In September 2026, BYD maintained its leadership in the Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) market with 246,816 retail sales, capturing a 22.8% market share. Geely followed in second place with 119,682 units, while Leapmotor secured the third spot with 78,202 vehicles sold.
Tesla improved its position in the monthly rankings, rising to fourth place with 64,837 vehicles, which represents a 6.0% market share. Changan Automobile and SAIC-GM-Wuling rounded out the top six, recording 61,732 and 54,810 retail sales respectively.
SAIC Passenger Vehicle demonstrated the strongest growth among the top ten manufacturers, with sales increasing by 86.6% year-on-year. Xiaomi Auto returned to the top ten list in ninth place with 40,015 vehicles, while Li Auto and Nio dropped out of the monthly ranking.
For the first nine months of 2026, BYD leads the cumulative market with 1,695,099 vehicles sold, followed by Geely with 914,115 units. Leapmotor surpassed Changan in year-to-date sales, reaching 506,967 vehicles compared to Changan's 501,180.
The broader Chinese passenger car market saw total retail sales of 1.618 million vehicles in September, with NEVs accounting for a record 67.0% of the total. Cumulative passenger car sales for the year reached 13.334 million units, reflecting a 21.7% year-on-year decline.
