China’s exports of electric and plug-in hybrid passenger vehicles reached a record 582,000 units in October 2026, increasing 144.7% year over year and 3.9% from September, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
New-energy vehicles accounted for 62.8% of China’s total passenger-car exports, up 20 percentage points from October 2025. It was the second consecutive monthly export record.
From January to October, exports reached 4.472 million units, representing a 139.7% increase compared with the same period last year.
Battery-Electric Vehicles Lead Exports
Battery-electric vehicles represented 61.7% of October’s new-energy passenger-vehicle exports, while conventional plug-in hybrids accounted for 33.7%. Range-extended electric vehicles made up the remaining 4.6%.
BYD led exporters with 165,194 vehicles, followed by Chery with 83,843 and Geely with 80,119. Tesla China exported 59,012 vehicles during the month.
Higher Oil Prices Support Overseas Demand
The CPCA attributed part of the stronger demand to elevated oil prices linked to the conflict in the Middle East, which have encouraged consumers to consider electric alternatives to gasoline-powered vehicles.
China’s manufacturing scale and expanding international demand have also supported the competitiveness of its new-energy vehicle exports.
Total passenger-car exports, including conventional combustion-engine models, increased 68.5% year over year to 928,000 units in October, up 1% from September.
The reported figures include both fully assembled vehicles and completely knocked-down kits shipped overseas for local assembly.