Key highlights:
- Pure electric cars occupy 9 of China’s 10 best-selling positions in August 2026
- Geely EX2 leads August sales with 39,651 vehicles sold
- ICE models miss the top 10 again, marking only the second occurrence this year
Battery-electric vehicles almost completely took over China’s passenger-car sales ranking in August 2026, occupying nine of the top 10 positions.
The only exception was the BYD-backed Fang Cheng Bao Ti7, which offers both BEV and PHEV versions, and overall BEVs accounted for 55% of BYD’s August sales.
No petrol-powered model made the top 10, which marks August as only the second month this year in which ICE vehicles have disappeared from China’s 10 best-selling passenger cars.
The first ICE vehicle appeared all the way down in 13th place, while several once-dominant petrol models struggled to maintain their previous sales levels.
China’s top-selling car models in August 2026
Only the Fang Cheng Bao Ti7 above offers BEV and PHEV powertrains, while the other nine in the top ten best-selling passenger cars are all pure electric.
| Rank | Model | August 2026 sales |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Geely EX2 | 39,651 |
| 2. | Leapmotor A10 | 30,652 |
| 3. | Tesla Model Y | 29,260 |
| 4. | Fang Cheng Bao Ti7 | 23,471 |
| 5. | BYD Atto 2 | 22,958 |
| 6. | Tesla Model 3 | 20,787 |
| 7. | Changan Nevo Q05 | 17,349 |
| 8. | Li Auto i6 | 16,979 |
| 9. | BYD Dolphin | 16,829 |
| 10. | Xiaomi SU7 | 16,518 |
The next best-selling models after the top 10 are BYD Song Ultra, Wuling Bingo Pro, Toyota Corolla Cross, Geely Starray, Volkswagen Lavida, Toyota RAV4, BYD Song Pro, BYD Sealion 6, Xiaomi YU7, and Geely Monjaro.
The first ICE-powered model appeared only in 13th place – Toyota Corolla recorded 14,675 sales, making it the first petrol-powered vehicle in the ranking.
Five ICE-based models made the overall top 20:
- Toyota Corolla Cross
- Geely Starray
- Volkswagen Lavida
- Toyota RAV4
- Geely Monjaro
The Volkswagen Lavida was the only sedan among those five ICE models.
The decline of established petrol models becomes clearer with the Volkswagen Lavida and Nissan Sylphy, as both were once consistent 20,000-plus monthly sellers that regularly appeared among China’s top five models, and now they are struggling to stay near the top 25.
The Nissan Sylphy fell to 23rd place in August with only 12,227 sales.
Also read: 10 best-selling car models in Australia for Aug 2026 (VFACTS)
Geely EX2 leads the year so far
The EX2’s strong August result also keeps it at the top of the 2026 year-to-date ranking, covering January through August, with 266,166 units sold. This makes it lead the best-selling Chinese EV ranking.
The Tesla Model Y sits second with 226,931 sales, followed by the Li Auto i6 with 152,845 units.
Tesla is the only brand with two top-10 models
Tesla was the only automaker to place two models in August’s top 10 – the Model Y SUV finished third with 29,260 sales, while the Model 3 sedan took sixth with 20,787 units.
Xiaomi had a tougher month as the Xiaomi SU7 sedan dropped from fourth place in July to 10th in August, selling 16,518 units. The Xiaomi YU7 SUV fell even further, dropping to 19th with 13,635 sales.
That result stands out because SUVs are significantly more popular in China, with SUV sales reportedly outpacing sedans by roughly 2:1.
BYD puts five models in the top 20
BYD had four models in the top 20:
- BYD Atto 2
- BYD Song Ultra
- BYD Song Pro
- BYD Sealion 6
Adding the Fang Cheng Bao Ti7 takes the automaker’s total representation to five models in the top 20, and BEVs accounted for an amazing 55% of its August sales.
The Australian connection
While local car buying slowed in China, manufacturing growth heavily impacted buyers in Australia, as Chinese brands like BYD, GWM, Chery, and MG occupied up to half of the top 10 brand slots in the strong August 2026 new-car market. And for the first time in local history, the China-made vehicles occupied about 42% of the new car sales market.
Comments
New Comment