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BEVs represented 35% of the total Chinese car market in December.
We saw plugins score another million-plus sales in December, reaching a record 1.34 million units (in a 2.26-million-unit overall market, down a harsh 14% YoY).
Last month’s result put plugin vehicles’ market share at 59%, with BEVs reaching 35% share of the market. In the end, the final 2025 plugin share was 54% of the total auto market, and 33% just for BEVs, which means that most new cars sold in China last year had a plug!
This is a positive result compared to the 2024 final result of 48% plugin share and 25% for BEVs only. Continuing this trend would mean that the Chinese automotive market, the largest in the world, will be fully electrified before 2035!
In the overall ranking, looking at the full year numbers, fully fossil-fueled models placed just two representatives in the top 10, compared to four in 2024.
Will 2026 be the first year without ICE models in the Chinese top 10?
With both top 10 ICE models (#6 Nissan Sylphy and #8 VW Lavida) experiencing dropping sales, that may very well happen.
Looking at the yearly results in several size categories, ICE models placed three representatives, two in the C segment (compact cars) and one in the E segment (full size category). With that last one, the Audi A6L is proving to be quite resilient — it was the only podium survivor from the 2024 podium, as both the BYD Han (category winner in 2024) and AITO M7 (3rd last year) were removed from the full size podium, where both Xiaomi models, the SU7 and YU7, obliterated the EV competition and won the 1st (SU7) and 3rd (YU7) spots this year.
The Audi’s saving grace is that there’s still a sizable portion of the high end part of the market addicted to ICE engines, and those weren’t affected by the Xiaomi landslide.
This makes you wonder about the impact of a future midsize Xiaomi, or its upcoming EREVs….
Looking at the other category winners, the biggest news was the Geely Xingyuan’s rise to power, coming out of nowhere to win the B segment (subcompact category) in its first full year of sales. With China in the bag, Geely’s small hatchback is looking to make an impact in export markets in 2026. The brand is betting on this model to gain traction in a number of new markets.
Here’s more info and commentary on December’s top selling electric models:
#1 — Tesla Model Y
Tesla’s midsize crossover scored a record 65,874 registrations, allowing it to win another monthly title, taking full profit from the addition of the three-row YL to the lineup and updates to the existing versions. This has allowed the midsizer to regain the lead on the table, but one wonders for how long…. Sure, the first quarter of 2026 will probably still benefit from the wind in its sails, but will the good results continue in Q2?
#2 — BYD Qin Plus (BEV+PHEV)
The old dog once again joined the podium in December, thanks to 46,837 registrations, its best result of the last 18 months. That was thanks to stock clearance (and deep discounts) in order to give way for the recently refreshed 2026 Qin Plus with improved specs. This volume meant that it was the best selling sedan in China, all powertrains counted. The 7-year-old body might be showing some wrinkles, but the low prices still provide significant demand for the sedan.
#3 — Xiaomi YU7
This year’s most anticipated model, Xiaomi’s YU7, continues to ramp up, to 39,089 deliveries in December, allowing it to collect its first podium presence. The YU7 got hundreds of thousands of locked-in orders within hours. Those orders have to come from somewhere, and with the market already above 50% share, it won’t be just from ICE models…. Yep, all top EV players that have midsize to full size SUVs are feeling the gravitational force of the YU7, a model that should collect plenty of podium presences (and wins?) in the coming months.
#4 — Geely Geome Xingyuan
Geely has struck gold with this one. After a number of failed attempts to launch models that would stay on the best sellers table (Galaxy L6, Galaxy E5, etc.), the Hangzhou make finally found the winning formula to not only beat BYD, but also win the leadership race in the fierce Chinese automotive market! With BYD owning most of the market segments, thanks to multiple popular models, the little Xingyuan profited from the fact that BYD was underrepresented in the lower segments, which had left a space between the A to B segment Seagull and the B to C segment Dolphin. With pricing and specs closer to the Seagull, but interior space and quality closer to the Dolphin, the small Geely carved out a space of its own. And while the December result wasn’t what you would call stellar — after all, delivering 36,147 registrations wasn’t enough to grant it a podium spot — the truth is that the small Geely won the 2025 best seller award in the overall market! Not bad for an OEM that until 2025 had never placed a representative on the EV podium…. With volume exports now getting relevant, Geely hopes to maintain enough domestic demand for its small hatchback to be in the race for the 2026 Chinese title, but also competing for a podium position on the global stage.
