China EV Sales Data: NEV, BEV & PHEV Explained
EV data
Continue with EV and vehicle trade data
Connect the EV story to sales datasets and transport-equipment trade pages.
Electric-car sales comparison
Cross-country context; align vehicle scope and reporting year.
China NEV sales
Annual manufacturer NEV sales; retain scope and units.
HS 87 vehicle trade
China vehicle exports and partner markets.
Plug-in hybrid exports and EU trade
Monthly customs values, EU destinations and policy developments.
China EV, Battery & Clean Energy Trade Data
Current monthly industry trade figures, commodities and destination research.
China EV sales depend on what is being counted. New energy vehicle (NEV) industry statistics, electric passenger-car sales, customs exports and overseas registrations answer different questions. This guide separates those measures so market sizing does not begin with an incompatible denominator.
Share this analysis
Quick answer: how large is China's EV market?
CAAM's annual NEV series records 12.866 million vehicles in 2024. That is a manufacturer sales measure covering the NEV category; it is not a count of electric passenger cars purchased domestically. The IEA's Global EV Outlook 2026 reports electric cars reached nearly 55% of China's car sales in 2025. Those observations describe different years and populations.
For the latest published month, use CAAM NEV sales and NEV exports. The observation date on each dataset determines its coverage. A page reviewed in October does not mean October sales have already been released.
NEV, BEV and PHEV: three definitions to retain
BEV describes a vehicle powered solely by its battery. PHEV combines plug-in charging with an internal-combustion engine. NEV is China's broader industry reporting category and can include fuel-cell vehicles. Passenger and commercial vehicles also need separate treatment.
Wholesale sales measure manufacturer deliveries. Retail sales and registrations measure different steps in the distribution chain. Exports included in an industry sales total should not be added again to create a larger total. Nor should one manufacturer's combined BEV/PHEV deliveries be compared with another's BEV-only deliveries as if their product scopes were identical.
From domestic sales to export demand
The clean-energy trade hub connects vehicle exports, batteries, solar and grid equipment. For destinations and customs USD values, open BEV trade and PHEV trade. Read the PHEV export analysis for Europe's product and policy context.
A rise in exports can coexist with weaker domestic demand. It can also reflect inventory arriving before overseas registrations. Compare the same months, retain manufacturer versus customs reporting labels, and distinguish complete calendar-year data from year-to-date figures.
Download and research checklist
Dataset pages provide their available charts, source notes and download options. Use API documentation for published series access. For an EV market model, record propulsion, vehicle class, reporting stage, geography, period and units before calculating growth or share.
Sources: CAAM annual NEV series; IEA Global EV Outlook 2026. Annual benchmarks above retain their stated reference years.