Beijing to Add 80,000 NEV Quotas to Revive Lagging Car Sales
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Electric vehicles charge at a designated charging area in the Beijing Winter Olympics Village. Photo: VCG
Beijing will issue an additional 80,000 purchase quotas for new energy vehicles (NEVs) in 2026 to stimulate its sluggish auto market, the city’s transport authority said Friday.
The move will raise the total number of new vehicle purchase quotas this year to 180,000, according to a statement released Feb. 15 by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport. The capital has restricted car purchases through a lottery system since 2011.
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- Beijing will issue an extra 80,000 NEV purchase quotas in 2026, raising the total to 180,000 for the year, to boost its sluggish auto market.
- Of the new quotas, 60,000 are for car-free families and 20,000 for individuals; distribution starts May 26 and applies only to pure electric vehicles.
- Beijing's 2025 new car sales dropped 2.6% to 681,400 units, while China’s national sales rose 3.8% to 23.7 million units.
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Who’s Who
- China Passenger Car Association
- The China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) is a source of data on China's automotive market. According to CPCA data, new car sales in Beijing declined by 2.6% in 2025, while national retail passenger-car sales increased by 3.8%. The CPCA noted the Beijing auto market's "unique fragility and high dependence on policy" due to strict purchase limits. They also reported a 13.9% year-on-year drop in retail passenger-car sales in January.
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What Happened When
- 2011：
- Beijing introduced a lottery system to restrict car purchases.
- 2025：
- New car sales in Beijing fell 2.6% year on year to 681,400 units; national retail passenger-car sales rose 3.8% to 23.7 million units.
- January 2026：
- China's retail passenger-car sales fell 13.9% year on year to 1.5 million units.
- February 5, 2026：
- A car trade-in subsidy program was announced by Beijing.
- February 15, 2026：
- Beijing transport authority announced an additional 80,000 NEV purchase quotas for 2026.
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