Domestic brands surge ahead in booming Chinese EV market
29 May 2025
China’s electric vehicle (EV) market saw a record first quarter result, as domestic brands led the way. But which carmaker came out on top, and which ones surprised? Autovista24 special content editor Phil Curry examines the numbers.
The Chinese EV market, including battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) saw impressive growth in the first quarter of 2025. Almost 2.63 million units were registered in the three-month period, improving by 43.2% year on year, according to data from EV Volumes.
This was the first time that deliveries exceeded the two-million-unit mark in the first quarter of a year. This continues a trend of sales increasing across each year. However, the total was down on the last quarter of 2024.
March saw the highest volume of sales so far this year, with over 1.06 million units taking to China’s roads. This was a rise of 44.2% compared to the same period last year. January was the second-best month with 816,883 units, up 20.1%, while February was slower, with 746,109 units. However, with an increase of 79.4%, this was the best monthly improvement of the quarter.
BEVs were the most popular powertrain in the EV mix. The all-electric technology accounted for 58.5% of deliveries, up from 56.7% recorded in the same period of 2024. Meanwhile, PHEVs held 41.5% of the market, falling from 43.3% the previous year.
Domestic brands dominate
BYD was the EV market leader at the end of the first quarter. The carmaker saw 696,532 sales in the three-month period, an improvement of 36.4% year on year. It dominated the sector, with a 26.5% market share. However, with increased competition, this was down by 1.2 percentage points (pp).
The marque was helped by a dominant performance in the PHEV market. It placed seven of the top 10 best-selling models in January and March, and eight models in February. BYD models have begun to compete with each other, most notably with the market-leading Song Plus losing volume to the newer Qin L.
Second place went to Geely, with impressive showings in both the BEV and PHEV markets. Alongside Galaxy, the brand ended the quarter with a total of 244,013 deliveries. This marked a rise of 274.3% compared to the same period in 2024. It achieved a 9.3% hold of the market, up by 5.7pp.
The Geely Geome Xingyuan led the BEV market at the end of the quarter. Meanwhile, the brand’s Galaxy Starship 7 PHEV started the year strongly.
Another domestic brand getting 2025 off to a good start was Wuling. With Baojung, it achieved 163,150 sales between January and March, with more than half this total attributed to its Mini model. It ended the quarter as the second-best-selling BEV, just 48 units off the top spot.
Tesla struggling against domestic brands?
In fourth was Tesla. This was a drop of two positions compared to the first quarter of 2024. The US carmaker sold 134,886 units at the start of this year, growing just 1.5%. Its market share slipped, however, to 5.1%, a drop of 2.1pp.
The brand suffered a rocky performance in the three-month period, with its Model 3 missing the BEV top 10 in January. The following month, its most popular vehicle, the Model Y, ended up in 14th place. However, its quarterly delivery schedule helped boost its figures in March, where the Model Y topped the best-seller chart.
Rounding out the top five was Li Auto, with 92,875 units. This was a 14.8% rise year on year, leaving the brand with a 3.5% market share. With increased competition, this was down by 0.9pp.
Xpeng ended the quarter in sixth, producing the best improvement of all brands in the top 10. The carmaker achieved a sales total of 89,850 units, up 328.8% year on year. This gave it a 3.4% share of the EV total, up from the 1.1% recorded in the same period last year.
Over half of Xpeng’s total came from its M03 BEV model, which only went on sale in August 2024. It ended the quarter in eighth position in the market.
Consistency is key in China
Chery took seventh place in the quarter, despite not placing a model in either the BEV or PHEV top 10. It grew its volume by 163.1%, equating to a 3.4% market share. This was up from 1.9% seen in the first quarter of 2024.
The Fengyun T6 was the brand’s best-selling model, with 16,442 units. This was followed by the iCAR V23, with 15,652 BEV units.
Leapmotor also made the EV brands top 10, despite not featuring in either the BEV or PHEV best-selling model charts. Despite tough domestic competition, the carmaker achieved 79,640 sales, a 144.4% increase year on year. This was a 3% share of the market, up 1.2pp.
Leapmotor’s C10 model achieved 17,600 deliveries in the quarter, with its T03 registering 15,410 units.
In ninth was Xiaomi with 75,869 units. It achieved a 2.9% market share, all attributed to one model. The SU7 ended the quarter in the BEV top five, having been on the market since April 2024.
Finally, Changan took 10th spot with 70,763 deliveries. This was a 61.5% increase, with its 2.7% market share up by 0.3pp compared to the first quarter of 2024.
