China's new-energy passenger vehicles accounted for more than 60% of global sales in the first eight months of the year, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) at a State Council Information Office press conference on October 19. The figure means that for every five new-energy passenger cars sold worldwide, three came from China, according to the report carried by D1EV, citing data from the NBS and the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
Mao Shengyong, NBS spokesperson and deputy director, told the briefing that clean energy accounted for 36.8% of power generation in the industrial sector in the first three quarters, up 0.9 percentage points from a year earlier. The new-energy vehicle (NEV) share of the global market highlights the country's growing dominance in the sector, the report said.
Global share and export surge
CPCA data cited in the report shows that global sales of new-energy passenger vehicles reached 15.7 million units in the first eight months of 2026, up 15% year-on-year, with China contributing 62% of that total. China's share has remained above 60% throughout the year, peaking at 62.8% in January, the report said.
The key driver behind the rising share is a surge in exports. From January to August, Chinese new-energy passenger vehicle exports reached 3.435 million units, a year-on-year increase of 124.3%, according to CPCA data cited by D1EV. In June, China's total vehicle exports surpassed 1 million units in a single month for the first time, with new-energy vehicles accounting for 523,000 of those. In the first half of the year, cumulative vehicle exports reached 5.096 million units, of which new-energy vehicles made up 2.355 million, growing at a much faster pace than conventional fuel vehicles.
Leading automakers including BYD, Chery, SAIC, and Geely have rapidly increased their penetration in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Latin America, with new-energy models becoming the mainstay of their export push, the report said.
China's competitive edge
The report argues that China's over-60% global share in new-energy passenger vehicles marks a shift from follower to dominant player in the transition to electric mobility. While Europe and the United States are also seeing rising new-energy penetration, their domestic production capacity is growing slowly, giving Chinese automakers an advantage through a complete battery supply chain, large-scale manufacturing capabilities, and continuously declining costs, it said.
The data underscores the scale of China's lead in the global EV market, though analysts note that tariffs and local-content requirements in some markets could temper future growth. Still, the export momentum shows no sign of slowing, with Chinese brands increasingly competing on price and technology in overseas markets.
