BYD October EV sales reach a record 300,000+

The world’s leading EV maker is showing no signs of slowing down. BYD sold 490,168 new energy vehicles (NEVs) in October, up 11% from the prior year and the company’s highest monthly total in 2026.

BYD’s battery electric vehicles drove the growth, with a record 305,743 units sold, up 37% year over year and marking the first time its EV sales have crossed the 300,000 mark.

To put that into perspective, just over 262,500 EVs were sold in the US in the entire third quarter combined, according to Kelley Blue Book estimates.

October marked BYD’s sixth straight month of higher sales growth and its third straight month of higher EV sales. Through October, BYD sold 1,953,700 electric vehicles, up 6% from the same period last year.

BYD’s all-electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for about 63% of total sales last month. Plug-in hybrid vehicles, meanwhile, fell 17% in October to 177,382 units. Through October, BYD’s PHEV sales fell 11% to 1,625,969 units.

According to BYD’s filing, the company exported 170,194 vehicles in October as it expands overseas to drive growth in markets like Europe, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America.

Through October, BYD exported over 1.5 million electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, nearly double compared to last year.

By the end of 2026, BYD expects overseas shipments to reach about 2 million vehicles. In 2027, that number is expected to rise to more than 2.5 million vehicles.

With several new and updated vehicles launching with its new Blade Battery 2.0 and Flash Charging technology, BYD aims to continue attracting new buyers with longer range, faster charging, and more tech-oriented models.

Electrek’s Take

While the US is coming off its best quarter of the year in EV sales, BYD’s performance shows how far ahead China is in the transition to electric vehicles.

China continues to lead the global EV market, accounting for over half of all electric cars sold worldwide.

With a wave of low-cost domestic brands flooding China’s market, BYD and other automakers are driving growth overseas in major markets like Europe, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America, where legacy OEMs are already falling behind quickly.