EVs dominate China’s car market: 5 takeaways from the country's latest auto sales data

Exterior view of the Tesla Gigafactory during a government-organised media trip in Shanghai, China, April 14, 2026.

Go Nakamura | Reuters

BEIJING — Survivors have emerged in China's fiercely competitive car market, which is increasingly dominated by electric-powered vehicles.

Here are brands that have emerged as Chinese consumers' favorite, according to industry data from Autohome:

1. Geely ranks first

Among the 10 most popular car models sold in China in the six months through July, Geely's Xingyuan electric hatchback was the bestseller with nearly 197,500 units sold.

The price? Just under 100,000 yuan ($14,820).

Geely has emerged as a close rival to BYD, ranking second by overall China sales volume in 2025. The Hangzhou-based company still sells gasoline-powered cars in addition to electric vehicles, such as those sold under its premium brand Zeekr.

2. Tesla keeps selling

The company's Model Y ranked second in popularity with more than 180,000 of the electric SUVs sold. The Tesla car comes at a steeper price tag of 263,500 yuan to 313,500 yuan, but that didn't stop it from topping sales of Li Auto's i6 SUV and Xiaomi's SU7 sedan.

3. BYD barely makes top 5

Three of the 10 best-selling cars, as per Autohome data from February through July, were from BYD. But the most popular one — a modestly priced Yuan UP SUV — just managed fifth place with nearly 97,700 units sold. In sixth place was the Ti 7 under BYD's off-road brand, followed by its Sealion 06 SUV.

The Chinese car giant reported its passenger car sales dropped by more than 10% in the first half of the year.

4. VW holds on

The German automaker was the only traditional foreign car company to make the top 10 — with its compact gasoline-powered Lavida in ninth place, squeezed between Leapmotor's A10 electric SUV and Geely's gasoline-powered Boyue L SUV.

5. Electric dominates

New energy vehicles, which include battery and hybrid-powered cars, accounted for 65.1% of new passenger cars sold in July — up from 54% a year ago, according to China Passenger Car Association data released Tuesday.

But the category still saw sales for the year through July drop by 12.5%, as passenger car sales overall tumbled by 20.3%, industry data showed.

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Reporting from CNBC contributed to this story.