BYD sold 321,123 battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in April 2026, representing a nearly 7% increase compared to March 2026. Despite this result, BYD remains roughly at its 2024 sales level but has not matched the monthly figures achieved in the first half of 2025. The once high-flying carmaker has now recorded eight consecutive months of year-on-year declines, with April 2026 seeing a drop of around 15.5 per cent.
This trend is also reflected in the year-to-date sales figures: after four months, BYD has sold 1,021,586 vehicles, surpassing the one-million mark. However, this is a full 26 per cent lower than in the first four months of 2025. While the first months of the year in China are typically considered the off-season—partly due to the multi-day celebrations around the Chinese New Year—changes in subsidy policies have further pressured the electric vehicle market. Nevertheless, other carmakers have recently performed slightly better than BYD in this environment.
The fact that the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer’s sales have not declined even further is partly due to the growing importance of BYD’s overseas sales. The company’s overseas business reached a record high of 134,542 units in April, representing a nearly 71 per cent increase in cars and commercial vehicles sold in overseas markets compared to the previous year.
It means that in April, 41.9 per cent of all BYD vehicles were sold outside China. Already in March, around 40 per cent were sold abroad, and this share has now increased further. In February, the weakest month of the year in China, BYD’s overseas sales even surpassed those in its home market for the first time.
BYD’s core brand remains the most important within the group, with 273,448 units sold. The sub-brand Fangchengbao, which specialises in customised vehicles and unveiled several premieres at Auto China, also saw significant growth, reaching 29,138 vehicles (+190 per cent year-on-year, +12.4 per cent compared to March). The premium brand Denza sold 57.7 per cent more vehicles than in March, reaching 11,250 units—though this is still 26.9 per cent lower than the previous year. Meanwhile, the luxury brand Yangwang sold 264 vehicles, marking a 95 per cent increase compared to March but a 14 per cent decline year-on-year.