Is China leading in electric cars

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated December 21, 2024

Contributions sourced from

The Chinese EV market is exploding. Here are the 5 major Chinese EV brands you should know about.

4. Geely's Zeekr is just 2 years old, but it already has international ambitions

The Zeekr 001. Zeekr

Zeekr is an electric vehicle brand under the privately held Chinese auto giant Geely which boughtthe Swedish brand Volvo in 2010.

Founded only in 2021, Zeeker already has international ambitions.

In April this year, Zeekr said it plans to sell its newly launched SUV-style Zeekr X and Zeekr 001 EV sedan in Western Europe, Reuters reported. The EV maker did not indicate a timeline for its plans.

The $27,000 Zeekr X even has facial recognition software to unlock the car and owners can also opt to install a refrigerator in the car, Andy An, the CEO of Zeekr, said at an event, Reuters further reported.

The company aims to deliver 40,000 Zeekr X cars to the China market this year, with its first domestic deliveries starting in June, An said per Reuters.

And even though Zeekr is backed by a major auto player, it still trails its EV peers in the domestic Chinese markets.

Zeekr sold just 15,234 of its existing models in the first quarter of 2023 this is half of the 31,000 vehicles Nio sold and just 10% of what Tesla sold in the same period, per Reuters.

Top 10 China EV Brands + 5 Promising Ones (Updated 2023)

Electric cars battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) are rising rapidly to rival and replace their purely-gasoline counterparts, led by Chinese EV brands and traditional automobile companies.

These China-based auto brands are established EV manufacturers domestically and globally, while some are exciting up-and-coming players.

The 10 Best Chinese Electric Car Brands

This top ten EV manufacturers list isnt in any particular as sales performances change month-to-month and year-to-year, depending on the popularity of their latest releases.

#1 BYD

Founder: Wang Chuanfu

Founded: 2003

Headquarters: Shenzen, China.

2023 Market Cap: USD 94.9 billion

BYD, short for Build Your Dreams, is a long-established electric vehicle brand based in Shenzen, China, with additional manufacturing plants in Xian and Changsha.

BYD is the largest EV maker locally and globally.

The automakers parent company, BYD Co. Ltd., began life in 1995 as a battery manufacturer before expanding its production to include electric vehicles at the turn of the century.

Although China is its primary market, the broad-ranging auto company designs and sells EVs, plug-in hybrids, and commercial electric vehicles in over 70 countries and regions.

BYDs notable passenger vehicle models are:

BYD Atto 3 midsize SUV.
BYD Atto 4 compact sedan.
BYD e1 city car.
BYD e2 compact hatchback.
BYD e3 compact sedan.
BYD e6 MPV (multi-purpose vehicle).
BYD e9 midsize sedan.
BYD Qin compact sedan.
BYD Tang midsize SUV.
BYD Song compact SUV.
BYD Han midsize luxury sedan.
BYD Yuan subcompact SUV.
BYD M3e MPV (multi-purpose vehicle).
BYD Dolphin compact hatchback.
BYD Seagull city car.
BYD Sea Lion compact SUV.
BYD Destroyer compact sedan.
BYD Frigate midsize SUV.
BYD Landing Ship MPV (multi-purpose vehicle).

#2 Li Auto

Founder: Li Xiang

Founded: 2015

Headquarters: Beijing, China.

2023 Market Cap: USD 23.7 billion

With its Changzhou engineering and manufacturing facility in eastern China, Li Auto is an emerging EV brand, having debuted on the Nasdaq in 2020.

The Chinese car company focuses on plug-in-hybrid technologies of electric vehicles. Besides, it also offers rental services.

Its first release was the Li ONE electric SUV with a 2021 debut, one of the countrys top sellers.

These are Li Autos two primary EV models:

#3 SAIC Motor

Founded: 1955

Headquarters: Shanghai, China.

2023 Market Cap: USD 23.61 billion

SAIC Motor is the largest state-owned car company in China.

It invests heavily in electric vehicles, partnering with General Motors (GM) and Volkswagen to extend its international reach.

Plus, SAIC sells many electric cars locally under its brands, such as MG, Roewe, Maxus, Baojun, Wuling, IM, and Feifan.

Collectively, SAIC and its subsidiary brands and joint ventures sold millions of vehicles annually.

PHEV and all-electric models SAIC produced with Volkswagen include the e-Tharu, ID.4, Passat PHEV, and Tiguan PHEV.

#4 Changan

Founder: China South Industries Group

Founded: 1862

Headquarters: Chongqing, China.

