China EV Market July 2026: BYD Dominates, Tesla Falls Out of Top 10, NIO Surges

NIO's ES8 Milestone Reaches 140,000 Cumulative Deliveries

Chinese EV maker NIO marked a milestone in August 2026, with its third-generation ES8 SUV crossing 140,000 cumulative deliveries. The latest 10,000 units were completed in about 30 days following the launch of a 5-seat variant that broadened the model's appeal. The ES8, which reached 130,000 cumulative deliveries on July 22 in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, returned to above 10,000 monthly units in July after the 5-seat version's arrival expanded the potential customer base beyond the premium three-row SUV segment.

NIO cited data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showing that the ES8 had retail sales of 10,284 units in July, ranking first among large SUVs and vehicles in the 400,000-yuan ($58,980) price segment in China. The model also ranked first in cumulative sales in both segments during the January–July period, with 88,947 units delivered in the first seven months of 2026, accounting for 39.17% of NIO's total deliveries year-to-date.

The ES8 milestone arrives as NIO also showcases its fifth-generation battery swap station at the 2026 Chengdu International Motor Show, where it has deployed 179 battery swap stations and 244 charging stations across Sichuan and Tibet, connecting users to 119,636 third-party charging piles. The company's total July deliveries reached 35,842 units, a 70.5% increase compared with the same month last year, though down 11.6% from June. NIO also plans to report second-quarter earnings on September 1 as investors watch its profit trajectory. The ES8 took 335 days to reach this milestone after deliveries began in September 2025, and the 5-seat variant launched on July 9 with deliveries starting the following day.

BYD Maintains Top Spot, Tesla Exits NEV Rankings

BYD continued its dominance of China's NEV market in July, reporting 223,461 retail sales and a 23.5% market share — the highest among all automakers. However, the figure represented an 18.6% year-on-year decline and a 0.5% drop from June, reflecting the cyclical nature of China's EV market.

Tesla, by contrast, fell out of the top 10 in the CPCA rankings for the first time in two months, with retail sales of 27,249 units in China. The drop came as BYD widened its lead over the No. 2 player, reporting a 23.5% share versus June's 22.3%.

The top 10 NEV automakers in July were: BYD (223,461, 23.5%), Geely (105,526, 11.1%), Leapmotor (83,698, 8.8%), Changan (59,907, 6.3%), SAIC-GM-Wuling (48,967, 5.1%), HIMA (45,422, 4.8%), Chery (39,079, 4.1%), NIO (35,842, 3.8%), SAIC Passenger Vehicle (31,471, 3.3%) and Xiaomi EV (31,267, 3.3%).

Leapmotor's Surge and Overseas Expansion

Leapmotor recorded the biggest month-on-month gain among the top 10, with sales jumping 83.9% from June to reach 83,698 units in July. The company delivered 101,267 vehicles globally in July, topping 100,000 in a single month for the first time. In the January–July period, Leapmotor achieved 343,891 NEV retail sales and a 6.1% market share.

The company's overseas business continued to expand, with 45,008 vehicles delivered outside China in 2025 — about 10% of total deliveries. Leapmotor plans to double that figure in 2026, targeting 90,016 international deliveries across its international markets. The Chinese automaker aims to deliver between 550,000 and 600,000 vehicles globally this year, representing 28.1% to 39.7% growth over 2025's 429,445 units, according to 36Kr reporting internal meeting guidance.

Leapmotor's model range includes the compact A10 SUV, the full-size D19 SUV, the recently launched MPV D99, and refreshed B01 and B10 models — all now built on the 800V architecture. The B10 and C10/C11/C16 refreshes onto 800V occurred in June 2026, ahead of the company's Indonesia knock-down assembly plant, which began production in April 2026 and started delivering the B10 and C10 models in August 2026. The company also has a second assembly base in Malaysia at Gurun, Kedah, creating dual SE Asia knock-down bases — a rare arrangement among Chinese EV brands.

Overseas registrations in Europe reached 56,005 units in the first half of 2026, with Italy accounting for more than one-third of the battery electric segment and the T03 model becoming the best-selling BEV in that market. Leapmotor posted its first full-year profit in 2025 with net income of 540 million yuan on revenue that roughly doubled, and targets 5 billion yuan net profit for 2026. The company's second brand, positioned above 300,000 yuan, is under development for late 2026 or early 2027 launch, and FAW's 5% stake paves the way for a joint Hongqi model.

Xiaomi EV Enters the Top 10

Xiaomi's entry into the EV market continued with 31,267 units sold in July, ranking 10th in the CPCA standings. The Xiaomi EV's 2.7% year-on-year growth and 10.0% month-on-month decline reflect the challenging conditions for new entrants, but the company's presence in the top 10 underscores the accelerating competition in China's NEV sector. Xiaomi's January–July cumulative NEV retail sales reached 216,322 units for a 3.8% share.

Market Context and Outlook

The July CPCA data reveals a market in transition. BYD's dominance remains unchallenged, but the gap between the leader and No. 2 Geely widened slightly. NIO's 70.5% year-on-year sales surge and Leapmotor's 83.9% MoM gain signal shifting competitive dynamics, while Tesla's exit from the top 10 highlights the pressure on foreign brands in China's price-sensitive NEV market.

With the China Passenger Car Association projecting continued growth through 2026, the NEV sector is set for another quarter of rapid evolution — with Chinese brands gaining share, foreign brands facing margin pressure, and new entrants like Xiaomi testing the waters in a market where July's top 10 now spans established giants and challengers alike. Geely's 105,526 NEV retail sales in July were down 13.1% year-on-year and 2.2% from June. Changan was fourth with 59,907 units, down 10.5% from June. SAIC-GM-Wuling was fifth with 48,967 units, up 8.3% month-on-month.

Huawei-backed HIMA (Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance) ranked sixth with 45,422 units, down 4.1% year-on-year and 10.3% from June. Chery was seventh with 39,079 units and a 4.1% share. SAIC Passenger Vehicle was ninth with 31,471 units, up 341.6% year-on-year but down 6.8% month-on-month.

In the January–July period, BYD ranked first with NEV retail sales of 1,214,340 units and a 21.4% share, down 35.6% year-on-year. Geely was second with 683,873 units and a 12.1% share. Changan was third with 381,574 units, and Leapmotor was fourth with 343,891 units. Tesla's retail sales in China in January–July were 266,204 units, down 12.4% year-on-year, ranking sixth with a 4.7% share. NIO was eighth with 226,490 units and a 4.0% share. Li Auto was ninth with 223,940 units.

The overall passenger vehicle market, which includes conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, saw BYD rank first in retail sales in July with a 15.3% share. Geely was second with 160,647 units and an 11.0% share, while Leapmotor was third with a 5.7% share. Joint venture brands remained under pressure. FAW-Volkswagen had retail sales of 73,408 units in July, down 33.9% year-on-year. SAIC-Volkswagen's retail sales were 48,000 units, down 41.9%. In overall passenger vehicle retail for January–July, BYD ranked first with an 11.9% share, overtaking Geely's 1,181,990 units and 11.6% share.

Sources: China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) rankings released August 2026; CnEVPost coverage of NIO ES8 deliveries; CnEVPost July 2026 NEV market share analysis; Leapmotor internal delivery data.

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