Not a single combustion-engine vehicle among China's best-sellers

The Chinese car market is experiencing an unprecedented moment. For the first time in history, none of the ten passenger cars best-selling in the country last May relies on an internal combustion engine as its sole means of propulsion. The top ten positions were all occupied exclusively by new energy vehicles (NEVs), whether fully electric, plug-in hybrids or range-extended models.

Moreover, the five best-selling models were all pure battery-electric vehicles, underlining the rapid shift towards electric mobility in this Asian country.

The May ranking was set out as follows:

1. Geely Xingyuan (EX2) – 387,512 units
2. Tesla Model Y – 289,113 units
3. Xiaomi SU7 – 240,234 units
4. Leapmotor A10 – 223,060 units
5. Li Auto i6 – 208,786 units
6. BYD Sealion 06 – 188,560 units
7. Tesla Model 3 – 183,700 units
8. Wuling Hongguang Mini EV – 183,080 units
9. Aito M6 – 181,480 units
10. Fang Cheng Bao Ti7 – 175,100 units

It was only a matter of time

This situation, however, comes as no surprise. In the preceding months, combustion models had been gradually losing ground. The last to drop out of the top 10 was the Geely Binyue SUV, which was still in the ranking last April. Now, NEVs completely dominate the first ten positions.

Furthermore, already in the fourth quarter of 2025, new energy vehicles exceeded 50 percent of total passenger car sales in China for the first time. According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), in April 2026 plug-in vehicles reached a 53.2 percent share of wholesale sales.

The weight of New Energy vehicles last May was even greater, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), with a 62.9 percent share of retail sales.

This achievement consolidates China as the undisputed leader in the mass adoption of electric vehicles and reflects how the combination of public policy, investment in technology and consumer preferences is radically transforming the automotive landscape of the Asian giant.