Battery-electric models claim nine of China's ten best-selling cars in August as combustion cars vanish from the list

Battery electric vehicles took nine of the ten positions in China's passenger-car sales ranking for August. The lone exception was BYD's Fang Cheng Bao Ti7, a dual-powertrain model offered in both BEV and PHEV form, with electrics accounting for 55% of its volume. Not a single petrol car cracked the top 10: the highest-ranked combustion model was the Toyota Corolla Cross in 13th place with 14,675 units, marking the second month in 2026 that ICE vehicles have been shut out of the country's best-seller list.

Geely's EX2, sold domestically as the Xingyuan, topped the overall chart at 39,651 units. The small hatchback is positioned against the BYD Seagull at home and the forthcoming Volkswagen ID. Polo in Europe. The Leapmotor A10 followed in second with 30,652 sales, and the Tesla Model Y was third at 29,260. The EX2 also leads the January–August year-to-date standings with 266,166 units, ahead of the Model Y (226,931) and the Li Auto i6 (152,845).

Tesla was the only automaker with two models in the top ten, adding a sixth-place finish for the Model 3 at 20,787 units. Xiaomi had a rough month: the SU7 slid from fourth in July to tenth, and the YU7 SUV dropped to 19th with 13,635 sales — striking given that SUVs outsell sedans in China by roughly two to one.

Combustion power lingered only in the lower half of the top 20, where five ICE-based models appeared: the Toyota Corolla Cross, Geely Starray, Volkswagen Lavida, Toyota RAV4 and Geely Monjaro, with the Lavida the lone sedan among them. Former heavyweights like the Lavida and Nissan Sylphy are fading — the Sylphy fell to 23rd with just 12,227 units. BYD, meanwhile, counted five models in the top 20 once the Ti7 is included: the Atto 2, Song Ultra, Song Pro, Sealion 6 and Fang Cheng Bao Ti7.