Nio has introduced a new subscription offer in Germany allowing customers to return their vehicle after six months without penalty, as it seeks to increase demand and clear inventory.
The new offer, part of the company’s “Summer Promotion” campaign, applies to Nio’s ET5, ET7, and EL7 models — according to an email sent on Tuesday.
Customers who sign a standard 12-month subscription contract can return the vehicle after six months with no early return fee.
If they choose to keep the vehicle beyond that point, the contract continues until the end of the 12-month term under standard conditions.
In Germany, Nio sold 22 vehicles last month, down 37% year-on-year.
The offer comes on top of a separate promotion valid until the end of June, in which buyers of the ET5 and ET7 receive two years of free Nio Power services.
The package includes Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) at no monthly cost—saving up to €289 per month—as well as complimentary battery swaps and energy usage at Nio’s Power Swap Stations across Germany.
The benefit is capped at 60,000 km over two years.
In Europe, Nio currently operates in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. This week, the brand debuted in Belgium — one of the new European markets it will enter over the next few months.
Vehicle sales across the five markets rose slightly to 58 units in May, up from 52 in April, according to official national registration data and the data platform EU-EVs.
However, sales declined by more than 35% compared with May 2024, despite overall EV market share increasing in all five countries.
Besides the German market, sales also fell sharply in other European markets: 29 vehicles in Norway (-56%), 5 in the Netherlands (-75%), 2 in Sweden (-89%), and none in Denmark.
The Shanghai-based carmaker began its European expansion in Norway in 2021 and entered four additional markets in 2022.
The company is adjusting its business model in Denmark, its slowest market to date.
It appointed Nic. Christiansen Group to handle the import and sale of its cars in the country, marking a shift from its direct-sales strategy.
Additionally, the company is launching its Firefly sub-brand in Denmark following the launch in the Netherlands and Norway.
Nio said last week that it will enter the Portuguese market later this year. Sales are planned to begin in the final quarter of the year, according to the distributor JAP Group.
The brand was spotted road testing its debut model in Australia earlier this month. However, the expansion to the country is not yet officially confirmed.
Over the next 18 months, both brands will also arrive in Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria besides the already announced Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic.
In May, Nio Group delivered 23,231 vehicles globally, with just 58 units registered across its five European markets — accounting for only 0.25% of total deliveries.
