Pure Electric Car Sales Ranking Released: Model Y Ranks Second, Xiaomi YU7 Ranks Fourth

Once the China Passenger Car Association released the pure electric retail ranking for the first half of 2026, the industry finally saw the true temperature of the market. The top ten seats underwent a complete shake-up, with long-standing top models collectively diving. Seagull, Qin PLUS, and other former top hits fell out of the head lineup, replaced by all-new products concentrated on the market in the past year. Many people say the pure electric market is not doing well, but looking closely at the data reveals that what is not doing well are old products, low price points, and stock models without technology. Truly new products that hit users' core needs are still surging against the trend.

No.1 Geely Star Wish

Geely Star Wish, which took the pure electric sales crown for the first half of the year, has mixed feelings. The result of 194,000 units looks impressive, but actually decreased slightly by 5.3% year-on-year. Against the background of the overall contraction of the entry-level pure electric market, holding onto this volume is already considered a win. This 60,000-level A0-class small car has ranked at the top for 16 consecutive months, the core being that it solves the pain points of commuter cars to the extreme. Rear-drive architecture, independent suspension, CATL cells, and fast-charge configurations are fully loaded on all models. Using superior specifications, it beats competitors at the same price point. Cumulative sales exceeded 800,000 units in less than two years.

Conversely, the 50,000 to 100,000 market is continuing to shrink. Leapmotor and other competitors have entered with lower prices and higher configurations. Plus, car profits are thin as razor blades. Star Wish's domestic market share has basically hit the ceiling. The next incremental growth can only be supported by overseas markets.

No.2 Tesla Model Y

Tesla Model Y, ranked second, sold 172,500 units in the first half of the year, with a slight increase of 0.6% year-on-year. It barely held onto its basic market position amid the blockade of domestic models. As the industry benchmark for the 250,000 to 300,000 pure electric SUV market, Model Y's core competitiveness has never been interior configurations, but mature powertrain systems, a supercharging network spread across the country, and Tesla's brand premium. Many family users choose it for peace of mind and value retention.

However, with new products from Li Auto, Xiaomi, and AITO taking turns siphoning users, Model Y's growth has long entered stagnation. The latest news is that the high-performance version of this car has completed MIIT declaration. It will likely maintain sales with facelifts and price adjustments in the second half of the year, but it is highly probable that its overall market share will continue to be eroded.

No.3 Li Auto i6

Li Auto i6 reached third place with 120,400 units, the brightest dark horse in the first half of the year, and marked that Li Auto's pure electric transformation is fully completed.

This 250,000-level family pure electric SUV completely continues Li Auto's product logic oriented towards family users. It does not compete on paper data like 0-100 km/h acceleration, but makes 800V high-voltage platforms, dual-chamber air suspension, and advanced intelligent driving standard configurations. It maximizes space, comfort, and energy replenishment efficiency, precisely hitting the pain points of urban family users.

Since its launch, this car has had monthly sales exceeding 20,000 for four consecutive months, directly accounting for 62% of Li Auto's total sales, siphoning its own extended-range L series. However, the 200,000 to 300,000 pure electric SUV market is the most competitive track this year. New products are flocking to the market in the second half of the year. It is not easy for the i6 to maintain current sales levels. Later, it will depend on new products like the i8 to take over.

No.4 Xiaomi YU7

Xiaomi YU7, as a popular model, sold 104,600 units in the first half of the year, ranked fourth. As a brand-new car launched only half a year ago, this result has exceeded industry expectations. This mid-size SUV focusing on sports and family, relying on Xiaomi's ecosystem traffic, reached a peak of nearly 38,000 units in the first month after launch, directly breaking the market pattern at the same price level.

However, the subsequent trend can be described as opening high and closing low. After the heat subsided, sales declined month by month until June, relying on the launch of the standard version and employee internal purchase discounts to return to the ten-thousand club. Ultimately, the 200,000-level pure electric SUV track is too competitive. Tesla Model Y is above, and cost-effective brands like Leapmotor are below. YU7's product strength has not pulled an absolute gap. Next, Xiaomi's focus will shift to its extended-range series. YU7 will likely maintain steady sales, making it difficult to replicate the explosion in the early stages after launch.

No.5 BYD Yuan UP

BYD Yuan UP sold 82,700 units in pure retail sales in the first half of the year, increasing by 14.7% year-on-year, making it BYD's new backbone in the entry-level pure electric market. It gained volume because it took over from Yuan PLUS. The old Yuan PLUS saw a cliff-like drop in sales. Yuan UP used lower pricing, newer designs, and BYD's mature powertrain system to quickly fill the market gap for pure electric SUVs under 100,000.

Plus, BYD's service network spread across the country and the reputation of Blade Batteries have extremely strong attraction for mass market users. However, there is bad news: Leapmotor A10 has overtaken Yuan UP in retail volume for two consecutive months. It is advancing step by step with a cost-effective strategy of larger space and higher configurations. In the second half of the year, it will be quite difficult for Yuan UP to continue climbing. It will likely hold its current market share and maintain stable output through capacity ramp-up.

