Sales of fully electric three-row SUVs in China have jumped 18% sequentially in December, becoming the best-selling powertrain in the segment for the fourth consecutive month.
The numbers surpassed 50,000 units for the first time, setting a new historical high.
According to data cited by state-owned media outlet Xinhua, pure electric vehicles accounted for 54,518 of the total 180,320 vehicles sold in the segment — a market share of 30%.
The figures include sales of battery electric vehicles (BEV), extended-range (EREV), plug-in hybrids (PHEV), and gas-powered vehicles.
Plug-in hybrids were the second-best-selling powertrain in the three-row segment last month, with 49,760 units registered.
The data cited by Xinhua also showed that sales of battery electric three-row SUVs soared 351% year over year in the second half of 2025.
The surge was fueled by rising competition in the segment, with new models like Nio‘s ES8, Onvo‘s L90, and the six-seat Tesla Model Y L entering the market.
The three models target different price segments.
The Onvo L90 starts at 213,800–299,800 yuan ($30,660—$42,990), depending on whether the vehicle is purchased with Nio’s Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) or with the battery included.
Tesla’s six-seat SUV is priced from 339,000 yuan ($48,730), about $10,000 higher than the five-seat entry-level Model Y.
The Nio ES8 — which rapidly became the Group’s best selling model — starts at 308,800 yuan ($44,280) with BaaS, or 406,800 yuan ($58,330) if purchased with the battery.
The Shanghai-based EV maker will launch its flagship ES9 SUV this April, which is expected to be available in six- and seven-seat configurations.
According to a recent report by 36Kr, Guangzhou-based XPeng is also expected to launch a luxury six-seat SUV this year.
It remains unclear whether it will be fully electric, an EREV, or available in both powertrains, as the company continues adding hybrid variants to its EV models.
Onvo L90
Nio Group‘s founder and CEO William Li stated earlier this month that the Onvo L90 “recorded 43,439 cumulative deliveries within five months of launch.”
The model, which followed the L60 launch in 2024, became the “champion among large pure-electric SUVs,” Li noted.
The Onvo L90, a three-row SUV available with six- or seven-seat configurations, debuted in July.
After early signs of strong demand due to a lower than expected price, Onvo delivered over 30,000 units in the first three months.
Deliveries peaked in October with 11,722 units, before dropping 49% sequentially in November.
The decline was extended in the final month of the year, when only 4,175 L90s were registered, according to figures revealed by China’s Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
To counter weakening demand, the company has launched several limited editions in the past couple of months, for both the L60 and L90 SUVs.
This Friday, Onvo launched the L90 ‘Ma Dao Cheng Gong’ Edition to celebrate the Chinese New Year Holiday — just a week after the debut of a similar version of the debut L60.
Model Y L
In August 2025, Tesla launched a six-seat variant, the Model Y L.
Deliveries for the Model Y L began in September, and within just 10 days, the model was sold out for both September and October.
A month later, delivery timelines were pushed back first to December and later into next year due to strong demand.
Orders placed as of mid-December had a delivery waiting time of up to two months. As of Friday, the estimated waiting time was between 2 and 4 weeks.
The exact number of Model Y L units delivered in the first two months was unclear, as China’s Passenger Car Association (CPCA) only reported total Model Y sales without breaking them down by variant.
However, according to CPCA data from November, the three-row variant accounted for 12,844 (nearly a third) of the 47,132 Model Ys sold that month.
According to data compiled by X user ‘tslachan,’ “about 25,000 units have been sold” last month; however, the data was not confirmed by the CPCA.
In December, the Model Y was the best-selling model in China.
Tesla China is currently offering a 0% APR financing option on five-year contracts, available until January 31.
Nio ES8
Nio launched the third-generation ES8 at its annual ‘Nio Day’ event in mid-September, with deliveries starting on September 21.
The new model shattered company records, quickly selling out its entire 2025 production allocation of 40,000 units.
In December, the ES8 recorded 22,258 retail sales in China, making it the best-selling large SUV that month and the 20th best-selling vehicle across all powertrains.
The new model allowed Nio to recover sales ahead of the year-end and reach its fourth-quarter delivery target, despite a revised yearly guidance.
Nio announced last weekend it had delivered the 50,000th third-generation ES8, just 120 days after deliveries began and 19 days after surpassing 40,000 units.
At its peak, the EV maker delivered an average of 909 units per day — a figure that has significantly decreased in the first two weeks of January.
Additionally, the company announced that the estimated delivery time for its best-selling model was reduced to 13-14 weeks.
