China’s passenger new energy vehicle (NEV) market continued to expand in September, with battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales reaching an all-time high, according to data released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
Passenger NEV retail sales rose 15.5% year-on-year to 1.296 million units in September, up 16.2% from August. Although slightly below the CPCA’s preliminary estimate of 1.307 million units, the figure surpassed its earlier forecast of 1.25 million units. The result marked the highest monthly NEV retail sales this year and the second-highest on record, behind December 2024’s 1.3 million units.
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BEV retail sales reached a record 826,000 units, breaking the previous high of 762,000 units set in December 2024. This represented a 28.5% year-on-year increase and a 19.8% month-on-month gain. BEVs made up 63.7% of all NEV retail sales, up from 62.3% in August. Hybrid vehicles, including plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and extended-range EVs (EREVs), totaled 469,000 units, down 2.7% year-on-year but up 13.3% month-on-month, marking the third straight year-on-year decline.
Excluding EREVs, PHEV retail sales reached 360,000 units, accounting for 27.8% of NEV retail sales — down 0.1% year-on-year but up 12.5% month-on-month. EREV sales stood at 109,000 units, representing 8.4% of total NEV sales, an 8.0% year-on-year decrease but a 4.2% increase from August.
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Total passenger vehicle retail sales in China — including sedans, SUVs, and MPVs — rose 6.3% year-on-year to 2.241 million units, up 11.0% from August. NEVs accounted for 57.8% of all retail sales, a 5-point increase year-on-year and up 2.6 points from August.
Domestic brands achieved 78.1% NEV retail penetration, compared with 34.5% for luxury brands and 7.4% for mainstream joint-venture brands. On a wholesale basis, NEV sales reached 1.5 million units, up 22.4% year-on-year and 15.9% month-on-month, with a 53.5% penetration rate. Domestic manufacturers led with a 68.3% NEV wholesale penetration, compared with 40% for luxury brands and 6.6% for joint-venture brands.
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China exported 211,000 passenger NEVs in September, up 96.5% year-on-year and 3.9% month-on-month, accounting for 40.1% of total passenger vehicle exports. BEVs made up 66% of NEV exports, down from 83% a year earlier, while smaller A0-class and A00-class BEVs represented 46% of exports, up from 38% in the same month last year.