Uber has announced a multi-year partnership with Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD to bring 100,000 new EVs into its ridesharing service.

Beginning first in Europe and Latin America, the partnership is expected to offer drivers access to pricing and financing deals for BYD vehicles on the platform. Uber said it will eventually expand the deal to include markets across the Middle East, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

BYD is known for producing low-cost EVs predominantly for consumers in its home market, with the cost for its vehicles starting as low as 100,000 yuan (£10,800). In 2022, the company dethroned Tesla as the world’s largest EV maker by unit sales, even though it has not yet made major inroads in Western markets.

Uber said that its drivers are going electric five times faster than private car owners. Nevertheless, driver surveys suggest the price of EVs and availability of financing remain a key barrier to switching.

To support drivers going electric, the companies’ joint...