Reviewed 2026-10-05 · 3 min read · 4 original sources
China’s electric-truck sales have surged: IEA data put electric heavy-freight trucks at 28% of new sales in 2025, and the Ministry of Transport reported about 140,000 new-energy heavy trucks sold in the first half of 2026. Those are sales flows, however. The in-use electric truck stock was still only about 3% of China’s truck fleet at the end of 2025, and the announced 2030 fleet and penetration figures are projections.
China's 2024–2026 sales growth is a market-flow measure; the 2025 stock remains mostly older/non-electric trucks. Sales aggregates do not identify a single representative chemistry or battery pack.
We separate vehicles from before 2023 and 2023 onward. A report’s publication date does not establish a vehicle’s model year or a battery’s manufacturing date.
“Not reported” means the source does not disclose it. Model year, first registration, vehicle assembly and battery manufacture are different dates. Unmatched studies cannot establish how much newer batteries improved.
IEA and ICCT report aggregate Chinese sales shares and fleet-stock estimates for truck categories, with market-wide chemistry data. No maker-level fleet share or brand output is published, so comparisons are powertrain and segment level only.
All manufacturers are OEMs. These groups describe brand focus, not a quality ranking or country of origin. EV-focused brands can also sell plug-in hybrids. Results apply to the identified models, batteries and conditions.
The sales trend is strong. IEA’s 2026 review estimates that electric heavy-freight trucks made up 28% of new heavy-freight truck sales in China in 2025, compared with 13% in 2024. Electric medium-freight trucks reached 24%, up from 16%. China accounted for more than 90% of global electric truck sales in 2025. These are meaningful changes in new purchases, concentrated in the heaviest truck segment as well as medium trucks. [1]
A separate official measure points to continued growth in 2026. The Ministry of Transport reported about 140,000 new-energy heavy-duty truck sales in January–June, 78.6% above the same period a year earlier. That is an official ‘new energy’ tally, which can include more than battery-electric trucks; it is not a BEV-only count. IEA’s electric-truck measure and China’s broader new-energy category answer different questions, so the numbers should not be combined. [3]
A fast-growing share of new purchases can coexist with a mostly conventional fleet because heavy trucks stay in service for years. IEA estimated that China had nearly 1 million electric trucks in use at the end of 2025, around 3% of its truck fleet. That stock estimate puts the sales headlines in perspective: electric trucks were becoming a substantial choice for buyers replacing vehicles, but had not yet become the dominant vehicles on the road. [2]
The IEA’s truck charging chapter also shows why infrastructure and stock figures need clear boundaries. It estimated about 70,000 public truck-capable charging points from estimates of 5,000–9,000 public heavy-duty charging stations, and nearly 140,000 public and private heavy-duty-dedicated chargers. Those are estimates assembled from varying station counts and assumptions about ports per station, not one official national inventory. [2]
A Ministry of Transport official said China expects its new-energy heavy-truck fleet to exceed 1.6 million by 2030, with penetration reaching 40%. The government also announced plans for more than 3,000 truck charging and battery-swapping stations. These plans point to continued policy support, including scrappage and replacement funding, but they describe a future target and build-out rather than infrastructure already operating. [3]
The distinction matters when assessing forecasts. Actual 2025 IEA sales shares and first-half 2026 Ministry of Transport sales show rapid uptake. They do not guarantee the 2030 stock target: total truck sales, replacement rates, subsidies, energy prices, and charger availability can all change. Reporting the official projection alongside the measured sales makes the momentum visible without turning a forecast into an accomplished result.
IEA describes current Chinese deployments as concentrated on short, predictable routes around ports, mines, and steel production, along with utility vehicles. Such operations can return to a known base or use planned charging and swap stops. They are easier to serve than irregular, high-mileage freight routes where payload, charging access, and downtime constrain dispatch. Battery swapping also fits repeated routes in industrial hubs; swap-capable vehicles were about 15% of China’s electric truck sales in 2025. [1]
The evidence supports rapid market change, especially in new purchases and selected work. It does not support saying electric trucks already dominate China’s overall freight fleet. The fleet estimate remains near 3% at end-2025, while broader national goals still need several years of sales and deployment to be achieved.
Data period: IEA heavy-freight truck sales shares: 2024–2025; electric truck stock and charging estimates: end of 2025; Ministry of Transport new-energy heavy-truck sales: January–June 2026; official 2030 figures are forecasts.
Comparable IEA sales-share estimates for heavy-freight trucks in 2024 and 2025. This is a new-sales share, not the proportion of the truck fleet in service. It uses the IEA electric category and should not be merged with China’s broader ‘new energy’ heavy-truck statistics.
China’s electric heavy-truck sales have entered rapid growth, but sales share is far ahead of fleet share. Treat 2030 penetration and stock figures as targets, and keep official NEV totals separate from BEV-only measures.
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