Tesla Model Y reclaims the crown of China's best-selling SUV in May

The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling SUV in China in May, a Chinese electric vehicle data tracking company revealed on Monday. The American automaker sold 24,770 units of the mid-size all-electric SUV.

Its long-time rival BYD Song Plus (Seal U in Europe) ranked second with 24,240 units, 530 units less than the Model Y.

Geely's gasoline-powered car Xingyue L ranked third in SUV sales with 21,014 units sold.

The Model Y reclaimed the title of the best-selling SUV because in April, it ranked second with 19,984 units sold, while BYD Song Plus electric car sales were 20,668 units.

In 2025 (January to May), Tesla sold 126,643 Model Ys in China, while BYD Song Plus sold 110,551 units. BYD Song Pro came in third with 80,245 units.

Despite defending the crown of the best-selling SUV, the year-on-year comparisons for the US automaker don't look so good. Tesla's sales in China fell 30% year-on-year to 38,588 units in May. In the year to date (January to May), Tesla sold 201,926 units in China, down 7.8% from the same period last year. In the past five months, Tesla experienced year-on-year declines in four of these categories.

Meanwhile, electric vehicle sales in China reached 1.021 million units in May, up 28% from last year. This includes sales of BEVs and PHEVs. Pure electric vehicle sales reached 607,000 units, up 22.4% from last year.

Exports didn't help Tesla's Shanghai factory either. In the year to date (January to May), Tesla exported 90,949 vehicles, down 33.4% from the same period last year. However, in May, it exported 23,074 units, up 33% from last year's 17,358 units.

The Model Y became the best-selling SUV, even though its sales fell 38% from 39,985 units in May 2024, showing how strong Tesla's position is in China.