New Energy Vehicles Dominate Trade-Ins: Nearly 60% of Replacements in 2024–2025

Recently, Dongchedi, in collaboration with China Automotive Technology & Research Center (CATARC), released the "White Paper on Consumer Insights into Auto Trade-in Programs," which reveals that the total number of vehicle trade-ins nationwide is expected to reach 18.3 million units between 2024 and 2025, with new energy vehicles (NEVs) accounting for nearly 60% of this volume. Over 80% of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle owners indicated a preference for switching to NEVs when replacing their cars. A clear trend toward consumption upgrading is evident: 59% of traded-in vehicles were priced below RMB 150,000, while 74.1% of newly purchased vehicles exceeded RMB 200,000, with the RMB 200,000–300,000 price range being the most popular. Regarding replacement cycles, 90% of NEV owners replace their vehicles within five years—significantly shorter than ICE vehicle owners, among whom 70% keep their cars for more than five years—primarily due to rapid technological advancements. Key motivations for vehicle replacement include cost-efficient powertrains (cited by 42% of respondents) and interest in intelligent features and premium configurations (43%). The industry anticipates that trade-in policies in 2026 will drive sales of over 1.5 million new vehicles.