Environment · 2026-10-24 · Morning briefing

China: Electric vehicles hit record two-thirds of car sales

For the first time, new-energy vehicles (NEVs) constituted 67% of new car sales in China in September, a record high. This rapid market capture occurred despite a 28% year-on-year drop in overall passenger-car sales. The shift is driven by a collapse in demand for traditional cars; sales of combustion-engine vehicles fell by 43% in the same month, according to the China Passenger Car Association.

The dominance of NEVs grew even as their own sales volumes declined. Overall NEV sales fell 17% year-on-year in September, with plug-in hybrids dropping 36%. Pure battery EVs proved more resilient, with sales dipping only 8.5%. Analysts link the trend to higher petrol prices and an ongoing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, which has reinforced China's strategy of reducing oil dependency. The country's growing EV fleet is estimated to have displaced demand for 143 million barrels of oil since the crisis began.

While the domestic market contracted, Chinese NEV manufacturers found growth abroad. Exports surged by 164% year-on-year in September, with 558,000 units shipped. This success is creating friction, prompting the EU, Mexico, and Turkey to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports.

Summary written by Cup of News with AI from the sources below. Check the originals for the full story.

Read the sources

• Chart: A record two-thirds of car sales in China are now electric vehicles
• Iran war fuel shock collapsed China's ICE market: EVs near two-thirds of sales
• After Welcoming China’s Electric Vehicles, This Country Is Paying the Price
• China’s carmakers export more as EU caps hybrid vehicle imports at 350,000 a year
• China shatters its 2025 car export record in just 8 months – and most are EVs

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