As of the end of September, China's BEV ownership stood at 14.01 million, accounting for 76.9 percent of the total NEV ownership.

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

China's new energy vehicle (NEV) ownership has exceeded 18 million units, and the figure is set to reach 20 million within the year.

At the end of September, China's NEV ownership reached 18.21 million, accounting for 5.5 percent of the total vehicle fleet of 330 million, according to data released today by China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

The proportion increased by 1.4 percentage points compared to the end of 2022. Data released at the beginning of the year showed that China's NEV ownership stood at 13.1 million units at the end of last year, accounting for 4.1 percent of the total vehicle ownership of 319 million units.

At the end of September, China's ownership of pure electric vehicles, or battery electric vehicles (BEVs), stood at 14.01 million, or 76.9 percent of the total number of NEVs, according to today's data.

In the first three quarters of this year, 5.198 million new NEVs were registered, up 40 percent year-on-year, accounting for 28.6 percent of the 11.75 million new vehicle registrations.

From January to September, retail sales of passenger NEVs in China amounted to 5.186 million units, up 34 percent year-on-year, according to preliminary data released earlier today by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

Retail sales of all passenger cars in China from January to September were 15.24 million units, up 2 percent year-on-year, according to the CPCA, implying a 34 percent penetration rate for NEVs at retail.

Retail sales of NEVs in China now exceed 700,000 units per month, meaning that NEV ownership in China is expected to reach 20 million units by the end of the year.

There are 90 cities in China with more than 1 million vehicles, 43 cities with more than 2 million vehicles, and 25 cities with more than 3 million vehicles.

Chengdu, Beijing and Chongqing have more than 6 million vehicles, while Shanghai and Suzhou have more than 5 million vehicles.

By the end of September, including motorcycle drivers, the number of motor vehicle drivers in China reached 520 million. The number of automobile drivers was 480 million, accounting for 92.8 percent of the total number of drivers.

In the January-September period, 24.85 million people were newly issued with driver's licenses in China, a year-on-year increase of 3.9 percent.

China NEV retail up 4% MoM to 743,000 in Sept, preliminary CPCA data show