According to CPCA data monitored by China EV DataTracker, passenger vehicle sales in China reached 10.891 million units in the first half of 2025, marking a 10.7% year-over-year increase. New energy vehicle (NEV) sales grew 33% to 5.458 million units, while internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle sales declined 5.2% to 5.433 million units.
Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 3.33 million units, up 37.6%, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) reached 2.128 million units, a 26.5% rise. BEVs held a 61% share of NEV sales, up two percentage points, while PHEVs represented 39%. Overall NEV penetration climbed to 50.1% of the passenger vehicle market, up 8.4 percentage points year-over-year.
For the first time, China exported more than one million NEVs in H1 2025. CAAM data show exports totaled 1.056 million units, a 74.3% increase over the 606,000 units in H1 2024. Exports accounted for 15% of China’s NEV sales, driven primarily by Tesla and BYD. PHEV exports grew faster than BEV exports, reflecting regional regulatory influences.
Installed EV battery capacity in China rose 47.3% year-over-year to 299.7 gigawatt-hours (GWh). Lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries surged 73% to 243.9 GWh, while nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries declined 10.9% to 55.4 GWh. LFP chemistry held an 81.4% share of EV installations on China-made vehicles, compared with 18.5% for NMC.
Domestic battery production totaled 697.3 GWh in H1 2025, up 62.2%. LFP output climbed 82.9% to 552.4 GWh, and NMC production increased 13.5% to 144 GWh. Battery exports rose 36.5% to 81.2 GWh. NMC batteries accounted for 59.1% of overseas shipments and LFP for 40.9%. Batteries for energy storage systems reached 45.6 GWh (up 232.8%), while EV battery exports grew 35.5%, representing 64.1% of total battery exports.
In the EV battery supplier rankings, CATL led with a 44.3% market share and 25.41 GWh of installed capacity (+33.4%), followed by BYD at 21.8% (12.49 GWh, +16.7%). CALB held a 7.7% share with 41.6% growth, and Volkswagen-backed Gotion High-tech captured 5.1% share with 100% growth.
As of June 2025, China’s passenger vehicle parc stood at 359 million units, including 36.9 million NEVs (10.3%). BEVs comprised 69.2% of the NEV total, slightly down from 70.3% at the end of 2024.
Source: CarNewsChina
