China currently exempts new energy vehicles from purchase tax through 2025, with savings capped at 30,000 yuan ($4,210) per vehicle.
Starting in 2026, the government will reimpose the tax at half the standard 10% rate, limiting the reduction to 15,000 yuan.
Over the last few months, several Chinese carmakers launched new models and quickly sold out the capacity for the rest of 2025.
To avoid losing orders, Nio, Zeekr and Li Auto have recently introduced purchase-tax protection policies for customers whose deliveries slip into next year.
However, Tesla, Nio’s sub-brand Onvo and Zeekr’s Group brand Lynk&Co have yet to follow suit.
Nio launched the third-generation ES8 SUV on September 20, selling out its 2025 production capacity of 40,000 units within nine minutes.
A day later, the Shanghai-based EV maker announced that buyers who lock in ES8 orders by December 31 would receive a purchase-tax subsidy voucher worth up to 15,000 yuan ($2,110).
According to Nio‘s website, orders placed this Monday for the three-row SUV will have delivery scheduled for late March or early April 2026.
The company said that if an order placed in 2025 is invoiced and delivered in 2026 for reasons attributable to Nio, the voucher can be used to offset part of the vehicle price.
Zeekr and Li Auto have made similar moves.
After launching the Zeekr 9X in Shanghai on September 29, Zeekr offered a purchase-tax “guarantee” for customers who place orders by October 31, 2025.
One day later, Li Auto launched a cross-year subsidy program for its L6 model under the same conditions.
By contrast, Lynk & Co, Tesla and Onvo have not announced any comparable tax protection policies, as first reported by local media outlet Time Weekly.
However, Onvo has announced a separate plan.
To reduce cancellations, it rolled out in mid-August an “L90 Waiting Points” program that compensates buyers whose vehicles aren’t delivered within 28 days of order lock, granting 500 reward points per day starting from day 29.
Onvo — Nio Group’s family-oriented brand — introduced its first three-row SUV, the L90, in late July with a starting price of 265,800 yuan ($37,330), or 179,800 yuan ($25,250) under Nio’s Battery-as-a-Service plan.
The model’s six-seat layout, spacious interior, and lower-than-expected pricing have fueled stronger-than-expected demand.
On September 29, Onvo marked its 20,000th L90 delivery — less than two months after shipments began — but the brand has faced production ramp-up challenges.
