China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) retail sales reached a new monthly high in December, extending a record run even as growth momentum moderated and battery-electric vehicle sales softened from the previous month, industry data showed.
Passenger NEV retail sales totalled 1.337 million units in December, surpassing the prior record of 1.321 million units set in November, according to figures released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). The total was up 2.6% from a year earlier and 1.2% higher than in November, though it fell short of earlier CPCA preliminary and revised estimates.
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“Passenger NEV retail sales reached 1.337 million units in December,” the CPCA said in its release, highlighting the continued expansion of electrified vehicles in the world’s largest auto market.
Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for the majority of sales, with 782,000 units sold during the month. While BEV retail sales rose 2.5% year on year, they declined 5.5% from November. As a result, BEVs represented 58.49% of total NEV retail sales in December, down from 62.60% a month earlier.
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Hybrid vehicles, including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), showed stronger momentum. Combined hybrid retail sales reached 555,000 units, up 2.59% year on year and 12.35% from November, marking the first annual increase in hybrid sales since July.
Within that segment, PHEV retail sales, excluding EREVs, stood at 410,000 units. They fell 1.1% from a year earlier, extending a six-month run of year-on-year declines, but rose 10.0% from November and accounted for 30.67% of total NEV retail sales. EREV sales climbed to 145,000 units, up 15.4% year on year and 20.6% month on month, representing 10.85% of NEV retail volumes and the first annual increase for the category since July.
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China’s broader passenger car market remained under pressure. Total passenger car retail sales, including sedans, sport utility vehicles and multi-purpose vehicles, fell 14% year on year to 2.261 million units in December, although sales edged up 1.6% from November.
NEVs accounted for 59.1% of passenger car retail sales during the month, up 9.6 percentage points from a year earlier but slightly below November’s level. Domestic Chinese brands continued to dominate electrification, posting an NEV retail penetration rate of 80.9%, compared with 39.1% for luxury brands and 8.2% for mainstream joint-venture brands, CPCA data showed.
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On a wholesale basis, passenger NEV sales reached 1.563 million units in December, up 3.3% year on year but down 8.4% from November. NEV wholesale penetration stood at 56.0%, with domestic brands accounting for nearly three-quarters of wholesale NEV volumes.
Exports also remained strong. China exported 273,000 passenger NEVs in December, up 119.8% from a year earlier but down 4.0% from November, accounting for 46.4% of total passenger vehicle exports. BEVs made up 57.9% of NEV exports, while smaller A0- and A00-segment BEVs accounted for 68% of exported NEVs.
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For the full year 2025, China’s NEV retail sales reached 12.81 million units, an increase of 17.6% from the previous year. BEV retail sales rose 24.4% to 7.88 million units, while PHEV sales increased 8.8% to 3.40 million units and EREV sales grew 6.0% to 1.17 million units.