BYD sales slide in China’s new EV market
19 May 2026
As China’s electric vehicle (EV) market struggled in the first quarter of 2026, how big a slide did BYD experience? Are other carmakers also struggling to match their 2025 performances? Autovista24 special content editor Phil Curry examines the data.
China’s EV market is in a state of decline. Both the battery-electric vehicle (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sectors ended the first quarter of the year with large losses. The market’s reliance on three of its biggest domestic brands proved an issue, dragging results down.
Three months into 2026, 1,806,085 new EVs were sold in the country, according to data provided by EV Volumes. This was down 28.6% compared to the first quarter of last year.
The BEV market ended the first quarter of this year down by 23.6%. In total, 1,172,159 all-electric models took to China’s roads in the three-month period. BEVs accounted for 64.9% of the country’s EV market between January and March.
In the third month of the year, BEV volumes declined by 15.6%, as 562,646 units were sold. However, this was the powertrain’s best month of 2026 so far in terms of volumes.
PHEVs continued to struggle. After the first quarter, the technology saw 633,926 sales, a 36.4% drop year on year. This was compounded by a 33.9% fall in volumes during March as 243,350 models were delivered.
But which brands led this downturn in China’s EV sector, and is a lack of market diversity responsible?
BYD hurts in China
BYD saw its sales slump in the first quarter of the year. Across both BEVs and PHEVs, the Chinese brand managed 305,131 deliveries. This was a fall of 56.2%, equating to 391,401 fewer units making it to Chinese roads.
This meant it accounted for over half of the unit drop in the country’s wider EV market. BYD’s PHEV sales took a noticeable fall in the quarter, down by 66.8%.
After three months of the year, BYD’s best-selling model took second in the domestic top 10. The BYD Song Pro saw 31,773 deliveries, ending up almost 11,000 units behind first.
The brand still has the largest presence in the PHEV sector, with five models in the 10 best-sellers list. Notably, the Qin Plus in fourth, Seal 6 in sixth, the Qin L in ninth and Song L in 10th.
Better BEV result for BYD
In China’s BEV market, BYD saw sales fall in the first quarter, down by 41.3%. Here, there was a slight shift in the brand’s fortunes.
The Yuan Up, which was not featured in the top 10 during January or February, experienced a better month in March. Despite its 21,179-unit total falling 15.4% year on year, the result propelled it to sixth in the cumulative table. This made it the best-selling all-electric BYD of the quarter.
The BYD Dolphin has been the brand’s BEV success story, with growth in January and a slight loss in February. March saw a 49.9% upswing and accounted for over half the model’s sales in the quarter. It sat eighth in the cumulative table with 29,074 units.
It was followed by the BYD Seagull, which had a rocky start to the year. It still held ninth after three months of 2026, however.
Wuling’s woes
Wuling had great success with its Mini model, while the Wuling Bingo also contributed to the brand’s total. Much of the brand’s performance came from the BEV market, with limited success PHEV success.
But like BYD, Wuling has been unable to capitalise on its strong market position three months into 2026. The brand sat sixth in terms of sales, as 75,272 units made their way to customers, a 54.5% decline.
With fewer options than BYD, the carmaker was led by these two models in 2025. However, both struggled in China’s BEV market in the first quarter. After three months, the Wuling Mini was 10th, with 25,420 sales, down 71.5% compared to the first quarter of 2025. Meanwhile, the Bingo was outside the top 10, with volumes down 80.7%.
Geely loses ground
The first quarter of 2025 saw Geely place third thanks to an exceptional performance from its Geome Xingyuan model. It went on to be the best-selling BEV in China during 2025.
However, during the first quarter of 2026, Geely sat in eighth. With 68,867 sales, its figures declined 49.6% in the first quarter of 2026. It was a slow start from the Xingyuan Geome and a stall from the Panda Mini, which hampered progress.