2023 Market Cap: USD 14.21 billion

Established in the nineteenth century as a military equipment factory, the company subsequently began manufacturing commercial vans, trucks, and passenger vehicles.

Oshan and Kaicene are among Changan Automobiles sub-brands, and the company has jointly developed cars with Ford and Mazda.

In collaboration with Huawei, Changan plans to gradually phase out gasoline and diesel vehicles and transition fully into an EV-only manufacturer.

Changan range of EVs:

Changan Benni
Changan Benni
Changan CS15
Changan CS75
Changan Eado
Changan Eulove
Changan Honor
Changan Niou
Changan Oushang
Changan Star
Changan Taurustar
Changan Ford Kuga
Changan Ford Mondeo Energi

#5 NIO

Founder: William Li

Founded: 2014

Headquarters: Shanghai, China.

2023 Market Cap: USD 13.9 billion

Tencent (producer of the WeChat app), Baidu, and Lenovo are major investors in NIO, a Chinese maker of premium electric vehicles.

Alone or jointly, this EV company sells smart and autonomous-driving luxury electric cars by developing next-generation technologies and artificial intelligence.

Its products include innovative charging solutions and other user-centric services within the NIO OS and NIO Autonomous Driving (NAD) ecosystem.

NIO ET7 was the Chinese brands first autonomous driving model.

NIO electric car lineup consists of:

NIO EC6 midsize SUV.
NIO EP9 coupe.
NIO ES6 midsize SUV.
NIO ES7 midsize SUV.
NIO ES8 full-size SUV.
NIO ET7 full-size sedan.

#6 GEELY

Founder: Li Shufu

Founded: 1986

Headquarters: Hangzhou, China.

2023 market Cap: USD 12.5 billion

Geely Holding Group established Geely Auto in 1997 to enter the automotive industry.

Other car brands the parent company owns, co-owns, or partners with include Geometry, Zeekr, Lynk & Co., Volvo, Polestar, Proton, and Lotus.

With numerous R&D centers, design offices, and production facilities in China, North America, Europe, and South-East Asia, Geely and its affiliated brands are among the top-selling Chinese manufacturers globally.

Some of Geelys recent EV models with its partner or subsidiary brands are:

Geely Emgrand EC7.
Geely Emgrand EV300.
Geely Emgrand GL PHEV.
Geely Emgrand GS Cross PHEV.
Geely Emgran GSe Cross EV400.
Geely Geometry A.
Geely Geometry C.
Geely Borui GE.
Geely Bin Yue Ranger 260T PHEV.
Geely Xing Yue Star T400.
Geely JIA-JI PHEV.
Geely X1 Mini EV.

#7 Xpeng

Founder: He Xiaopeng, Xia Heng, Lei Jun.

Founded: 2014

Headquarters: Guangzhou, China.

2023 Market Cap: USD 7.9 billion

With offices in America and public trading on the New York Stock Exchange, this China-based EV and technology company has been scaling the domestic sales chart in recent times.

It develops smart electric cars with integrated autonomous-driving features and internet technologies.

XPeng has designed interactive voice systems, similar to Amazons Alexa, and in-car digital assistants, gaining its EVs popularity among young families.

Popular models under the brands stable include:

XPeng G9 SUV.
XPeng G3i SUV.
Xpeng P7 sedan.
XPeng P5 sedan.

#8 FAW

Founder: FAW Group

Founded: 1997

Headquarters: Changchun, China.

2023 Market Cap: USD 5.55 billion

Its parent company and one of the more prominent state-owned manufacturers, FAW Group (established in 1953), founded FAW Car in 1997.

Besides the FAW brand, the Group also sells vehicles using its other brands, Hongqi and Bestune, and through joint ventures with Toyota and Volkswagen.

The Group does not only make electric passenger cars; commercial buses and trucks form part of its product line.

FAWs own and joint-venture electric cars include:

FAW Besturn B30
FAW Besturn B50
FAW Besturn X40EV
FAW Besturn X80EV
FAW Junpai A70E
FAW Junpai D80E
FAW Oley
FAW Senia R7 EV
FAW Toyota IZOA
FAW VW e-Bora
FAW VW e-Golf
FAW VW ID.4 Crozz

#9 JAC Motors

Founded: 1964

Headquarters: Hefei, China.

2023 Market Cap: USD 3.69 billion

This Chinese car companys products are a balanced mix of commercial and passenger vehicles, with EVs forming a smaller percentage of its total output.

JAC has three sub-brands under its umbrella: Heyue (discontinued 2017), Refine, and Jiayue.

