20 October 2025
For the second consecutive month, China’s plug-in hybrid (PHEV) market experienced slower growth. Which models fuelled this trend? Autovista24 special content editor Phil Curry examines the latest data from EV Volumes.
China’s PHEV market continued to struggle into August, following a dramatic dip in volume growth during July.
In total, 474,234 new PHEVs were sold in the country during August, according to data from EV Volumes. This represented a 4.7% year-on-year increase, and is the second consecutive month of single-digit growth for the market.
July saw the powertrain’s worst result since July 2020, which saw an increase of 4.1%. A month prior, the market had fallen by 51.4% year on year. Deliveries then increased continuously by two to three-digit figures each month from August 2020.
It appears China’s PHEV market has plateaued following this period of exceptional growth. The results of the last two months have also impacted yearly improvements. Between January and August 2025, 3,376,609 PHEVs took to China’s roads, up 25.4%. This sits in stark contrast to the 35.8% increase in sales across the first two quarters of 2025.
While PHEV sales slowed, the battery-electric vehicle (BEV) market continued to post strong growth. However, its 24.3% increase over August 2024 was the second-lowest improvement in the first eight months of the year. In total, 718,128 new BEVs took to China’s roads in the month.
In the year to August, BEV deliveries have increased by 39.3%, with 4,852,413 units delivered.
BYD’s PHEV struggles
In China’s top 10 best-selling PHEV table for August, four models had gone on sale within the last 12 months. The other six models failed to see any volume improvement, highlighting a slowdown.
The BYD Qin Plus led the pack in the month, with 25,800 deliveries, according to EV Volumes data. This was a drop of 19.6% year on year, although it was the model’s best volume in the first eight months of 2025. Its market share fell by 1.7 percentage points (pp), to 5.4%.
For the second consecutive month, the Aito M8 finished second, denting the dominance of BYD. The model achieved 21,537 sales in August, with a 4.5% market share in its fifth month of recorded sales.
BYD models took the next four positions, with the Seal 06 in third, thanks to 17,414 units. This was a drop of 47.1% year on year, while its share of the PHEV total dropped 3.6pp, to 3.7%.
Next came the BYD Sealion 06, making its top 10 debut with 15,000 sales. This capped an impressive performance, which saw limited deliveries in its first two months on sale. As its other models struggled, BYD will be hoping the Sealion 06 can carry some momentum. It took 3.2% of China’s PHEV market in August.
The BYD Song Pro ended the month in fifth thanks to 12,681 deliveries. This was a drop of 34.3% compared with August 2024. Its market share of 2.7% was down 1.6pp year on year.
New PHEV models gain ground
Having started the year well, the BYD Qin L has struggled. August saw its best placement since April, as the model ended up in sixth. Its total of 12,600 units was down 65%, the largest decline in the top 10. This also gave the model a 2.7% market share, a drop of 5.2pp.
Another top 10 debutant took seventh. The Galaxy A7, which first recorded sales in the market in June 2025, saw 12,078 deliveries during August, with a 2.5% market share.
The model beat its stablemate, the Galaxy Starship 7, which achieved 11,431 sales. The model, which first recorded sales in November 2024, claimed first place in January and looked set to challenge BYD. However, it has not sustained this success, failing to rank higher than eighth since its strong start.
Just 214 units behind was the Li Auto L6. It too struggled, with 11,217 sales down by 54.9%. This equated to a 3.1pp drop in market share, reaching 2.4%.
Rounding out the table was the BYD Song L. It posted 11,000 deliveries in the month, a 34.4% year-on-year drop, which meant its share fell by 1.4pp to 2.3%.
Change at the top
In the first eight months of the year, the PHEV top 10 saw a change in leadership. Despite its decline in sales in August, the BYD Qin Plus took first place, with 154,212 deliveries. This equated to a 4.6% market share.
After struggling in August, the BYD Song Plus fell to second, with 145,213 deliveries and a 4.3% market share. The result means the Qin L took the lead by 8,999 deliveries.
There were no position changes between third and ninth. The BYD Seal 06 remained in third with 137,013 sales between January and August. This gave the model a 4.1% share of the yearly PHEV total. Next came the BYD Song Pro, with 124,701 deliveries and a 3.7% market hold.
The Li Auto L6 remained in fifth, thanks to 122,401 sales and a 3.6% market share. The BYD Qin L placed sixth, taking 199,200 sales and 3.5% of the market.
Seventh went to the BYD Song L, which ended the eight-month period with 99,500 deliveries and a 2.9% market share. In eighth was the Galaxy Starship 7, thanks to 91,288 deliveries and 2.7% of the market. Ninth went to the BYD Destroyer 05, with 84,174 sales, and 2.5%.
