BYD October sales hit a 2026 high at 490,168 as BEVs top 300,000 and PHEV sales slide again

BYD's October record is narrower than the headline. The company sold 490,168 new energy vehicles in October, its highest monthly total of 2026 and a 10.97% year-on-year rise ^[1] — but that growth came from battery-electric passenger cars and exports.

The two numbers that matter most to a buyer in China moved the other way: plug-in hybrid sales fell 17.23% year-on-year, and sales inside the home market dropped 10.57% ^[1]. For anyone choosing a BYD this month, the practical news is the renewal wave now reaching showrooms.

What the October disclosure contains

On November 1, BYD Co., Ltd. issued its October production-and-sales report. It shows October production of 488,104 units against sales of 490,168; a year earlier the company produced 429,808 units and sold 441,706 ^[2]. BYD noted the figures are unaudited ^[2].

October was the sixth consecutive month of year-on-year growth and the eighth straight monthly increase ^[3]. It was BYD's best month since December 2024 and the fourth-highest monthly total on record ^[1].

The disclosure itself is segment-level: passenger versus commercial vehicles, battery-electric versus plug-in hybrid, plus a single export line for the month ^[1][2]. There is no model-level table in the report ^[1]. The October BEV/PHEV split and the China-versus-overseas figures quoted in this article come from CnEVPost's compilation of company reports ^[1].

Battery-electric now carries the company

Passenger BEV sales reached 305,743 units, up 37.38% year-on-year and 11.94% from September — the first time the segment has passed 300,000 units and its third consecutive monthly high ^[1]. BEVs took 63.28% of BYD's passenger sales in October, up from 59.81% in September and 50.95% a year earlier ^[1].

Plug-in hybrids moved the opposite way: 177,382 units, down 17.23% year-on-year and 3.37% from September, the segment's second straight year-on-year decline after September's 2.36% drop ^[1]. Passenger NEVs in total came to 483,125, up 10.59% year-on-year ^[1]; the remaining 7,043 units were commercial NEVs, up 45.22% ^[1].

That 7,043 is the gap between the passenger figure and the 490,168 headline — commercial units are inside the total, not on top of it.

The shift is not a one-month blip. Across the first ten months, battery-electric passenger sales are up 5.86% at 1,935,700 units while plug-in hybrid passenger sales are down 11.02% at 1,625,969 ^[1].

The record was exported

Exports came to 170,194 NEVs in October, up 102.84% year-on-year but down 5.81% from September ^[1]. Sales in China were 319,974, down 10.57% year-on-year though 13.12% above September ^[1]. Year to date, exports are up 93.75% at 1,513,154 units while domestic sales are down 27.81% at 2,108,590 ^[3].

The full-year trend is still negative: 3,621,744 units through October, down 2.16% year-on-year, although the decline has narrowed from 3.94% after nine months ^[1]. The growth rate itself is easing — October's 10.97% follows 16.98% in September, the third consecutive month of slower year-on-year growth ^[1].

The announcement gives no reason for the split; explanations built on pricing or production priorities remain interpretation. What is verifiable is the company's position among its peers: BYD ranked first among major Chinese automakers in October, ahead of SAIC at 430,018 units, Geely at 310,183 and Chery at 295,934 ^[3].

What a buyer faces in November

The same mix shift shows up at Geely, where October BEV sales rose 43% to 140,758 while PHEV sales fell 6.66% to 74,238 ^[3]. What a buyer can act on is BYD's own calendar:

Second-generation Seagull, launched October 20: five variants at 65,900–99,900 yuan, with the entry trim at $9,810 and 4,000 yuan below the outgoing car ^[4]. The three trims from 75,900 yuan support BYD's flash charging — 10% to 70% in five minutes at dedicated stations — on a 39.2-kWh pack rated 420 km on China's CLTC test cycle ^[4].

The car grew 425 mm to 4,205 mm, gained a fifth seat, and switched to rear-wheel drive with a multi-link rear axle ^[4].

The third-generation Qin Plus DM-i, launched October 27, brings a larger body, longer electric range and optional LiDAR to BYD's core PHEV sedan ^[1]. The second-generation Seal 07, due November 5 in both BEV and PHEV versions, continues the Ocean lineup renewal ^[1]. For plug-in-hybrid shoppers, these two are the concrete answer to the segment's decline — and the reason not to read October's PHEV number as the segment disappearing.

Denza N8: reservations opened October 26 ahead of a November launch, with up to 1,003 km of range quoted and a 2,000-yuan deposit that comes with a 5,000-yuan option credit ^[5].

Fang Cheng Bao: the Tai 9's official launch is scheduled after November 15, and the Shark pickup lands in late November or early December, per the brand's general manager ^[6].

The record in proportion

Fang Cheng Bao's weekend brand claims are company statements rather than audited results. The brand announced 600,000 cumulative sales on Weibo on November 1 without disclosing October sales or a breakdown by model ^[6]. On October 31, general manager Xiong Tianbo said the Tai 7 had passed 300,000 cumulative sales in October and that Formula S deliveries fell short of expectations that month ^[6].

The verified picture: a best-of-year month powered by battery-electric momentum and exports, while the plug-in hybrid line and the home market shrank. The Seal 07's November 5 launch and the N8's November launch will put prices on the renewal wave — the part of the October story a buyer can act on.