Chinese EV maker Nio is offering German customers a six-month trial of its ET7 executive sedan with a full money-back purchase option.
The company founded and led by Willaim Li seeks to revive demand in Europe’s largest auto market after registering just one vehicle there in January.
The promotion, called “Try & Buy,” allows customers to drive the ET7 for six months — half the standard 12-month subscription minimum — with a one-time upfront payment of €4,500 ($5,300).
At the end of the trial, customers can either return the vehicle or buy it, with the full prepayment credited toward the purchase price.
“With NIO’s exclusive Try & Buy promotion, you can drive the ET7 for 6 months — instead of the standard 12-month minimum term — through a flexible subscription model that includes a full purchase option and maximum peace of mind,” the company wrote in a marketing email sent to its German subscriber base this week.
The subscription includes insurance, maintenance, wear-and-tear repairs, seasonal tires, and access to Nio’s battery swap network in Germany, where the company operates twenty battery swap stations that can replace a depleted battery in about three to four minutes.
Last June, Nio introduced a similar flexible subscription offer — also allowing a six-month exit from the standard 12-month contract — for the ET5, ET7, and EL7.
The new Try & Buy, however, adds a one-time upfront payment and a full purchase credit, signaling a shift toward converting subscribers into buyers.
Nio ET7
The company entered Germany in October 2022 with the ET7 as its first European model of the second generation vehicle platform.
The sedan was unveiled at the company’s annual event in January 2021 as shares were trading at their all time high above $60.
Nio initially offered vehicles exclusively through a subscription plan. It later added purchase options after customer feedback.
The ET7, Nio‘s 5.1-meter executive sedan with a dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain producing 480 kW, was positioned to compete directly with the local rivals Mercedes-Benz EQS and BMW i7 rather than with Tesla.
Weakest Month in 3 Years
The promotion comes as Nio faces its worst stretch of sales in Germany since entering the market in late 2022.
In January, the company registered just one vehicle in the country, according to data published on Wednesday by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA).
The figure matched January 2023, when Nio had only been selling in Germany for three months.
The result represented a steep decline from the 18 units registered in January 2025 and from the two-year high of 89 vehicles sold in December — which had marked the first sequential increase in five months.
For the full year 2025, Nio sold 325 vehicles in Germany, an 18.3% decline from the prior year, even as the broader German EV market grew 23.4%.
The struggles are not limited to Germany.
Last month, Nio posted its weakest Norway sales month in three years, despite having begun deliveries of its cheaper Firefly sub-brand there last August.
In Sweden, where the company had registered 60 units in December, sales fell to zero in January.
Clearing Old Inventory
The ET7-focused Try & Buy offer appears designed to help the company move aging inventory in Europe.
Nio currently lets German customers configure the ET5 Touring, EL6, and EL8 SUVs, priced from €47,500 ($56,100), €53,500 ($63,200), and €82,900 ($98,000), respectively.
These models were refreshed in China in 2025, and further upgrades have been promised for 2027.
However, the company is still selling vehicles produced in 2023 and 2024 across Europe as it struggles to dispatch inventory.
The Try & Buy promotion is the latest in a series of incentives Nio has rolled out in Germany over the past year.
Late last year, the company extended a 0% financing offer to the EL6, having previously made it available for the ET5, ET5 Touring, and EL8.
Rivals Gaining Ground
Nio‘s difficulties stand in contrast to the momentum other Chinese automakers are building in Germany.
Overall passenger vehicle sales in the country declined 6.6% year-over-year in January to 193,981 units, but EV registrations rose 23.4%, with battery electric vehicles accounting for 42,692 of total sales and a 22.0% market share — up from 19.1% in December.
BYD, the Chinese giant offering both hybrid and fully electric models, had its fifth strongest month in Germany in January, with registrations surging over 1,000% year-over-year.
The company had already seen sales rise eightfold in 2025, surpassing 23,000 vehicles for the year.
XPeng, which entered Germany in 2024, saw its sales jump sevenfold last year and registered over 320 units in January.
