According to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), August saw sales of 1,643,000 NEVs. In China, this category includes BEVs and plug-in hybrids, covering both passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The August figure represents a 17.8 per cent year-on-year increase and a 5.3 per cent rise compared to July. This year, only June reached a similar level. However, the current sales figures still fall short of the record highs set in the fourth quarter of 2025, which occasionally exceeded 1.8 million units sold in a single month.
However, the final quarter is traditionally a strong sales period in China – and the current NEV penetration suggests that sales are likely to climb even higher this year. In August, plug-in vehicles accounted for 60.6 per cent of total vehicle sales, up from 48.8 per cent in August 2025. Notably, according to Car News China, nine of the top ten best-selling passenger car models in China in August were BEVs. The sole exception was the BYD Fang Cheng Bao Ti7, which, unlike the other nine models, is available as both a BEV and a PHEV. Apart from Tesla’s high-volume models, the Model 3 and Model Y, all top ten vehicles were from Chinese brands.
