In December, Tesla's Model Y achieved a remarkable milestone by emerging as the top-selling vehicle across all types of powertrains in China. This is particularly noteworthy given its higher price point compared to its closest competitors in the world’s largest electric vehicle market.
By early December, all variants of the 2025 Model Y had sold out, including the newly introduced six-seat Model Y L. As reported by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on Friday, this popular SUV accounted for an impressive 66,189 units sold during the final month of the year.
The Tesla Model 3 sedan also made a mark, securing the 10th position with sales totaling 30,982 units. Currently, the base price for the Model Y starts at 263,500 yuan, which is roughly $37,700. This model comes in various configurations, including Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) with standard and long-range options, as well as All-Wheel Drive (AWD) Long Range, with the latter starting at 313,500 yuan.
In August 2025, Tesla launched the Model Y L, which offers seating for six, and deliveries commenced in September. The starting price for this three-row SUV is set at 339,000 yuan ($48,500).
As of last Friday, the estimated delivery timeline for orders of the entry-level Model Y RWD is between one to three weeks. Other variants are expected to be delivered within four to six weeks, while the Model Y L orders are anticipated to arrive in two to four weeks. Notably, Tesla is currently providing a financing option at 0% APR for five-year contracts, available until January 31.
Looking at the competition, BYD’s Song series claimed the second spot in sales, with 55,107 units sold. The 2025 Song Plus EV is positioned about 100,000 yuan lower than the Model Y, priced at 149,800 yuan ($21,450). Both the Song Plus and Song Pro are offered in plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and fully electric (BEV) versions. However, BYD still sold approximately 10,000 fewer Song SUVs compared to Tesla’s offerings in December 2025.
Additionally, BYD markets the premium Song L in both hybrid and electric formats, along with more budget-friendly options like the Yuan Up and Yuan Plus SUVs, as well as the Sealion series and the Qin. Many of these models consistently rank among the 20 best-selling vehicles, largely due to their attractive pricing, with most models from this Chinese manufacturer priced below 200,000 yuan ($28,600).
The Seagull compact vehicle, with a starting price of 56,800 yuan, ranked as the third best-selling vehicle in China last month.
Xiaomi made waves in the market with the introduction of its eagerly awaited YU7 SUV in late June, launching deliveries in July. Priced about 10,000 yuan below Tesla's Model Y at 253,500 yuan ($36,300), the YU7 broke industry records by securing over 240,000 pre-orders in just 18 hours. Despite facing challenges with high demand for its SU7 model, Xiaomi experienced significant production increases, delivering 33,662 units in October and 33,729 in November. In December alone, deliveries of the YU7 surged to 39,089 units, positioning it as the fifth best-selling vehicle in China.
According to a statement released by Xiaomi last week, the SU7 led in cumulative sales within the over-200,000 yuan ($28,600) sedan category for 2025, while the YU7 has dominated mid-to-large SUV sales for four consecutive months.
In July, several brands, anticipating Tesla's actions, introduced three-row SUVs into the Chinese market. Noteworthy among these was Onvo's L90, which targets family buyers and is priced at 299,800 yuan ($42,900), available in both six and seven-seat configurations. This price includes the battery, but consumers can opt for Nio's Battery as a Service (BaaS) system, reducing the cost to 213,800 yuan ($30,600).
The Onvo L90 quickly gained traction, leading registrations for the Nio Group in 2025, with over 30,000 units registered in its first three months. In September, Nio launched the third-generation ES8, which garnered overwhelming demand, rapidly selling out its allocation of 40,000 units for 2025. December alone saw over 20,000 ES8 units delivered, placing it 20th among all vehicles sold in China. The Nio ES8 is priced starting from 308,800 yuan ($44,200) with BaaS and 406,800 yuan ($58,250) when the battery is included.