Although they arent the most striking, design-wise, these EV models are affordable and target the broader mainstream market:

JAC iEV A50
JAC iEV A60
JAC iEV J4
JAC iEV330P
JAC iEV4
JAC iEV5
JAC iEV6
JAC iEV7
JAC iEVS4

#10 BAIC Motor

Founder: Xu Heyi

Founded: 1958

Headquarters: Beijing, China.

2023 Market Cap: USD 2.25 billion

BAIC Motor is part of BAIC Group, owned by the Beijing Municipal Government.

What started as a manufacturer of commercial vehicles like buses and trucks, the parent company founded BJEV (Beijing Electric Vehicle Co., Ltd.) in 2009, under which it sells its range of electric cars BAIC eventually spun off BJEV in 2017 with the creation of the ARCFOX brand.

Despite underwhelming sales in recent years, BAIC remains one of the leading EV manufacturers in China.

Among the Chinese brands extensive list of EV cars are:

BAIC E150
BAIC EC180
BAIC EC3
BAIC EC5
BAIC EH300
BAIC EH400
BAIC ES210
BAIC EU260
BAIC EU5
BAIC EU7
BAIC EV12
BAIC EV300
BAIC EX200
BAIC EX3
BAIC EX300L
BAIC EX360
BAIC EX450
BAIC EX5
BEIJING passenger car series.
BEIJING BJ series of off-road SUVs.

Promising Chinese EV Manufacturers

While they are purely EV-based brands, their rapid rise with exciting rechargeable all-electric models makes them EV companies to look out for as more startups compete for a share of the new-energy vehicles (NEV) market.

#11 ARCFOX

Founder: BAIC Group

Founded: 2017.

Headquarters: Beijing, China.

Although the BAIC Group has several automotive brands as subsidiaries, Arcfox is an innovative sub-brand dedicated to developing electric cars.

The Chinese EV brand premiered at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, unveiling its plan for the environmentally-conscious European market.

Its sales performance is rising steadily, and notable EV models include:

Arcfox Lite
Arcfox alpha-T
Arcfox alpha-S
Arcfox GT

#12 Skyworth Auto

Founder: Skywell

Founded: 2017

Headquarters: Nanjing, China.

Relatively new in the EV market, Skywell began developing its first electric car in 2017 and started selling the Skywell ET5 in 2020.

The parent company renamed its EV manufacturing division in 2021 as Skyworth Auto for a clearer distinction, and the ET5 similarly and subsequently adopted a name change to Skyworth EV6.

#13 NETA (Hozon Auto)

Founder: Fang Yunzhou

Founded: 2018

Headquarters: Shanghai, China.

Hozon Auto is a relatively new but promising Chinese EV manufacturer.

It established the NETA marque in 2018. The N01 compact SUV launched the same year was the automakers first production EV model.

NETA sold over 60,000 electric cars in 2021, aiming to double the number the following year.

Some of NETAs exciting EV models are:

NETA N01
NETA N03
NETA U
NETA V
NETA 05
NETA Eureka
NETA S

#14 Aiways

Founder: Fu Qiang, Gu Feng.

Founded: 2017

Headquarters: Shanghai, China.

Established in 2017, Aiways is a Chinese company that manufactures electric cars and offers mobility services.

The company has an EV production facility in Shangrao (Jiangxi province) and a battery manufacturing base in Changshu (Jiangsu province), and its core technologies cover electric drive and artificial intelligence.

New to the EV scene, the startup Chinese electric vehicle brand has two compact electric crossovers in production:

#15 Leapmotor

Founder: Fu Liquan, Zhu Jiangming.

Founded: 2015

Headquarters: Hangzhou, China.

Leapmotor co-developed the artificial intelligence chip with Zhejiang Dahua Technology (a security camera tech company) as part of its autonomous vehicles smart electric car technologies.

Leapmotor also partnered with state-owned automaker FAW to develop key intelligent EV technologies and innovative production measures, plus manufacture core EV parts.

With its increasing sales performance and state-of-the-art in-house technologies, expect Leapmotor to leapfrog many of its competitors in the coming years.

Among Leapmotors current production EV models:

Leapmotor C01 midsize sedan.
Leapmotor C11 midsize SUV.
Leapmotor S01 compact sports car.
Leapmotor T03 hatchback.

Other China EV Makes

The electric car industry is a flourishing market with many players.

Although the fifteen EV companies listed above are carving out a significant share of the market, these Chinese electric vehicle makers deserve mention: