China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) fleet reached 48.97 million units by the end of June, highlighting the continued expansion of vehicle electrification in the world’s largest automotive market, according to data released by China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS).
The country had 371 million passenger cars in operation at the end of June, with NEVs accounting for 13.19% of the total fleet, up from 10.27% a year earlier and 12.01% at the end of 2025.
Progress Toward 2030 Electrification Target
The latest figures provide a benchmark for China’s recently announced objective of increasing NEVs to around 30% of the national passenger car fleet by 2030.
Earlier this month, China’s State Council included the target in its carbon peak action plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, aiming to further accelerate the country’s transition toward lower-emission transportation.
Based on the current passenger car fleet, achieving a 30% share would require more than 110 million NEVs on Chinese roads—more than double the 48.97 million recorded at the end of June.
NEVs Account for Nearly Half of New Registrations
China registered 5.195 million new NEVs during the first six months of 2026, representing 49.42% of all newly registered passenger vehicles.
The share increased by 4.45 percentage points compared with the same period last year, indicating that nearly one out of every two newly registered cars in China is now a new energy vehicle.
Overall, China recorded 10.51 million new passenger car registrations during the first half of the year, compared with 12.5 million in the same period of 2025.
The figures suggest that while overall vehicle registrations declined, electrification continued to gain market share.
Battery Electric Vehicles Remain Dominant
Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) remained the largest segment of China’s NEV fleet.
By the end of June, BEV ownership totaled 33.675 million units, accounting for 68.77% of all NEVs. The proportion was broadly unchanged from 68.74% at the end of 2025 but slightly lower than 69.23% a year earlier.
China’s NEV ownership has expanded rapidly over the past four years, surpassing:
- 10 million vehicles in June 2022
- 20 million at the end of 2023
- 30 million at the end of 2024
- 43.97 million at the end of 2025
The latest total represents an increase of approximately 5 million vehicles in the first half of 2026 and about 12.08 million compared with the end of June 2025.
Major Cities Continue to Lead Vehicle Ownership
Vehicle ownership remained concentrated in China’s largest metropolitan areas.
At the end of June, 105 Chinese cities each had more than one million registered vehicles, four more than a year earlier. Among them, 47 cities had fleets exceeding two million vehicles, while 27 cities had more than three million.
Chengdu, Chongqing and Beijing each reported more than six million registered vehicles. Zhengzhou, Suzhou, Shanghai, Xi’an, Hangzhou and Wuhan each had fleets exceeding five million vehicles.
Driver Numbers Continue to Grow
China also continued to add new drivers.
The country had 567 million licensed motor vehicle drivers at the end of June, including 533 million licensed passenger car drivers, representing 94.04% of the total.
During the first half of 2026, 13.04 million people obtained driver’s licenses for the first time, an increase of 3.66% from a year earlier, indicating that the pool of potential vehicle buyers continues to expand despite slower overall growth in the automotive market.
Source: CnEVPost
