A BYD Yuan Up on display at the Beijing Auto Show in April 2026. Credit: CnEVPost
- BYD dominated China’s NEV export market in May with 155,944 units exported, while Tesla China exported 38,701 units.
- In the overall passenger car export market, Chery ranked first in May with a 22.9% share, followed closely by BYD and Geely.
BYD (HKEX: 1211) was China’s largest passenger new energy vehicle (NEV) exporter in May, while Chery (HKEX: 9973) and Geely Auto (HKEX: 0175) ranked second and third respectively, showcasing strong year-on-year growth.
BYD’s passenger NEV exports in May were 155,944 units, up 85.5% year-on-year and 19.9% month-on-month. The company ranked first in the NEV export market with a commanding 36.7% share.
The China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) revealed these figures in a monthly sales ranking report on Tuesday, marking the first time it has published rankings on exports.
Top automakers in China with highest NEV exports in May 2026
Top automakers in China with highest NEV exports in May 2026
Ranking
NEV Automaker
NEV Export
Contribution
1
BYD
155,944
36.7%
2
Chery
62,398
14.7%
3
Geely
39,811
9.4%
4
Tesla China
38,701
9.1%
5
SAIC Passenger Vehicle
22,450
5.3%
6
Leapmotor
20,168
4.8%
7
Dongfeng
14,710
3.5%
8
SAIC-GM-Wuling
12,662
3%
9
Changan
10,716
2.5%
10
GWM
6,596
1.6%
Chery ranked second in May with NEV exports of 62,398 units, representing a 142.3% year-on-year increase and a 7.7% month-on-month growth. It captured a 14.7% share of NEV exports.
Geely ranked third with NEV exports of 39,811 units, surging 429.0% year-on-year, but declining 18.6% month-on-month. It accounted for a 9.4% share.
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) China ranked fourth in May with 38,701 units exported, up 67.7% year-on-year, but down 27.7% from April.
The US electric vehicle (EV) maker contributed 9.1% of China’s passenger NEV exports in May.
Leapmotor (HKEX: 9863) also saw significant growth in May, ranking sixth with 20,168 NEVs exported. This represented a massive 451.3% year-on-year surge and a 41.8% month-on-month increase, giving it a 4.8% share.
GWM (HKEX: 2333) ranked tenth in NEV exports with 6,596 units, up 110.4% year-on-year and 61.1% month-on-month, capturing a 1.6% share.
In the January-May period, BYD’s NEV exports were 598,433 units, up 67.6% year-on-year, ranking first with a 34.6% share.
Top automakers in China with highest NEV exports in Jan-May 2026
Top automakers in China with highest NEV exports in Jan-May 2026
Ranking
NEV Automaker
NEV Export
Contribution
1
BYD
598,433
34.6%
2
Chery
216,482
12.5%
3
Geely
213,867
12.3%
4
Tesla China
192,823
11.1%
5
SAIC Passenger Vehicle
94,195
5.4%
6
Leapmotor
75,294
4.3%
7
Dongfeng
55,968
3.2%
8
SAIC-GM-Wuling
48,165
2.8%
9
Changan
38,221
2.2%
10
Xpeng
24,066
1.4%
Chery’s NEV exports in the January-May period were 216,482 units, up 160.2% year-on-year, ranking second with a 12.5% share.
Geely followed closely in the January-May period with 213,867 NEVs exported, skyrocketing 574.7% year-on-year, ranking third with a 12.3% share.
Tesla China exported 192,823 units during the same period, up 112.0% year-on-year. It ranked fourth with an 11.1% share.
Leapmotor exported 75,294 units in the January-May period, up 335.5% year-on-year, taking a 4.3% share and ranking sixth.
Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) ranked tenth with 24,066 units exported and a 1.4% share. Its exports in the first five months grew 61.3% year-on-year.
Top automakers in China with highest passenger vehicle exports in May 2026
Top automakers in China with highest passenger vehicle exports in May 2026
Ranking
Automaker
PV Export
Contribution
1
Chery
179,285
22.9%
2
BYD
155,944
19.9%
3
Geely
84,152
10.7%
4
SAIC Passenger Vehicle
73,002
9.3%
5
GWM
45,188
5.8%
6
Tesla China
38,701
4.9%
7
Changan
28,141
3.6%
8
SAIC-GM-Wuling
25,992
3.3%
9
Leapmotor
20,168
2.6%
10
Dongfeng
19,604
2.5%
In the overall passenger car export market, which includes traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, Chery ranked first in May with 179,285 units exported, capturing a 22.9% share.
Chery’s exports in May were up 79.2% year-on-year and 2.3% month-on-month.
BYD ranked second in overall passenger car exports with 155,944 units and a 19.9% share.
Geely Auto ranked third in the overall passenger car export ranking with 84,152 units exported, up 180.3% year-on-year, capturing a 10.7% share.
GWM ranked fifth in May’s overall passenger car exports with 45,188 units and a 5.8% share.
Tesla China ranked sixth with 38,701 units and a 4.9% share; Leapmotor ranked ninth with 20,168 units and a 2.6% share.
In China’s overall passenger car exports for the January-May period, Chery ranked first with 743,789 units exported, up 69.3% year-on-year, commanding a 22.1% share.
Top automakers in China with highest passenger vehicle exports in Jan-May 2026
Top automakers in China with highest passenger vehicle exports in Jan-May 2026
Ranking
Automaker
PV Export
Contribution
1
Chery
743,789
22.1%
2
BYD
598,433
17.7%
3
Geely
370,362
11%
4
SAIC Passenger Vehicle
326,196
9.7%
5
GWM
202,659
6%
6
Tesla China
192,823
5.7%
7
SAIC-GM-Wuling
119,167
3.5%
8
Changan
117,314
3.5%
9
Dongfeng
87,425
2.6%
10
Leapmotor
75,294
2.2%
BYD ranked second in the overall passenger car export market in the January-May period with 598,433 units and a 17.7% share.
Geely ranked third in the overall passenger car export market for the first five months with 370,362 units and an 11.0% share.
In the overall passenger car exports for the January-May period, Tesla China ranked sixth with 192,823 units and a 5.7% share; Leapmotor ranked tenth with 75,294 units and a 2.2% share.
Tesla’s retail sales in China rebounded sharply to 47,281 units in May, returning to the top 10 NEV list and entering the top 10 in the overall passenger car market.
