CATL's hold on China's EV battery market loosens again in August as BYD keeps closing in

CATL stayed on top of China's power battery market in August, but the leader kept losing ground to BYD. New data from the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance show CATL installed 32.54 GWh domestically for a 41.45% share — volume up roughly 3.6% from July, yet down from a 42.33% share because the overall market grew faster. BYD, in second, lifted its installs about 15.5% month-on-month to 16.47 GWh, pushing its share up 1.75 percentage points to 20.98%.

The gap between the two giants narrowed to 20.47 percentage points, a third straight month of contraction, and their combined grip reached 62.43%. Nationally, August installations came in at 79.0 GWh — a 2026 monthly high, up 26.3% year-on-year. Further down the table, Eve Energy displaced Gotion High-tech for fourth place, and LG Energy Solution more than doubled its volume to 1.60 GWh after a weak July.

By chemistry, lithium iron phosphate extended its dominance: LFP installs grew 7.0% to 67.6 GWh, an 85.6% share and a third consecutive record month, while ternary batteries fell for a third month to 11.0 GWh, or 14.0% of the total. CATL still led the ternary segment but saw its share plunge from 75.81% to 66.80%, with LG Energy Solution retaking second from Svolt Energy.