Which EVs came out on top in China’s slowing market?
18 February 2026
China’s plug-in hybrid (PHEV) market struggled in 2025, but could December’s results suggest a slowing battery-electric vehicle (BEV) market? Autovista24 special content editor Phil Curry examines the market and the best-selling models of 2025.
China’s electric vehicle (EV) market ended 2025 with growth. But the BEV and PHEV results in December suggest that 2026 could prove to be a difficult year.
In total, 8,097,866 BEVs were sold across 2025, a rise of 27.6% year on year, according to EV Volumes’ latest data. Meanwhile, 5,072,986 PHEVs made their way to customers in China, an increase of 4.2%.
A slowdown in the plug-in hybrid market across 2025 altered the powertrain dynamics in the country. During December alone, PHEV sales fell by 4.2%, with 558,513 units leaving dealerships. This was the sixth monthly decline in a row, according to the latest EV Volumes figures.
Yet the BEV market also slowed in December. With 788,471 units delivered, volumes increased by 4% year on year. This was the lowest growth since June 2024. This meant the combined EV market recorded 1,346,984 deliveries, a rise of just 0.5% compared to the same month in 2024.
So, BEVs accounted for 61.5% of all EV sales last year, an increase of 4.9 percentage points (pp). This meant PHEVs took 38.5% of the market, down from 43.4% a year prior. With PHEV sales in decline, the country’s EV market will be hoping December is not a precursor for what is to come.
China’s best-selling PHEV: the BYD Qin Plus
BYD dominated China’s slowing PHEV market in 2025. The carmaker placed seven models in the country’s top 10, however, only one of these achieved year-on-year growth.
The best-selling PHEV in China last year was the BYD Qin Plus. Having placed second in 2024, it jumped to the top of the chart with 281,413 sales in 2025. However, this was down by 17.6% compared to its volumes in the previous year. The result was good enough for a 5.5% market share, a drop of 1.5pp.
In December, the BYD Qin Plus topped the PHEV chart with 40,000 sales in the month. This was an increase of 31.1% compared to December 2024. The result was good enough for the model to achieve a 7.2% market share, up by 2pp.
In second place at the end of 2025 was the BYD Seal 6, which achieved 188,525 sales across 12 months. This was a 2.6% decline year on year, while its market share of 3.7% was down 0.3pp.
December saw the model suffer its worst volume result since it first recorded sales in May 2024. Just 6,111 units were sold, a 77.1% decline year on year. This left it in 27th position, while the Qin Plus increased its lead in the annual chart.
Changing times in China
Third in 2025 went to the BYD Song Pro as it recorded 180,661 sales. This was a drop of 28.3% year on year. The model took fourth in December, as 18,373 units made it to Chinese roads, a decline of 27.6%.
The Song Pro was helped in the annual chart by a terrible month for the fourth-placed BYD Song Plus. It ended December 44th in the monthly chart, with just 4,000 sales, an 88.3% volume decrease.
This was in stark contrast to its performance in Europe. Known in the region as the Seal U, it topped both December’s and the annual best-selling PHEV chart.
In China, the Song Plus achieved 166,764 deliveries between January and December. This was a decline of 51.4%, the worst percentage drop recorded in the PHEV top 10. Having won the title in 2024, its market share of 3.3% was down by 3.7pp.
The first non-BYD model was the Li Auto L6 in fifth. With 166,174 deliveries, it ended the year just 590 units behind the BYD Song Plus. However, its volumes were down by 13.6%. This gave the model a similar 3.3% market share. The L6 was helped by a ninth-place finish in December’s table, although the 12,334-unit tally was down by 55.6%.
Making their mark
The BYD Qin L recorded 162,817 sales across 2025. It was another BYD model to see sales drop, down by 29.1% year on year. In December, the model finished 13th with 10,000 sales.
The newest model in the 2025 top 10 was the Aito M8 in seventh. With sales first recorded in April 2025, it achieved a total of 148,934 deliveries, to grab a 2.9% market share. It was helped by a sixth-place finish in December, with 17,123 sales.
The BYD Song L took eighth. It was the only model from the brand in the top 10 to record growth. Furthermore, it was only one of two PHEVs in this list to see its sales increase at all. With 141,686 deliveries, it achieved a 16.5% improvement year on year. December saw the model finish eighth as well, with 13,000 deliveries, although this was down by 42.1%.
The BYD Destroyer 05 jumped to ninth, with 127,509 sales, a 40.5% decline. Having started the year strong, sales slipped from March onwards. Although the 123,137-unit total for 2025 was 496.7% up compared to 2024.
The Galaxy Starship 7 was not helped by a 32nd-place finish in December. Just 5,190 units were delivered, the model’s worst volume total since its launch. Having started the year strongly, declining fortunes across 2025 meant it finished 10th in the annual table.
