Leapmotor breaks records as BYD sales stop sliding

03 June 2026

Despite many efforts from the fossil fuel industry, the global automotive market continues to shift toward electric cars, and China is the unquestionable engine driving this change. The latest sales data from May 2026 revealed that Chinese EV makers had a huge month. Some legacy giants are struggling to keep their momentum, but younger startups are capturing a big portion of the global EV market.

Market leader BYD kept its top spot by selling 376,990 passenger vehicles in May 2026. This number is critical for the company because it breaks a painful streak. For the past eight consecutive months, BYD watched its year-on-year sales drop. In May, that decline finally stopped. The company sold just 60 more cars than it did in May of last year, effectively flattening its sales curve. A bright spot for the manufacturer came from its sub-brand, Fang Cheng Bao, which grew by 139.7% year-on-year to reach 30,186 deliveries.

Other established automotive groups reported mixed results during the month. Geely secured a strong position by moving 133,355 electrified vehicles, even though this is a 3.4% dip compared to the same period last year. Chery Group celebrated a major milestone - the company pushed past the 100,000-unit mark for the second month in a row, delivering exactly 100,304 vehicles to buyers all over the world.

Among the newer startups focused on EVs, Leapmotor stole the spotlight. The brand set a new historical record by delivering 81,569 vehicles in May 2026 - a huge 81% jump compared to May of last year. This performance also gave Leapmotor the top spot among Chinese electric car startups for the fourth month in a row.

Zeekr, Geely's premium EV division, also had a stellar month. The brand delivered 34,377 vehicles to customers, climbing 81.8% compared to last year. Changan also stayed competitive by selling 92,400 electrified models overall. Its Deepal sub-brand contributed 33,243 of those units, growing by 30.3% year-on-year. Unfortunately, Changan's high-end Avatr brand suffered a heavy blow, with sales dropping 42.5% down to just 7,336 units.

Nio showed highly positive growth thanks to its strategy of launching distinct sub-brands. The company delivered 37,705 total vehicles in May, a 62.4% jump over last year. The core Nio brand made up 20,013 of those sales. Its family-oriented Onvo brand saw a huge 91.5% year-on-year increase with 12,029 deliveries, while the affordable Firefly brand added another 5,663 units to the total.

Not every EV startup found success in May, and some veteran players faced slowing demand. Li Auto delivered 33,350 vehicles - 18.4% drop compared to May last year. XPeng dropped 4.1% year-on-year to finish the month with 32,158 deliveries. Tech heavyweights entering the auto arena showed steady numbers - Xiaomi delivered over 30,000 electric cars, and Huawei's HIMA alliance handed over 46,122 vehicles to customers.

At the bottom of the monthly rankings sits Great Wall Motor (GWM). The company managed to sell only 30,447 "new energy" vehicles in May, leaving GWM trailing behind almost every automaker in China. As international competition heats up, the gap between the EV startups and legacy brands seems to get wider every month.

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