No.6 Xiaomi SU7

Xiaomi SU7 sold 80,500 units in the first half of the year, dropping 48.3% year-on-year, with the ranking falling to sixth. The main reason is that the replacement gap dragged it down. At the beginning of the year, the old SU7 was discontinued to pave the way for the new model. Two months of delivery vacuum directly lowered the total for the first half of the year. After the new generation model was launched in March, it quickly returned to a monthly sales level of 20,000+, remaining the benchmark for 200,000-level pure electric sedans.

As Xiaomi's founding work, SU7 thoroughly opened up the capacity of the niche sports car market, even siphoning users from BMW 3 Series and Tesla Model 3. However, the sports car market itself has a low ceiling. Plus, with more and more competitors, SU7's sales have basically hit the upper limit. Next, it will be more about stabilizing output as the brand's basic market. The stage of explosive growth has passed.

No.7 NIO ES8

NIO ES8 accumulated 78,600 units in retail sales for the first half of the year, ranking seventh, being the absolute sales king in the high-end market above 400,000. The fully new ES8 can fight, the core is hitting the pure electric replacement demand of high-end family users. The swapping system solves energy replenishment anxiety. Luxury and service experience crush same-price BBA fuel cars. Users accounting for more than 97% are exchange/purchase users, of which 60% come from BBA owners.

Less than a year after launch, the new ES8 cumulative delivery broke 120,000 units, ranking the large SUV sales champion for six consecutive months, hard撑着 (proping up) the market capacity of the high-end pure electric market. Next, its own lower-positioned ES9 has already siphoned many users after launch. The 6-seater version has just started reservations. Plus, the high-end market itself has limited capacity. ES8's main goal for the second half of the year is to hold onto the basic market of the high-end market.

No.8 Wuling Hongguang MINI

Once the national god car Hongguang MINI EV sold only 72,800 units in the first half of the year, dropping 57.4% year-on-year, falling directly from the top spot to eighth. It is known as the most tragic fall among old models.

The loss of speed of Hongguang MINI is not caused by a single reason. On one hand, the A00-class microcar market is contracting overall. Adjustment of purchase tax policy has significantly shrunk the cost-performance advantage of low-price cars. On the other hand, user consumption upgrades are obvious. Adding 20,000 can buy a small car with larger space, higher configuration, and longer range. Many users who watched MINI EV finally bought Bingo, Star Wish. Wuling itself is clear about the problem. The fifth-generation model changed to a four-door structure, added fast charging and safety configurations, but it still could not stop the downward trend.

No.9 Changan Qiyuan Q05

Changan Qiyuan Q05 sold 71,600 units in the first half of the year, breaking into ninth, a true comeback dark horse.

This car had little presence last year. After price reduction and configuration increase in April this year, it took off directly. It pulled the entry-level range to 506km, even downgraded laser radar to the 80,000 level. Using a "technology equity" strategy, it precisely hit the pain points of home users. It sat firmly as the pure electric compact SUV sales champion for three consecutive months. Changan's capacity also kept up with the rhythm. After the Nanchang factory was put into production, bottlenecks were gradually relieved. The overseas market also bloomed synchronously. Thailand launched in half a month, and orders broke 3,000. After capacity is fully released in the second half of the year, Qiyuan Q05 sales still have rising space. It is expected to冲击 (attack/strive for) the first echelon of entry-level pure electric.

No.10 MG4

Ranked tenth, MG4 sold 70,800 units in pure retail sales in the first half of the year, purely relying on overseas market endorsement. This 100,000-level pure electric hatchback has been selling well in Europe for several years. It has ranked as the China-brand European sales champion for 11 consecutive years. Overseas sales share far exceeds domestic.

In the domestic market, MG4 began to gain volume gradually after its refresh last year. Rear-drive architecture and five-link independent suspension chassis quality are unique at the same price level. The MG4X version launched this year even downgraded semi-solid-state batteries. The technology普惠 (universal benefit) strategy was very effective. Domestic monthly sales have exceeded 10,000 for 9 consecutive months. However, hatchbacks themselves are a niche market in China. MG's brand voice is far less than mainstream autonomous brands. There will be no big breakthroughs domestically. Next, its incremental growth will still come from overseas. Maintaining steady state domestically is sufficient. It is a model that relies on the global market to amortize costs.

Summary

After reading the top ten ranking, you can see that the pure electric market has long passed the barbaric growth period where any car can be sold by just building it. The logic now is very clear. The low-end market is continuously shrinking. Consumption upgrading is the big trend. Old products that do not iterate quickly will be eliminated quickly. New products that truly hit user needs, have proper configurations, and reasonable prices can still break through against the trend even in an environment where the overall market is declining. Competition in the second half of the year will only be more intense. More new products will be concentrated on the market. The price war will continue. Looking at the ranking by the end of the year, the rankings may have to change one more time.