Motor insurers to stay loss-making through 2026 as rates turn

All this is happening while claims costs are running hot. Insurers paid out a record £3.2bn in motor claims in Q2 2026, and the average claim rose 4% to £4,900, according to the Association of British Insurers. EY projects a net combined ratio of 111% for UK motor this year, meaning £1.11 paid out for every £1 of premium. Unfamiliar cars with uncertain repair bills are not what anyone in that position wants to be guessing about.

Yet this is no longer a niche risk. At the end of July, SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said Chinese-owned brands, led by MG, BYD and Chery's Omoda and Jaecoo lines, account for roughly 15% of UK new car registrations. In March, the Jaecoo 7 was the UK's best-selling car outright. Insurers who sit this segment out are sitting out a growing slice of the market.

Then there's the business behind the freebie. Car Care Plan was founded in 1976 and issues more than 1.5 million policies a year in the UK for over 30 manufacturers and more than 2,500 dealers. Its Protex arm supplies manufacturer- and dealer-branded drive-away insurance and excess vouchers. The free quote at the end of the free month is the point: drive-away cover is a distribution play as much as a customer perk.

The MGA is also changing hands. ANV Group Holdings agreed to buy it from AmTrust in a deal expected to close around the end of September. Chief executive Ben Russell and the leadership team stay on, and AmTrust remains the long-term underwriting partner.

Read next: ANV enters vehicle warranty market with Car Care Plan deal

Point-of-sale motor add-ons are also an area the regulator has already taken an interest in. In early 2024, several GAP insurers paused sales after the FCA raised fair value concerns under the Consumer Duty. Free cover obviously isn't the same thing. But any firm using a complimentary month as the route into a paid annual policy may want its customer journey and conversion data in good order.

Insurance is only one weapon in the showroom. Geely offers up to eight years or 125,000 miles, made up of a six-year base warranty plus a two-year extension. Chery, Omoda, Jaecoo and Changan offer seven years or 100,000 miles, and MG seven years. Aion's Great 8 Promise bundles eight years of warranty, servicing, roadside assistance and MOTs, which the brand reckons saves owners around £2,900 over that period.

On finance, MG is advertising 0% APR PCP with no minimum deposit on selected models, and Changan is adding a £3,000 deposit contribution to 0% finance on its Deepal S07. Established marques aren't standing still, with Kia long offering seven years or 100,000 miles, though Volkswagen and Skoda stick to three years of standard cover.

Read next: UK car insurance premiums record first quarterly rise in over two years

For brokers, the number to watch is 31. Every free-cover customer reaches the point where they need a real policy, sometimes on a car mainstream panels won't touch. Specialist brokers are already targeting that gap. Adrian Flux markets dedicated Chinese car cover, arguing that some insurers still lack detailed rating data on newer marques, which can mean inflated premiums, exclusions or refusals.

A free month of cover is a nice gesture. Whether buyers can find someone willing to insure the car on day 31, at a price that doesn't wipe out the finance deal, will decide how many of them come back to these brands a second time.