Nio delivered its 160,000th third-generation ES8 in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, on October 23, 2026. Credit: Nio
- The third-generation ES8 remains a key sales driver for the Nio main brand more than 1 year after launch.
- ES8 deliveries totaled 10,546 in September, exceeding 10,000 for the third consecutive month.
Nio Inc’s (NYSE: NIO) third-generation ES8 has reached 160,000 cumulative deliveries, with the large electric SUV remaining a key sales driver for the company’s main brand more than 1 year after launch.
Nio announced on Friday that it delivered the 160,000th third-generation ES8 in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, in northwestern China, to a local couple who run a high-end equipment manufacturing business.
The owners chose the ES8 for its suitability for business hospitality and long-distance travel. Nio’s battery swap network was also a key factor in their decision.
The third-generation ES8 was launched on September 20, 2025, with deliveries beginning the following day. It reached 150,000 cumulative deliveries on September 20 this year, its first anniversary.
The latest 10,000 deliveries took 33 days, slightly longer than the 30 days needed to climb from 140,000 to 150,000.
The handover fulfilled a plan Nio announced earlier this week. Yang Bo, the company’s head of user operations, said on October 19 that the 160,000th third-generation ES8 would be delivered this week.
ES8 deliveries totaled 10,546 in September, exceeding 10,000 for the third consecutive month despite a 4.14% decline from August, according to China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data compiled by CnEVPost.
Nio ES8 Monthly Deliveries 2024-2026
Month
2024
2025
2026
January
615
446
17,658
February
414
479
11,271
March
802
514
16,255
April
773
539
13,028
May
937
292
11,475
June
882
839
8,969
July
822
1,090
10,288
August
857
87
11,001
September
766
2,812
10,546
October
747
6,716
November
572
10,705
December
1,001
22,276
Nio ES8 monthly deliveries
2024
2025
2026
The figure was slightly higher than the 10,542 initially reported by Nio on October 1. Based on CPCA data, the ES8 accounted for 49.47% of the Nio main brand’s September deliveries and 28.19% of Nio Inc’s total.
In the first 9 months of this year, the ES8 lineup recorded 110,494 deliveries, accounting for 60.71% of the Nio main brand’s volume and 36.79% of the company’s total across its 3 brands.
Nio said in its latest announcement that the third-generation ES8 had captured nearly 20% of Xi’an’s large SUV market so far this year, ranking first in the segment.
In July, Nio added a 5-seat ES8 variant alongside the existing 6- and 7-seat versions, expanding into the large 5-seat SUV segment and broadening the model’s potential customer base.
The 5-seat variant was launched on July 9, with deliveries beginning the following day. Its starting price at launch was 382,800 yuan ($56,980), including the battery pack, 5.9% below the launch starting price of the 3-row versions.
Under the BaaS (battery as a service) battery rental plan, the 5-seat variant started at 274,800 yuan at launch.
ES9 deliveries rose 18.94% from August, accounting for 36.15% of Nio’s main-brand deliveries. Its combined share with the ES8 climbed to 85.62%.
($1 = 6.7180 yuan)
