Domestic Top 10 Best-Selling Cars in May 2026 All New Energy Models for First Time

In May 2026, for the first time ever, all top ten best-selling passenger car models in China’s retail market were exclusively pure electric or hybrid vehicles—no internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles made the list. In the previous month (April), Geely’s Binyue was still the sole ICE model on the ranking; in March, five ICE models ranked among the top ten; and as recently as January, ICE vehicles accounted for seven of the top ten spots. According to data from the Passenger Car Association (PCA), China’s passenger vehicle retail sales totaled 1.51 million units in May 2026, down 22.1% year-over-year but up 9.2% month-over-month. Cumulative retail sales for the first five months of 2026 reached 7.099 million units, a 19.5% decline compared to the same period last year. The PCA noted that the May market was characterized by “a collapse in domestic ICE vehicle sales, strong dominance of new energy vehicles (NEVs), and resilient export growth.” Although ICE vehicles held a 37.1% market share in May, their year-over-year sales decline accounted for 82% of the total passenger vehicle market’s contraction, making them the primary drag on overall market performance. Driven by high fuel prices and shifting consumer preferences, the transition from ICE to NEVs has accelerated, pushing the NEV retail penetration rate to a record-high 62.9%. Although ICE vehicles have completely disappeared from the retail top ten, some still maintain notable presence in wholesale volumes. According to the PCA’s wholesale sales ranking for May 2026, the top ten passenger car models included: BYD Song (75,825 units), Tesla Model Y (54,765 units), BYD Yuan UP (41,414 units), BYD Seagull (39,919 units), Chery Tiggo 7 (37,032 units), Geely Xingyuan (36,426 units), Tesla Model 3 (31,217 units), Geely Binyue (30,574 units), Chery JAECOO J5 (26,335 units), and Geely Boyue (25,995 units). Additionally, NEV models such as Xiaomi SU7, Leapmotor A10, and Li Auto i6 also ranked prominently in wholesale sales.