Electric cars on China’s roads are on average just 1.8 years old, against 8.2 years for petrol cars, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers and Hejun Consulting.
Why is the average Chinese EV so young?
The figures come from the 2025 China Automotive Aftermarket Annual Development Report. It puts the average new energy passenger car at 1.8 years old. By comparison, combustion-engine passenger cars average 8.2 years. Nearly 60 per cent of them are more than seven years old.
Sales volume explains much of the gap. Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, says domestic EV sales only took off in 2021. Since then, their share of new car sales has passed 60 per cent. As a result, most EVs on the road were bought recently. In fact, 90 per cent of them are between one and three years old.
How quickly do Chinese EVs lose their value?
Resale values fall fast. After three years, the average EV is worth 43.35 per cent of its original price, less than a conventional car of the same age. In other words, it has lost well over half its value.
Lower resale values may also encourage owners to switch sooner. That shortens ownership and pulls the average age down further.
What is driving owners to upgrade?
Batteries, software and chips are improving quickly. Cui points out that a model only two or three years old can already trail newer cars on range, computing power or charging speed.
Data from Dongchedi, a Chinese car platform, shows 43 per cent of EV owners replace their vehicles mainly to upgrade intelligent features and the user experience. Buyers under 35 are the core customers for new energy vehicles. They put a high priority on smart driving and digital experiences.
Where do the older EVs go?
According to Cui, many early EVs moved into ride-hailing fleets or were scrapped. As a result, older new energy passenger cars are now rare on China’s roads.
He adds that the age gap is now splitting China’s car aftermarket into two separate service sectors, one for an ageing combustion fleet and one for young EVs.