The Geome Xingyuan had a more positive March as the second-best-selling BEV in China. But the 30,356 units were still down 6.5% year on year. The result propelled the model up the cumulative table, where it sat third after three months. Its 57,149 deliveries made up 83% of Geely’s overall total in the quarter.
Meanwhile, with its sales falling 76.6% to 9,993 units, the Panda Mini failed to make the quarter’s top 10.
External influence
China’s EV market is dependent on domestic brands, with only one carmaker from outside the country featuring in the top 10. This is the US brand Tesla, which relies solely on the BEV market for its volumes.
After the first quarter of 2026, Tesla sat second, with 112,910 sales. This marked a year-on-year loss of 16.3%. However, its Model Y was the best-selling BEV in March, thanks to the carmaker’s quarterly delivery schedule. With 38,895 units, sales were down 19.3%.
The result did propel the Model Y to the top of the BEV chart three months into 2026. It secured 82,103 sales, holding 7% of China’s all-electric market in the period.
Meanwhile, the Tesla Model 3 also struggled. March saw it place seventh with a 38.8% loss in volumes, to 15,873 units. After the first quarter, the BEV had 30,661 sales, taking seventh in the cumulative chart.
Spotlight on domestic brands
BYD’s domestic success meant that even with its losses, the brand was still able to lead the EV sector. But Wuling and Geely’s decline let other marques shine in the first quarter.
While Tesla jumped to second, Li Auto placed third. Its 93,601-unit tally increased by just 0.8%. This was helped by the strong performance of its newest model, the I6. It was the third-best-selling BEV in March, ending up fourth in the first quarter.
Xiaomi also had a strong start to 2026. The carmaker only has two models available in China, and it was the YU7 that caught the market’s attention. However, sales slowed in March, reaching 13,757 units. This placed it 10th in the month but second in the first quarter, with 71,767 sales. But its poor monthly result let the Tesla Model Y slip past into the top spot.
PHEV struggles continue
China’s PHEV market saw brand diversity in the first quarter. Leading the way was the Fang Cheng Bao Tai 7 with 42,677 units and a 6.7% market share. The model was 10,904 units ahead of second and has been a standout performer so far this year.
It topped the PHEV market every month of the quarter. The Bao Tai 7 secured 14,046 sales in March and a 5.8% market share, keeping it ahead of the BYD Song Pro.
Zeekr also saw an impressive performance across the first quarter. Its 9X model ended March in fourth. It saw 9,590 deliveries, taking a 3.9% market share. This helped the 9X remain fifth in the cumulative chart, with 21,266 sales.
The Aito M7 has also been a strong performer in the Chinese PHEV market. It secured seventh in March. Its 6,610 units in the month was a 1.5% increase year on year. As a result, the model lost out to the BYD Song Pro in the cumulative chart, slipping to third with 24,990 deliveries.
Another model reaching the upper echelons of the PHEV table was the Wey Gaoshan. It took eighth in March with 6,132 deliveries. After the first quarter, the model sat eighth as well with 15,078 units.
BEVs see some improvement
In March’s BEV chart, the Tesla Model Y led the way ahead of the Geely Geome Xingyuan, as the Li Auto I6 took third.
March saw a standout performance from the Nio ES8 with 17,120 sales. The model was a constant presence in the BEV table during the first quarter of the year. However, the rise of the Xingyuan Geome in the month pushed it down to fifth in the cumulative chart.
China’s BEV market also saw brand diversity in the first quarter. The top 10 best-selling model list saw seven marques represented. However, BYD was less dominant, with only three models appearing. Tesla saw two BEVs in the chart, while Geely, Li Auto, Nio and Wuling also featured.
But while the Chinese BEV market struggled between January and March, it is a sum of multiple losses. Monthly declines combined to pull the powertrain down in the period.
With BYD featuring many BEVs in its lineup, it contributed significantly to the Chinese EV market’s first-quarter performance. As other brands establish themselves, the country’s new-EV market is in a period of adjustment. Brand diversity is key to ensuring ongoing growth.