New models fight for places
Many of the 2025 top 10 secured their place in the chart thanks to strong performances early in the year. But five different models made the table in December alone, suggesting 2026 could see more competition than ever.
Finishing second was the Fang Cheng Bao Tai 7, with 34,086 deliveries. It was followed in third by the Aito M7, with 26,468 units delivered, a 97.3% year-on-year increase. Fifth went to the BYD Sea Lion 6, with 17,380 units sold. The BYD Seal 5 was seventh with 16,484 deliveries in just its third month on the market.
Rounding out December’s table was the WEY Gaoshan, with 10,846 sales. This was a record result for the model, which has been on the Chinese market since September 2023. It was also the second time it achieved a five-digit volume in its history, following another impressive performance in November.
China’s best-selling BEV: The Geely Geome Xingyuan
China’s best-selling BEV in 2025 was the Geely Geome Xingyuan. With 471,410 deliveries, it powered to the top spot in its first full year on sale. It comfortably beat 2024’s BEV leader, the Tesla Model Y, taking back the market for domestic brands. It achieved a 5.8% market share across 2025.
In December, the Geely Geome Xingyuan placed second with 41,619 deliveries, a rise of 152.4% year on year. This was good enough for a 5.3% market share, up 3.1pp.
Taking second in the annual table was the Wuling Mini, with 431,617 sales. This was an increase of 65.3% compared to 2024, while its 5.3% market share was up 1.2pp.
The model had a rollercoaster 2025, with strong results in the last months of the year. It topped monthly sales tables in September, October and November, helping it take second in 2025. This run ended in December, as the Mini placed sixth with 19,076 deliveries, down 49.5% year on year.
Rounding out the top three last year was the Tesla Model Y. After taking the best-selling BEV title in 2024, it slipped down the rankings with 425,337 sales, a drop of 11.4%. This meant its 5.3% market share was down by 2.3pp compared to 2024.
Yet the US BEV did claw back some of its gap to the second-placed Wuling Mini in December. It topped the monthly sales, with 65,874 units, a rise of 6.5%, in line with its usual end-of-quarter delivery peak. However, results earlier in the year left it battling the domestic brands across 2025.
BYD Seagull fails to fly
The BYD Seagull, which took second in 2024, fell to fourth place last year with 310,956 sales. This was a drop of 29.7%. It was responsible for 3.8% of all BEV deliveries in China last year, down from the 7% achieved in 2024. December was a difficult month for the Seagull, with 18,307 units taking to Chinese roads, a 62.5% decline.
The Xiaomi SU7 was the fifth-best-selling BEV in China last year, with 258,065 sales. This was an 85% increase compared to 2024, with a 1pp jump in market share to 3.2%. Its position was not helped by a 16th-place finish in December’s table, with 11,024 deliveries, its worst volume of the year.
In sixth was the BYD Yuan Up, with 217,814 deliveries between January and December. This was an increase of 61.5% compared to 12 months prior, bucking the trend of BYD declines. It achieved a 2.7% hold of China’s BEV total, a rise of 0.6pp. December saw the model finish in seventh, with 18,766 deliveries, a 1.2% rise.
The Tesla Model 3 ended 2025 in seventh with 200,361 units making their way to customers. This was an increase of 13.3% compared to 2024, although its market share fell 0.3pp to 2.5%. The US BEV was helped by a strong December, where it placed fourth with 27,969 sales. This was a 32.9% improvement on the year prior.
Strong positions despite poor results
The Xpeng M03 took eighth in 2025 with 177,150 units. This was a 264.7% rise against 2024’s figures. Its 2.2% market share was up from 0.8% the year before. The model had a steady year in 2025, although it placed 12th in December with 14,183 sales.
The Geely Panda Mini was the ninth-best-selling model of 2025, with 162,108 deliveries, an improvement of 23.2%. However, with increased competition, the model’s market share fell 0.1pp to 2%. This was despite placing just 54th in December’s sales chart, with 4,373 units, its lowest volume recorded in a month since January 2023.
However, this was not enough for the BYD Dolphin to take advantage. The model jumped into the annual top 10 with 160,745 sales, up by just 0.1%.
Ones to watch in 2026
Four models made December’s top 10 best-selling BEVs list, while not entering the yearly table. Leading this group was the Xiaomi YU7 in third, with 38,927 sales. The model has proven popular since its launch in June 2025.
The Nio ES8 achieved a record result, despite deliveries starting around March 2018. December saw the model record 20,354 sales, a 1,933.4% increase year on year. It was only the second time the ES8 had recorded five-figure deliveries after November’s tally.
Having started deliveries in August 2025, the ArcFox T1 made its top 10 debut in December, with 17,170 sales. This was good enough for ninth. Meanwhile, the Li Auto I6 took 10th with 16,080 deliveries in its fourth month on the market.
