In China, already two thirds of new cars run on electricity. Gas has dropped by 44 %

China’s auto market has just crossed a line that nobody would have dared to estimate just a few years ago. In July 2026, plug-in capable cars made up 65% of all passenger vehicles sold, and battery electric vehicles themselves surpassed the 44% share for the first time in history. More interesting than these numbers, though, is what’s happening on the other side of the equation: sales of classic gasoline cars fell by almost half year-on-year.

What exactly do the numbers from China say

The analysis of Chinese registrations was broken down by the portal EVmagazín based on data from the CleanTechnica server. The key finding reads like this: while the entire Chinese market shrank in July by 21% to about 1.5 million cars, battery electric vehicles grew by 6% with 647 thousand units sold. So everything else was falling: conventional hybrids by 4%, plug-in hybrids by 21%, cars with a range extender by 17% and pure gasoline vehicles by a full 44%.

This last figure is often mixed up with falling fuel prices in summaries. It’s not about the price of gasoline, though—it’s about demand: Chinese buyers simply stop purchasing cars that burn it. In the electrified part of the market, battery vehicles already make up 68 % and plug-in hybrids only the remaining 32 %, which is a reversal of the trend from two years ago.

For the whole year 2026 so far, the share of plug-in cars comes out to 56 %, of which 37 % is for pure electric vehicles versus 33 % in the previous year. The author estimates that China will end this year with roughly a 60-percentage-share of electrified cars, and battery models will for the first time pass the 40 % threshold.

Why Chinese drivers are moving away from combustion engines

There isn’t just one reason. Domestic brands like BYD, Geely, or Chery can offer an electric car at a price comparable to a combustion car of the same size—often even cheaper. On top of that, there’s a dense network of charging stations, battery swap stations in cities, and the fact that in many Chinese metropolises you wait years for a combustion car registration number, while an electric car gets it practically instantly.

A big role is also played by the product itself. Chinese electric cars are no longer a cheap alternative. They come with large displays, driver-assistance systems, and 800‑volt architectures that can add hundreds of kilometers of range in ten minutes. For the average buyer, an electric car isn’t a compromise—it’s the more modern choice.

In Slovakia, the development is exactly the opposite

While a Chinese driver figures out which electric car to choose, we’re watching the numbers on the board at the pump. According to weekly statistics from the Slovak Statistical Office, petrol 95 stood at €1.450 per liter in the first January week, and in the 33rd week of August it was already €1.696. That’s an increase of roughly 17% in under eight months, with the price hitting as high as €1.801 per liter in May.

Fuel is even worse off. From January’s 1,401 € it jumped to 1,832 € per liter, which is an increase of more than 31 %. For a driver with an annual mileage of 20,000 km, that means several hundred euros extra compared to last year, and that without changing anything about their habits.

But the most interesting is the third row of the same table. Electricity prices at public charging stations monitored by the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic didn’t move even by a cent throughout the year: alternating charging 0.410 €/kWh, fast DC 0.550 €/kWh, and ultra-fast charging 0.690 €/kWh. Thirty-three weeks, three unchanged numbers. While fuel fluctuates every week, the cost of charging is predictable months in advance.

Is it worth switching to an electric car right now?

The honest answer is: it depends on where you charge. If you have your own outlet at home or in the garage, the math today is overwhelmingly in favor of an electric car. With a home rate of around 0,20 € per kWh, you’ll pay for a hundred kilometers a bit under four euros—that’s a third of what you’d spend in a gasoline car. Add a night tariff or photovoltaics and the difference grows even bigger.

But if you rely exclusively on public ultra-fast chargers, the advantage disappears. At 0,690 € per kWh, a hundred kilometers comes out to more than twelve euros—basically the same as gasoline and even more than diesel. In that case, an electric car makes sense more for comfort and lower maintenance than for saving money. Also factor in a higher entry price, and for long trips, planning charging stops simply takes more attention.

Slovakia is still on a completely different planet than China. In the first half of the year, 2026 battery electric vehicles were registered with us under 6 721 new registrations, which is still 48 % more than last year, but their share of all registrations remains around five percent. Behind both the Czech Republic and Poland, we’re still lagging—and there’s a gap of 44 % between us and China.

How much do one hundred kilometers really cost?

The following table calculates the consumption of 7 liters of gasoline, 5,5 liters of diesel, and 18 kWh of electricity per one hundred kilometers—using values typical for a lower mid-range class. Fuel prices are from 33. week 2026 according to the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic; the domestic electricity rate is indicative.

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