BYD sold 490,168 new energy vehicles in October 2026, up 11% from a year earlier and its best month of the year. For the first time ever, more than 300,000 of them were pure electric cars, while plug-in hybrids kept sliding. Exports doubled again, but a jump in sales at home did most of the work this month.
BYD October 2026 sales at a glance
| October 2026 | Units | Year-on-year |
|---|---|---|
| Total NEV sales | 490,168 | +11.0% |
| Battery electric passenger cars | 305,743 | +37.4% |
| Plug-in hybrid passenger cars | 177,382 | -17.2% |
| Commercial vehicles | 7,043 | +45.2% |
| Exports | 170,194 | +102.8% |
| Sales without exports | 319,974 | about -10% |
| January to October | 3,621,744 | -2.2% |
Electric cars take over
Battery electric models were the clear winner. BYD sold 305,743 of them, almost 12% more than in September and a record for the third month in a row. They now make up 63% of BYD’s passenger car sales, up from 60% a month earlier. A year ago, electric cars and plug-in hybrids were almost level.
Plug-in hybrids, the technology that made BYD the biggest carmaker in China, are heading the other way. Hybrid sales fell 3.4% from September and 17% from October 2025, and they are down 11% over the first ten months.
Exports cool slightly, China picks up
BYD shipped 170,194 cars abroad, twice as many as a year ago, although that was the second monthly drop in a row after 180,700 in September. Exports took about 35% of all sales, down from 39% the month before. So far this year BYD has sold more than 1.5 million cars outside China.
Sales without exports rose 13% from September to almost 320,000 and gave BYD all of its monthly growth. Compared with October 2025, though, they are still about 10% lower, in a Chinese market where overall car sales are falling and the price war has not stopped.
To beat its 2025 total, BYD needs about 980,000 sales in November and December, or roughly 490,000 a month, the same pace it just reached in October.
Why it matters
BYD is 80,108 cars behind last year’s pace with two months to go, but the gap is closing fast. New models should help: the second-generation Seal 07 launches on November 5, and the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i has just arrived at dealers. If the electric boom continues, BYD could end 2026 roughly level with last year, even with a weaker home market.
Sources: BYD stock exchange filing, CnEVPost, Reuters.
