J.D. Power said on Thursday that consumer satisfaction with new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China reached a record-high industry average score of 806 out of 1,000 points.
The ‘China New Energy Vehicle Product Appeal Index Study’ began in 2021 and this was the first time the score was above 800 points.
Based on feedback from over 21,000 NEV owners surveyed within two to six months of purchase, domestic newcomer brands continued to outperform international brands in both sales and customer satisfaction.
The study, conducted by the consulting firm, evaluated 122 models from 48 brands, utilizing data collected across 81 cities in China.
According to consumers and among battery electric vehicles (BEV), BYD’s Seagull (the Dolphin Surf in Europe) and Yuan Plus (Atto 3 in international markets) ranked as the best small and compact SUV models, respectively.
In the premium BEV sector, Nio’s EC6 coupe SUV took the lead with 820 points, with its ES6 SUV placing third with 817 points. BMW iX3 was the second-best premium model, according to consumers.
Nio ET5 and its Touring variant were the second-best mid-size BEV with 820 points, nearly the same as the leading model in the segment —Tesla’s Model 3, which was given 821 points.
Nio officially launched last weekend refreshed versions of both the ET5 and ET5 Touring for the Chinese market.
The updated models feature more than 500 component upgrades, including Nio’s in-house developed Shenji NX9031 autonomous driving chip, while maintaining price parity with the previous iteration.
The Xiaomi SU7 — one of the main competitors for the Tesla Model 3 — was considered the best large fully electric model, with 825 points.
During Xiaomi’s first-quarter earnings report earlier this week, President Lu Weibing highlighted the company’s strong product capabilities, which have allowed it to maintain pricing power and achieve a 23.2% gross profit margin.
Lu also noted that limited production capacity is still the main factor holding back sales. Local media outlet Time Weekly reported earlier this month that the phase 2 of Xiaomi’s EV factory is expected to be completed in mid-June.
The company is expected to start deliveries of its second model, the YU7, in July.
Among mid-size range-extended electric vehicles (REEV), consumers preferred the Li L7 SUV, while Zeekr’s Group Lynk&Co was considered to have the best mass market plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) — the Lynk&Co 07.
Plug-in hybrids gained popularity among consumers and represented 41% of the Chinese market.
The study also highlighted a significant decrease in range anxiety. Improved charging infrastructure in cities led to an increase of 22% and 18% in satisfaction scores for range efficiency and charging experience, respectively.
