Plug-in EVs sales in China up by 50 percent in November 2022

Max McDee, 02 January 2023

Although total vehicle sales in China declined in November, the demand for electric and plug-in hybrid cars remained strong and did not experience any slowdown.

According to Clean Technica, a total of 625,205 new electric passenger vehicles were registered in China in November, representing a 50% increase from the same month the previous year and the second highest number ever recorded. This data was shared by Jose Pontes, who also reported that 636,223 units were registered in September.

Plug-in vehicles now make up 35% of the total vehicle market in China, and there is a good chance that this percentage could approach 40% in 2023.

Sales of fully electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) have seen significant growth over the past year. PHEVs experienced a year-over-year increase of 88%, establishing a new monthly record for the eighth consecutive month. However, the BEV market is still larger than the PHEV market.

The following are the monthly results:

Monthly sales results

BEV
453000
PHEV
172000
TOTAL
625205

So far this year, over 5.2 million new electric passenger vehicles have been registered in China, which is approximately twice the number registered during the same period the previous year and more than the total number registered in all of 2021.

Number of EVs registered in China

BEV
3850000
PHEV
1400000
TOTAL
5250007

To provide some context, the total number of electric vehicle registrations in 2021 reached over 3.2 million, a year-over-year increase of 153% from the 1.27 million registered in 2020.

According to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), it is expected that approximately 6 million electric passenger vehicles will be sold in China in 2022.

BYD had seven of its electric models in the top ten list of the best-selling electric vehicles in China for November, a notable achievement. The BYD Song Plus was the top-selling model, with over 64,000 units sold (including 6,999 BEV and 57,146 PHEV units).

The Tesla Model Y, with 52,424 units sold, was the only model from a foreign manufacturer to make it into the top ten, coming in at number two. The Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV was the top seller among the remaining models, with around 32,000 units sold.

The top ten for the month are:

Model	November Sales	Market share
BYD Song Plus (BEV + PHEV)	64,145	10.3%
Tesla Model Y	52,145	8.4%
Wuling HongGuang Mini EV	31,982	5.1%
BYD Han (BEV+PHEV)	31,580	5.1%
BYD Dolphin	26,029	4.2%
BYD Yuan Plus EV	26,004	4.2%
BYD Qin Plus (BEV+PHEV)	25,498	4.1%
BYD Tang (BEV + PHEV)	19,188	3.1%
BYD Seal	15,356	2.5%
GAC Aion S	15,323	2.5%

The BYD Song Plus has overtaken the Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV in terms of total sales for the year and is on track to become the best-selling electric vehicle in 2022, pending the official sales results for December.

The BYD Song family is expected to report total sales of around 470,000 units in 2022, compared to the 424,000 Wuling Hong Guang MINI EVs sold in 2021. This is a significant increase from the approximately 470,000 units sold by the BYD Song family in 2022.

As of now, the Tesla Model Y has sold 286,220 units and is ranked fourth after 11 months. It is nearing the third spot, currently held by the BYD Qin Plus with 291,930 units sold. BYD has a strong presence in this ranking as well, with six models in the top ten.

Model	January to November Sales	Market share
BYD Song Plus (BEV + PHEV)	406,296	7.7%
Wuling HongGuang Mini EV	389,475	7.4%
BYD Qin Plus (BEV+PHEV)	291,930	5.6%
Tesla Model Y	286,220	5.5%
BYD Han (BEV + PHEV)	242,727	4.6%
BYD Dolphin	178,600	3.4%
BYD Yuan Plus EV	167,812	3.2%
BYD Tang (BEV + PHEV)	128,724	2.5%
Tesla Model 3	112,822	2.1%
GAC Aion Y	105,376	2.0%

BYD has significantly increased its market share over the first 11 months of the year, approaching a one-third share of the total electric vehicle market in China. It is likely to become the most successful original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the country.

Usually, a declining market share indicates that other brands and manufacturers in the automotive industry are losing ground. However, in this case, Tesla's stock rose by 0.3% after October, which was focused on exports. It is interesting to note that Changan significantly improved its position to 3.8%.