The Aito M8 rounded out the top 10, which entered the cumulative chart for the first time. With 83,327 sales, it was just 847 units behind the BYD Destroyer 05. The Aito model held 2.5% of the PHEV total across the first eight months of 2025.
Geely domination continues
The Geely Geome Xingyuan continued its impressive run to head the Chinese BEV market in August. Its total of 46,057 units was enough for a 6.4% share in its 12th month on sale in the country. It has topped the monthly best-seller list five times across the first eight months of 2025.
Second went to the Tesla Model Y, with 39,413 units delivered. This was a 13.1% decrease year on year, as the model’s struggles continued. Its 5.5% market share was a 2.3pp drop compared to August 2024.
The Wuling Mini placed third, with 37,828 units. Following a strong start to the year, the model wavered in the second quarter of 2025. However, it recovered, ending up third in August for the second consecutive month. In total, 37,828 units were delivered, a 43% rise. This gave the model a 5.3% market share, up 0.7pp.
In fourth, the BYD Seagull struggled with a 43.8% decline, as it saw 23,031 units hit the roads. This resulted in a 3.9pp dip in share, to 3.2%.
Finishing in the top half of the table was the Xiaomi SU7. With 19,848 sales in August, it achieved a 51.4% improvement year on year. This was good enough for a 2.8% share of total BEV sales in the month.
Tesla’s bounce continues
The BYD Yuan Up took sixth in August’s BEV chart, with 19,647 sales in China. This was an increase of 1.6%, with the model slowly improving its figures this year. However, in an increasingly competitive market, this small rise in volumes did not boost its share. It represented 2.7% of total BEV sales in the month, down 0.6pp.
The Tesla Model 3 re-entered the table in seventh after dropping out in July. The US model has struggled in China this year, only placing as high as fifth in February. Ahead of the usual Tesla spike in September, 17,739 units were delivered to Chinese customers, a 2.1% year-on-year decrease.
However, its market share only decreased by 0.6pp, the same as the BYD Yuan Up. It ended the month making up 2.5% of deliveries.
In only its third month on the market, the Xiaomi YU7 made its top 10 debut in eighth, with 16,295 sales. This gave the model a 2.3% hold of the BEV market. It was followed by the Xpeng M03, with 15,333 deliveries and a 2.1% market share.
Rounding out the top 10 was the Changan Lumin. The model saw 14,570 deliveries in August. This was down 7.2% compared to the same month last year. The model did take a 2% market share, down by 0.7pp.
Top spot back in domestic hands
Spanning the first eight months of 2025, the Geely Geome Xingyuan led the way. It recorded 295,434 sales, meaning a 6.1% market share.
Geely has shaken up the BEV chart with the Geome Xingyuan, placing the market in the hands of domestic carmakers. This follows two years of Tesla domination. The US brand is still going strong, however, with its Model Y finishing second. It achieved 241,670 deliveries for a 5% market share.
However, this result places the Model Y 53,764 units behind the Geome Xingyuan. Aside from a blip in March, the Geely model has consistently been in the top two. Conversely, the Tesla model has experienced more of a rollercoaster year. With the Chinese BEV having hit its stride, it could be difficult for the Model Y to catch up before the end of the year.
Third in the yearly chart went to the Wuling Mini, which climbed back towards the top at the expense of the BYD Seagull. With 235,249 sales between January and August, it took a 4.8% market share. The Chinese model was 6,421 units behind the Model Y. But with the US brand’s customary spike in September, finishing second in 2025 could be a long shot.
The BYD Seagull dropped one place to fourth after eight months, with 220,884 units, and a 4.6% market share. Fifth went to the Xiaomi SU7, which held its place as deliveries grew to 199,950 units. This was enough for a 4.1% share of the total.
Gap too big to close?
The BYD Yuan Up maintained sixth, with 132,688 deliveries between January and August. The model held a 2.7% market share, with the gulf between fifth and sixth places seemingly too big to bridge.
The Tesla Model 3 moved up one spot to seventh after eight months of 2025. Its 119,509 total was 13,179 units behind sixth. Even with the end-of-quarter push, the US model may struggle to catch its rival.
The Xpeng M03 remained in eighth, with 117,388 sales and a 2.4% market share. Having not placed in August’s top 10, the Wuling Bingo fell two positions to ninth, with 116,942 deliveries. This was just 446 units behind the Xpeng, suggesting a tighter battle for the lower end of the table.
Finally, the Geely Panda Mini held 10th, thanks to 111,842 sales between January and August. This gave the Chinese model a 2.3% share of total BEV sales in the period.
