The 150,000th third-generation Nio ES8 on display at the delivery ceremony in Beijing on September 20, 2026, 1 year after the model’s launch. Credit: Nio
- The latest 10,000 units took 30 days, matching the pace of the previous 10,000.
- Nio president Qin Lihong delivered the 150,000th third-generation ES8 to its owner in Beijing on Sunday.
Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) has delivered 150,000 units of its third-generation ES8, with the large all-electric SUV (sport utility vehicle) reaching the milestone within 1 year of launch and becoming the main pillar of Nio’s sales.
Nio co-founder and president Qin Lihong handed over the 150,000th third-generation ES8 to its owner, Tang Limei, in Beijing on Sunday, Nio said on Weibo. The day coincided with the model’s first anniversary of launch.
Tang holds a doctorate in geology from Zhejiang University and is the first female scientist in China to have taken part in both deep-sea diving and polar expeditions.
She said the spacious cabin allows her to fully relax on long trips, while the stable ride quality reminds her of the extreme demands for reliability during scientific expeditions, according to Nio’s Weibo post.
The third-generation ES8 was launched on September 20, 2025, with deliveries starting the following day. The 140,000th unit was delivered on August 21 at the Chengdu Auto Show, meaning the latest 10,000 units took 30 days, matching the pace of the previous 10,000.
Nio said that since launch, the ES8’s cumulative sales have ranked first in both China’s large SUV market and the 400,000 yuan ($59,240) price segment, with both rankings covering all powertrain types.
The model has also set a sales record for all-electric vehicles in the 400,000 yuan segment, the company said.
Yang Bo, head of user operations at Nio, said on Weibo on Sunday that the ES8’s cumulative sales from January to August this year reached 99,893 units, ranking first in both the large SUV and 400,000 yuan ($59,240) segments and exceeding the combined total of the second- and third-ranked models.
According to data compiled by CnEVPost from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), the ES8 saw cumulative deliveries of 99,948 units in the first 8 months of this year, accounting for 62.21% of Nio brand deliveries and 38.02% of Nio Inc’s total over the period. The delivery data is measured differently from retail sales statistics.
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
October
747
6,716
November
572
10,705
December
1,001
22,276
Nio ES8 monthly deliveries
2024
2025
2026
The ES8 delivered 11,001 units in August, up 6.93% from July, exceeding 10,000 units for the second consecutive month and remaining Nio Inc’s best-selling model.
The ES8 and the more premium ES9 together delivered 17,480 units in August, accounting for 82.55% of the Nio brand’s total, underscoring the weight of large all-electric SUVs in the brand’s sales mix.
The addition of the 5-seat version is one of the drivers of recent sales. The version was launched on July 9, with deliveries starting the following day, extending the ES8 from 6- and 7-seat layouts into the large 5-seat market.
The 5-seat version starts at 382,800 yuan including the battery pack, 5.9% lower than the launch starting price of the 3-row versions. Under the BaaS (battery as a service) battery rental scheme, the starting price is 274,800 yuan.
Beyond sales, the ES8 also ranks high in customer reputation. A first-half 2026 new energy vehicle (NEV) brand health study released by Land Roads showed the ES8 ranked first among all all-electric models with an NPS (Net Promoter Score) of 85.3.
Li said Nio will focus on its core business, premium segment and core markets over the next 3 years, participating in embodied AI mainly through strategic investments.
($1 = 6.7521 yuan)
