Only One ICE Vehicle in Top 10 National Passenger Car Sales for April as NEV Penetration Exceeds 60%

In April 2026, among the top ten best-selling passenger car models in China by retail volume, only Geely Binrui was a fuel-powered vehicle; the remaining nine were all new energy vehicles (NEVs). The monthly sales rankings were as follows: Geely Xingyuan (34,727 units), Xiaomi SU7 (26,826 units), Tesla Model Y (22,990 units), Li Auto i6 (21,024 units), Changan Qiyuan Q05 (15,814 units), Sealion 06 EV (15,659 units), BYD Yuan UP (15,658 units), Geely Binrui (14,923 units), Leapmotor A10 (14,372 units), and BYD Dolphin (14,218 units). The sales gap between Geely Binrui and the ninth- and tenth-place models was only a few hundred units. Compared to previous months, there were seven fuel-powered vehicles among the top ten in January, six in February, five in March, and just one in April. According to data from the Passenger Car Association (CPCA), national NEV retail sales reached 849,000 units in April, down 6.8% year-over-year (YoY) and down 0.3% month-over-month (MoM). Retail sales of fuel-powered vehicles totaled 530,000 units, down 37% YoY and 33% MoM. The NEV retail penetration rate hit a record high of 61.4%, surpassing 60% for the first time ever. From January to April, cumulative NEV retail sales stood at 2.758 million units, down 17.2% YoY. Fuel-powered vehicle sales continued to face pressure, with April’s decline of 365,000 units accounting for 84% of the total passenger car market contraction that month. Factors such as high fuel prices, adjustments to purchase tax policies, and weak consumer confidence accelerated the shift toward NEVs. By brand segment, the NEV penetration rate among domestic brands reached 80.1% in April, compared to 26.1% for luxury brands and 14.1% for mainstream joint-venture brands. In terms of NEV retail market share, domestic brands accounted for 65.2%, emerging EV makers 25.6%, mainstream joint ventures 4.9%, and Tesla 3.1%. Sixteen automakers sold over 20,000 NEVs each in April. The top ten NEV-selling automakers were: BYD (182,025 units), Geely (95,585 units), Changan (64,471 units), Leapmotor (57,162 units), Xiaomi (36,702 units), Chery (34,768 units), SAIC-GM-Wuling (34,497 units), Li Auto (34,085 units), Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (32,759 units), and NIO (29,312 units). In exports, China exported 769,000 passenger cars in April, up 80.7% YoY. Of these, NEV exports totaled 406,000 units, accounting for 52.7% of total exports and surging 111.8% YoY. Fuel-powered vehicle exports reached 360,000 units, up 55% YoY. Domestic-brand exports totaled 653,000 units, up 91% YoY. The top three NEV exporters were BYD (130,042 units), Chery (57,910 units), and Tesla China (53,522 units). Total national passenger car retail sales in April amounted to 1.384 million units, down 21.5% YoY and 16.0% MoM. Cumulative retail sales from January to April totaled 5.604 million units, down 18.5% YoY.