In 2025, 26.19 million automobiles were newly registered in China, of which 12.93 million were NEVs, accounting for 49.38% and approaching half of all new registrations. According to the latest statistics released by China’s Ministry of Public Security on January 26, the country’s total motor vehicle ownership reached 469 million units by the end of 2025, including 366 million automobiles. The total number of licensed drivers stood at 559 million, of whom 525 million held automobile driving licenses. Against the backdrop of continued expansion in the overall vehicle fleet, growth in new energy vehicles has been particularly pronounced. China’s NEV and BEV fleet by the end of 2025 Official data show that by the end of 2025, China’s NEV ownership reached 43.97 million units, accounting for 12.01% of the total automobile fleet. Battery electric vehicles numbered 30.22 million, representing 68.74% of all NEVs in circulation. From an incremental perspective, NEVs have become the key variable in China’s new car market. In 2025, 26.19 million automobiles were newly registered nationwide, of which 12.93 million were NEVs, accounting for 49.38% and approaching half of all new registrations. Compared with 2024, NEV registrations increased by 1.68 million units, marking a year-on-year growth of 14.93%. Total new motor vehicle registrations in 2025 By comparison, total new motor vehicle registrations reached 35.35 million in 2025, remaining above 30 million for the eleventh consecutive year, indicating that the overall vehicle market continues to operate at a high level. In terms of city-level distribution, by the end of 2025, 103 cities nationwide had automobile ownership exceeding 1 million units, an increase of seven cities from 2024. Among them, 47 cities recorded ownership above 2 million units, 27 cities exceeded 3 million units, and seven cities surpassed 5 million units. Meanwhile, vehicle ownership transfers continued to rise, reflecting strong activity in the used car market. In 2025, public security traffic authorities nationwide processed 41.11 million motor vehicle transfer registrations. Of these, automobile transfer registrations totaled 38.41 million, accounting for 93.44% of the total. Used-car transfer registrations in 2025 Since 2020, the number of used car transfer registrations nationwide has exceeded new car registrations for six consecutive years. The number of drivers has also expanded in parallel. By the end of 2025, China had 525 million automobile drivers, accounting for 93.87% of all licensed drivers. During the year, 20.51 million people obtained driving licenses for the first time. From a household perspective, data from the National Bureau of Statistics show that by the end of 2025, China’s household automobile ownership reached 52.9 vehicles per 100 households, an increase of 1.7 vehicles from the previous year. As growth in total vehicle ownership gradually slows, the continued rise in NEV penetration is emerging as a key driver of structural adjustment and market differentiation in China’s automotive industry.
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