#5 — Fang Cheng Bao Tai 7
BYD’s premium arm Fang Cheng Bao has a success on its hands, thanks to this big Land Rover SUV, the Tai (Ti?) 7. Thanks to a record 34,086 registrations, this Chinese Defender has an EREV powertrain with either 27 or 36 kWh batteries, allowing around 100 km (60 miles) of range — which might not sound much compared to the 52 kWh battery of the Lynk & Co 900, another Land Rover-inspired EREV SUV, 0r the 70 kWh of the Zeekr 9X, the Rolls Royce–inspired flagship EREV SUV from the Geely stable, but then again, the Tai 7 is almost half the price of the Lynk & Co model and almost one third of the price of the Zeekr…. Thanks to a successful boxy design, competitive specs, and and a nice interior, for its price range, this is one of those models that just begs to be sent overseas — going after not only the posh SUVs of premium brands, but also the gas guzzling Land Cruisers and Patrols of this world.
Below the top five, the highlight is the new-generation M7 from AITO, ending the month in 6th thanks to a record 29,368 units, and while it could be considered on paper a competitor to the previously mentioned FCB Tai 7, this is a more family-orientated crossover, focused on comfort, luxury, and technology, instead of off-road abilities. It should be top 5-material for 2026.
Elsewhere, we have a few fresh faces. The new NIO ES8 joined the table at #11, with a record 22,258 units, providing the premium brand a much needed success story to tell. Now, is the big SUV set to stay on the table? That is a good question, and 2026 will surely provide an answer.
Besides the NIO SUV, two additional EVs joined the table for the first time. BAIC’s Arcfox T1 hatchback rose to #15, thanks to a record 17,170 units, giving the Beijing-based OEM its first top 20 presence in years. Let’s not forget that BAIC won the best selling model titles in 2017, 2018, and 2019 thanks to the EC and EU Series, so it is a big deal that the company is back at the Big Boys Table….
Last, but not least, we have the Li i6, Li Xiang’s biggest BEV bet in its lineup. It is hoping to replicate the success of its L6 model, but in BEV flavor. The midsize crossover that kind of reminds one of a sporty MPV (just me?) has a lot going for it specs wise (air suspension, 87 kWh battery, 5C charging…), but also has competitive pricing ($35,000) to go along with that, making it cheaper than the locally made Tesla Model Y!
With BEVs now winning the upper hand over PHEVs, Li Auto needs this i6 to be a success. And so far, so good.
Outside the top 20, in a record month, record scores are plentiful. Let’s focus on the most important ones.
Aion had a horrible year in 2025, but it is looking to turn things around in 2026. Its new i60, a crossover based on the existing Aion V, has been thoroughly redesigned and uses the brand’s first EREV powertrain. With 8,643 sales in its first full month, it looks like Aion has found the model needed to take it back into the top 20.
SAIC’s MG continues to see its 4 hatchback ramping up, reaching 14,056 sales in December, so we might see a model from MG joining the table in 2026. And with a hatchback….
Great Wall’s Wey premium brand has succeeded in placing its Gaoshan minivan on top of the MPV category, thanks to a record 10,558 sales, leaving the previous minivan king, the Denza D9, some 2,000 units behind. And if the Wey Gaoshan profile does kind of remind you of something, no, it wasn’t Darth Vader’s minivan, but the Gaoshan was the basis for a certain Faraday Future minivan shown at CES in 2025….
Finally, a mention goes out to the Zeekr 9X, which delivered a record 9,482 sales in December. Not bad for a model that starts at $64,000.
Looking at the 2025 ranking, the podium stayed as it was in November, with the Geely Xingyuan on top, followed by the Wuling Mini EV, and the Tesla Model Y in 3rd.
Compared to last year, only the Model Y repeats its presence, as least year’s winner, the BYD Song, was down to 5th in 2025 and the 2024 bronze medalist, the BYD Qin Plus, was 4th.
These two BYD models were replaced by the new leader, the Geely Xingyuan, with the hatchback completing its first year with best seller status. This is Geely’s first podium presence.
In the runner-up position, we now have the Wuling Mini EV. Thanks to its new generation, the model returned to the podium for the first time since 2022.
After two years with exactly the same podium (#1 BYD Song, #2 Tesla Model Y, #3 BYD Qin Plus), 2025 marks a new reality, not only with two new models on the podium, but also making it the first time since 2021 that there’s no BYD representative on the Chinese podium!
Further down, there were a couple of position changes. The Xiaomi YU7 joined the table in the last month of the year, at #17, a position that will surely be improved in 2026.
Profiting from slow months for the Changan Lumin and Geely Panda Mini, the Li Xiang L6 was up two positions, to #13, a position it also held in 2024.
