ROME, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The market for new cars in Italy began on a positive note in 2026, with January sales up 6.18% year-on-year to around 142,000 vehicles, transport ministry data showed on Monday.

Over the whole of 2025, full-year sales fell 2.1% to around 1.56 million units.

Italian market leader Stellantis STLAM.MI, whose brands include Fiat, Jeep, Peugeot and Chinese joint venture Leapmotor, outpaced market growth in January, with sales up by around 11% and a market share of 32.6%, according to Reuters calculations.

Chinese automakers continued to perform strongly, with BYD 002594.SZ sales jumping by around 330% year-on-year to 3,553 units, and Chery's 9973.HK Omoda/Jaecoo brands up 357% to 2,496 units.

Tesla TSLA.O's Italian sales rose 75% to 713 units.

(Reporting by Alvise Armellini, editing by Gavin Jones)

((alvise.armellini@thomsonreuters.com;))