Our verdict
Yes很流行
China’s No.1 car maker, now selling almost two in five cars abroad
The short answer
Yes. BYD (比亚迪) is China’s best-selling car maker: it led retail sales in 2025 and sold about 4.6 million cars worldwide that year. In 2026 its sales in China have fallen as rivals such as Geely and Leapmotor gain, but its exports have nearly doubled, to 1.34 million cars in January–September.
| Verdict | Yes: China’s No.1 car maker |
|---|---|
| Sales in 2025 | About 4.6 million cars worldwide |
| Share of China’s electric-car sales | 27.2% (2025); 21.8% (Jan–Sep 2026) |
| Exports | 1.34 million, Jan–Sep 2026, up 92.7% |
| What it makes | Only electric and plug-in hybrid cars |
How we know
4 signals · SourcedChina ranking
BYD topped the China Passenger Car Association’s 2025 retail ranking of all car makers. [1]
STRONGElectric-car share
BYD sold 27.2% of China’s new-energy cars at retail in 2025, down from 34.1% in 2024, and 21.8% in January–September 2026. [2]
STRONGExports
BYD sold 1,342,960 cars overseas in January–September 2026, up 92.7%; in September 39% of its sales were abroad. [4]
STRONGRevenue
Overseas sales brought in 53% of BYD’s revenue in the first half of 2026, while revenue from China fell 31%. [5]
STRONGBYD in numbers
| Measure | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Total sales, worldwide | About 4.6 million | 2025 |
| Sales abroad | More than 1.04 million | 2025 |
| Share of China’s new-energy retail sales | 27.2% | 2025 |
| Total sales, worldwide | 3,131,576 (−3.9%) | Jan–Sep 2026 |
| Sales abroad | 1,342,960 (+92.7%) | Jan–Sep 2026 |
| Share of China’s new-energy retail sales | 21.8% | Jan–Sep 2026 |
| Revenue earned abroad | 53% | First half of 2026 |
At home: still No.1, but under pressure
BYD is the car brand Chinese buyers choose most often. In 2025 it led the retail ranking of all car makers, petrol and electric, ahead of Geely and FAW-Volkswagen, and sold more than twice as many new-energy cars as Geely.
Its lead is narrowing. BYD’s share of China’s new-energy market fell from 34.1% in 2024 to 27.2% in 2025 and 21.8% in the first nine months of 2026, as Geely, Leapmotor and others caught up. Revenue from China fell 31% in the first half of 2026, a period when the whole Chinese car market shrank after electric cars lost their full purchase-tax exemption.[1][2][3][5]
Abroad: growing fast
BYD sold more than a million cars outside China in 2025 and set an initial target of 1.3 million for 2026, which it had already passed by September: 1,342,960 cars went abroad in January–September 2026, up 92.7%. More than half of its revenue now comes from overseas.[4][5][6]
Questions readers ask
Is BYD the biggest car company in China?
Yes. BYD was China’s best-selling car maker at retail in 2025, counting petrol and electric cars together.
Does BYD make petrol cars?
No. BYD makes only fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars.
Is BYD bigger than Tesla?
In China, by far: BYD sold 3.48 million new-energy cars at retail in China in 2025, Tesla China 625,698. Worldwide BYD sold about 4.6 million new-energy cars in 2025.
Are BYD’s sales falling?
In China, yes; abroad, no. Worldwide sales were down 3.9% in January–September 2026, but overseas sales rose 92.7%.
Sources
- Sina Finance, CPCA: 2025 passenger car retail and top 10 makers (11 January 2026, in Chinese) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- CnEVPost, Automakers’ share of China’s NEV market in 2025 (12 January 2026) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- CnEVPost, China NEV market share in September 2026 and January–September (13 October 2026) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- electrive, September was BYD’s strongest month of the year so far (2 October 2026) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- CarNewsChina, BYD made 53% of revenue overseas as China sales crumble (1 September 2026) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- CarNewsChina, BYD targets 1.3 million overseas sales in 2026 after delivering 1.04 million in 2025 (25 January 2026) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
Update log. 25 October 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 25 November 2026. Suggest a correction