No Pure Petrol Cars In China’s Top 10 – 9 BEV, 1 PHEV

China’s best-selling cars chart for August 2026 presents an interesting picture of how quickly the world’s largest automobile market is moving towards electric mobility. Battery electric vehicles occupied nine of the top 10 positions, while not a single pure petrol-powered car made it into the list.

Geely EX2 Is China’s No 1 Car

Geely EX2 topped China’s passenger car sales chart in August with 39,651 units. The electric car is priced between 64,800 and 94,800 yuan, translating to roughly Rs 9.2 lakh to Rs 13.5 lakh based on current exchange rates. Leapmotor A10 was second with 30,652 units. It is another relatively affordable BEV, priced at around 66k-87k yuan, or approximately Rs 9.4 lakh-Rs 12.4 lakh.

Tesla Model Y secured third position with 29,260 units, despite operating at a substantially higher price point of around 264k-314k yuan, translating to Rs 37.5 lakh-Rs 44.6 lakh. Fang Cheng Bao Ti7 was fourth with 23,471 units. Unlike the other nine cars in the top 10, Ti7 is available in both BEV and PHEV forms. However, BEVs accounted for around 55% of its August sales.

Tesla, BYD, Xiaomi Among Top 10

BYD Atto 2 ranked fifth with 22,958 units, followed by Tesla Model 3 at 20,787 units. Tesla therefore had two cars among China’s six highest-selling passenger vehicles in August. Changan Nevo Q05 recorded 17,349 units at No. 7, followed by Li Auto i6 with 16,979 units. BYD Dolphin was ninth with 16,829 units, while Xiaomi SU7 completed the top 10 with 16,518 units.

Together, China’s ten best-selling cars generated 2,34,454 sales during August. More significant than the individual rankings is the powertrain composition. Nine of China’s top 10 cars in August were BEV-only models. There was no conventional petrol-powered model in the top 10. The first pure ICE car was Toyota Corolla at No. 13, with 14,675 units. August was the second month in 2026 when ICE vehicles were completely absent from China’s top 10.

India’s Top 10 Looks Very Different

India’s August 2026 best-selling car list provides an interesting look at another major Asian automobile market, although the two markets differ considerably in size, consumer preferences and vehicle segments. India’s August 2026 sales chart presents a different picture. Tata Punch / Punch EV was No. 1 with 21,320 units, followed by Maruti WagonR at 20,180 units and Swift at 19,832 units. Fronx, Ertiga, Nexon / Nexon EV, Dzire, Creta / Creta EV, Baleno and Scorpio / Scorpio N completed the top 10.

Unlike China, India’s highest-volume cars remain predominantly ICE-powered. Punch, Nexon and Creta have EV versions, but their reported totals combine ICE and electric variants. The remaining entries are primarily petrol, diesel and/or CNG models.

This makes the composition of the two top 10 charts particularly interesting. China’s August list stretches from affordable electric hatchbacks and crossovers to premium electric sedans and SUVs, with BEVs occupying nine positions. India’s best sellers continue to consist largely of petrol and CNG hatchbacks, compact SUVs, MPVs and larger SUVs, with EVs generally sold alongside ICE versions of existing nameplates.