EV registrations in China hit a new record in November
When reviewing the figures from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), there are, as always, several aspects to consider. First, the category of New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) does not include only battery-electric cars; it also covers plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles. Additionally, the recently hyped electric vehicles with range extenders (EREVs) are classified as plug-in hybrids, though no further distinction is made between PHEVs and EREVs.
The total of 1.823 million New Energy Vehicles reported by CAAM refers to wholesale sales rather than retail sales within China. This figure represents the sum of all alternatively powered vehicles manufactured in China, including the steadily rising exports. The trend for this metric remains consistently positive: year-on-year to November 2024, the increase stands at 20.6 per cent, and the previous record month of October 2025 was surpassed by an additional 6.3 per cent.
Exports have now become a significant factor in these figures, as an increasing number of electric vehicles manufactured in China are being sold abroad after initial sales challenges. Only 1.522 million New Energy Vehicles remained in China, with noticeably slower market growth: compared to the previous year, this represents a 6.5 per cent increase, while the rise compared to October is 4.3 per cent. However, it is worth noting that despite the slowing growth, more New Energy Vehicles were sold in China in a single month than ever before—another new record.
That also means that 300,000 New Energy Vehicles were exported from China in November. In 2023 and 2024, most months saw exports in the five-digit range, with only a few outliers. While there was steady growth throughout 2025, a plateau of around 200,000 exports per month formed over the summer. However, NEV exports surged dramatically in October and November: the 300,000 vehicles exported in November represent a year-on-year growth of 260 per cent.
When examining powertrain types, no distinction is made between vehicles remaining in China and those exported; only the wholesale figures (which include exports) are available. Battery-electric vehicles achieved over one million sales for the third consecutive month, with 1.17 million units. Year-on-year, they saw an above-average increase of 28.9 per cent, while the month-on-month rise compared to October is 5.5 per cent.
Plug-in hybrids (including the former boom segment of EREVs) have shown a stronger trend recently: since June, wholesale sales have consistently exceeded the previous year’s levels. While growth visibly slowed in November 2024, part-time electric vehicles have maintained their momentum this year, reaching 652,000 sales. Year-on-year, this represents a 7.9 per cent increase, while the month-on-month rise is 7.8 per cent—highlighting how closely PHEV sales in October 2024 and 2025 aligned.
Across all powertrain types, a total of 3.43 million new vehicles were sold in China’s wholesale market in November, marking a 3.4 per cent increase compared to the previous year and a 3.2 per cent rise compared to October. The NEV share thus continues to climb, reaching 53.2 per cent. In October, it stood at 51.2 per cent, already exceeding half, while a year earlier, it was only 45.6 per cent.
This article was first published by Sebastian Schaal for electrive’s German edition.
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