EV Sales Continued to Decline in China in April

Battery-electric vehicle sales weakened noticeably during April as China’s nascent market recovery stalled unexpectedly. April deliveries totaled 580,303 units, representing a 4.4% decline from the previous year’s performance levels. While the month ranked as the strongest result of 2026 so far, the cumulative picture through four months painted an increasingly grim trajectory for manufacturers nationwide.

Approximately 1.75 million BEVs reached Chinese buyers between January and April, an 18.1% collapse compared to the identical period in 2025. Plug-in hybrid sales deteriorated dramatically throughout April. Sales hit 247,510 PHEV units, down 33.2% year-over-year despite representing 2026’s best monthly volume to date.

The cumulative PHEV picture looked substantially worse, with 881,436 units sold through April marking a 35.5% plunge that raises serious doubts about potential market recovery before year-end arrives.

Among battery-electric models, Geely’s Geome Xingyuan captured April’s top ranking with 35,249 units after struggling considerably during earlier months. Xiaomi’s SU7 secured second place with 26,768 units, marking its first entry into top-10 rankings this year. Tesla’s Model Y finished third with 23,206 units, surprisingly gaining 16.1% year-over-year despite mounting competitive pressures.

However, Tesla’s Model 3 completely disappeared from bestseller lists for the second consecutive month, falling out of top performers entirely. The Li Auto I6 maintained fourth position with roughly 21,000 units while delivering steady performance throughout the year.

BYD showed considerable market presence with multiple models scattered throughout upper rankings, including the Sealion 06, Yuan Up, and Dolphin. The Dolphin particularly impressed with 53.5% volume expansion compared to prior results. New competitor Qiyuan Q05 made its top-10 debut while the previously strong Nio ES8 slipped to ninth place in monthly rankings.

For year-to-date cumulative performance, Tesla’s Model Y led all competitors with over 105,000 units through April. The Geely Geome Xingyuan moved into second following its April dominance, trailing by roughly 13,000 units of cumulative sales. Xiaomi’s YU7 maintained top-three status despite falling out of monthly bestseller rankings entirely.

The PHEV sector remained under Fang Cheng Bao Tai 7’s control with 12,901 April units, barely ahead of BYD’s Song Pro by only 199 units. BYD occupied five positions throughout the top 10, though most faced substantial year-over-year declines signaling deeper brand challenges across product lines.

The Wey Gaoshan delivered surprising performance gains while most competing models suffered considerable year-over-year retreats. This dramatic variance across competitors reveals how fractured China’s EV market has become.

For firms like Ferrari N.V. (NYSE: RACE) that are just entering the EV market, the sales data coming from China could offer some lessons that they can borrow as they plan how to dominate the market segments in which they operate.

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