Speaking of comparing the current standings with the 2024 results, the highlight was The Rise of the Xiaomis. Both models joined the table this year, the SU7 at #8 and the YU7 at #17.
The remaining new faces were the aforementioned Geely Xingyuan; the #11 BYD Yuan Up, which cannibalized the sales of its larger sibling, the Yuan Plus (it was #5 in 2024, now it’s gone from the top 20); the #12 Xpeng Mona M03, which is the new bread and butter model of the brand (exports soon?); and Geely adding a second model to the table this year, in the form of the cutesy, tiny Geely Panda Mini at #15. Geely, therefore went from no representatives in 2024 to two in the top 20. (Both are on the lower end of the market. Something to think about….)
As for AITO, the massive M9 flagship SUV (on the table in 2024) was swapped out for the slightly less massive M8 SUV.
So, two new Xiaomis, two new Geely models, one new Xpeng, and only one new BYD in the 2025 top 20. Meanwhile, BYD lost four(!) representatives (the Han, Tang, Yuan Plus, and Destroyer 05) in 2025 and GAC lost its only representative, the Aion Y.
Generally speaking, less BYD, more Geely, and a whole lot more startup models….
Looking at the overall manufacturer ranking (not just electrics), BYD remained the leader, but the Shenzhen make dropped by a significant 12% YoY (the Song and Qin Plus replacements do not seem to be at the same level as these two veterans). Contrast that with the new runner-up, Geely — which, after growing at a startup-like 66% YoY, has surpassed Volkswagen and Toyota and hopes to challenge BYD in 2026.
Speaking of foreign brands, with exception of Toyota, which remained flat, all the other representatives lost sales — going from manageable, like Audi (-3% YoY) and Tesla (-5%), to downright catastrophic (Honda was down 27% YoY).
As for the remaining local legacy brands, it was a somewhat stable year, with single-digit performances.
So … if the picture at the top, Geely excluded, doesn’t look all that rosy, then who is stealing sales from the larger players?
Startups. Looking below the top 10, we see Leapmotor surging sales by 84% YoY, to over 520,000 units, and jumping from #22 in 2024 to the 13th position — expect this one to join the top 10 soon. Xpeng was up 120% YoY, to over 380,000 units, jumping from #29, to its current #21. Xiaomi, meanwhile, shot from 33rd in 2024 to its current 17th position, with around 410,000 sales, and let’s not forget that 2025 was still its first full year on the market.With a reasonable target of 550,000 units set for 2026, Xiaomi could be on the cusp of a top 10 presence (and profitability) less than three years since it landed on the market! (I wonder if Tim Cook knows about Xiaomi’s performance in the EV market….)
Auto Brands Selling the Most Electric Vehicles in China
Looking at the auto brand ranking for plugin vehicles, there wasn’t much news. BYD (24.2% in December, down from 24.6% in November) continued its descent. However, with runner-up Geely (9.7%) getting less than half its share, BYD won the 2025 title easily. This is BYD’s 5th title in a row, and 12th overall. Still, in 2025, it dropped 8% in market share. So, at this pace, expect BYD to also win the 2026 title, but we should see Geely coming closer. As for 2027, the Hangzhou-based automaker should be ready to challenge BYD and win its first manufacturer title.
#3 Wuling (6.2%), like in 2024, won the bronze medal, while Tesla (4.9%) dropped from the runner-up position to its current 4th position, which means that the Texas-based carmaker was left off of the Chinese podium for the first time since 2019.
This means that, while still relevant, Tesla is no longer a major force in China.
Elsewhere, startup Leapmotor (4.1%) not only secured its first top 5 position, but allowed itself to dream of surpassing Tesla in 2026.
Auto Groups Selling the Most Electric Vehicles in China
Looking at OEMs/automotive groups/alliances, BYD won another title, with 27.2% share of the market, but it has seen its market share drop significantly, as it had ended 2024 with a massive 34.1% market share.
#2 Geely was a distant runner-up, with 12.2% share, but the company increased its share by 4.3% compared to 2024. So, while 2026 might be too soon to challenge BYD, if current trends continue until 2027, we should see Geely become the new #1 in China.
Also on the rise was Changan (6.2%), which managed to keep SAIC (6.1%) at bay and win this year’s bronze medal, replacing Tesla (4.9%, down from 6% in 2024) on the podium.
Regarding the 6th position, there was a last-minute change, with Chery (4.2%) replacing Leapmotor (4.1%). Will these two, or other OEMs, be able to surpass Tesla and replace it in the top 5 in 2026? Please place your bets.
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