New energy vehicle sales in China by year

Facts checked Newest figure published 22 January 2026

The series

Figures in vehicles (wholesale), one row per year.
Year vehicles (wholesale) Relative size Note
2015 331,092 CAAM release of 20 January 2016 ('New energy vehicles enjoyed a high-speed growth'); the release is no longer on CAAM's site and the figure is taken from Wikipedia's citation of it.
2016 507,000 CAAM, of which 409,000 BEV and 98,000 PHEV; reported by D1EV on 12 January 2017.
2017 777,000 CAAM, up 53.3%; production was 794,000. NEVs were 2.7% of the total vehicle market.
2018 1,256,000 CAAM, up 61.7%: 984,000 BEV, 271,000 PHEV and 1,527 fuel-cell vehicles; the first year above one million.
2019 1,206,000 CAAM, down 4.0% after the mid-year subsidy cut: 972,000 BEV, 232,000 PHEV and 2,737 fuel-cell vehicles.
2020 1,367,000 CAAM, up 10.9%: 1,115,000 BEV, 251,000 PHEV and about 1,000 fuel-cell vehicles.
2021 3,521,000 CAAM, up 157.5%: NEV passenger vehicles 3,334,000 (BEV 2,734,000, PHEV 600,000) and NEV commercial vehicles 186,000.
2022 6,887,000 CAAM, up 93.4%: NEV passenger vehicles 6,548,000 (BEV 5,033,000, PHEV 1,515,000) and NEV commercial vehicles 338,000.
2023 9,495,000 CAAM, up 37.9%: NEV passenger vehicles 9,048,000 (BEV 6,258,000, PHEV 2,789,000) and NEV commercial vehicles 447,000. Of the total, 1,203,000 were exported.
2024 12,866,000 CAAM, up 35.5%: 7,719,000 BEV, 5,141,000 PHEV and 5,000 fuel-cell vehicles; the first year above ten million. Domestic sales were 11,582,000 and exports 1,284,000.
2025 16,490,000 CAAM, up 28.2%; production was 16.626 million. Domestic sales were 13.88 million and exports 2.615 million, the latter roughly double 2024.

Reading these figures

Two published series for the same year often disagree, and the reason is almost always the definition rather than an error: wholesale shipments are not retail registrations, passenger cars are not all vehicles, and what counts as a new-energy vehicle differs between publishers. The definition above is the one that applies to every number on this page.

Related

Sources for New energy vehicle sales in China by year

  1. China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), 2025年12月新能源汽车产销情况简析 (Brief analysis of NEV production and sales, December 2025). Read . Published 2026-01-22. 2025 NEV production 16.626 million and sales 16.49 million, up 29.0% and 28.2%.
  2. CnEVPost, China NEV sales total 1.71 million units in Dec, bringing full-year 2025 sales to 16.49 million. Read . Published 2026-01-14; secondary report of CAAM's 2025 figures, including NEV exports of 2.62 million and a 47.9% share of total vehicle sales.
  3. China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), 2024年12月信息发布会 (December 2024 information conference slide deck). Read . Published 2025-01-13. Slide 20 gives 2024 NEV sales 12.866 million (up 35.5%) with the BEV 7.719 million / PHEV 5.141 million / fuel-cell 5,000 split, and restates 2023 (9.495 million) and 2022 (6.887 million). Slide 21 gives 2024 domestic NEV sales 11.582 million and NEV exports 1.284 million.
  4. China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), Sales of New Energy Vehicles in December 2023. Read . Published 2024-01-12. Jan–Dec 2023: NEVs 949.5; NEV passenger cars 904.8 (BEV 625.8, PHEV 278.9); NEV commercial vehicles 44.7 (unit: 10,000 vehicles).
  5. China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), Sales of New Energy Vehicles in December 2022. Read . Published 2023-01-12. Jan–Dec 2022: NEVs 688.7; NEV passenger cars 654.8 (BEV 503.3, PHEV 151.5); NEV commercial vehicles 33.8 (unit: 10,000 vehicles).
  6. China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), Sales of New Energy Vehicles in December 2021. Read . Published 2022-01-12. Jan–Dec 2021: NEVs 352.1; NEV passenger cars 333.4 (BEV 273.4, PHEV 60.0); NEV commercial vehicles 18.6 (unit: 10,000 vehicles).
  7. China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), Sales of New Energy Vehicles in December 2020. Read . Published 2021-01-14. Jan–Dec 2020: NEVs 136.7; NEV passenger cars 124.6 (BEV 100.0, PHEV 24.7); NEV commercial vehicles 12.1 (unit: 10,000 vehicles).
  8. China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), Brief analysis of the economic operation of the auto industry in 2020. Read . Published 2021-01-14. Gives the 2020 BEV / PHEV / fuel-cell split of the 1.367 million NEV total.
  9. China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), NEVs enjoyed high-speed growth yearly (2018). Read . CAAM's annual review of 2018: NEV sales 1,256,000, up 61.7%, comprising 984,000 BEV, 271,000 PHEV and 1,527 fuel-cell vehicles. Page carries a 2019-06-05 migration stamp.
  10. China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), NEV enjoyed strong development. Read . Published 2018-01-23. 2017 NEV production 794,000 and sales 777,000, up 53.8% and 53.3%; NEV market share 2.7%.
  11. InsideEVs, Chinese NEVs Market Slightly Declined In 2019: Full Report. Read . Reports CAAM's 2019 figures: NEV sales 1,206,000, down 4.0%, including 972,000 BEV, 232,000 PHEV and 2,737 fuel-cell vehicles.
  12. D1EV, 中汽协：2016年新能源汽车产销量均超50万辆，同比增速约50% (CAAM: 2016 NEV production and sales both above 500,000, up about 50%). Read . Published 2017-01-12. CAAM's 2016 NEV sales 507,000, comprising 409,000 BEV and 98,000 PHEV.
  13. Wikipedia, Plug-in electric vehicles in China. Read . Finding aid; the only route found to CAAM's 2015 NEV total of 331,092, which it cites to CAAM's release 'New energy vehicles enjoyed a high-speed growth' of 20 January 2016 (caam.org.cn/AutomotivesStatistics/20160120/1305184260.html, no longer online).