New energy vehicles (NEVs) accounted for 49.42 percent of all newly registered automobiles in China in the first half (H1) of 2026, up 4.45 percentage points from the same period last year, according to data released by the Ministry of Public Security on Tuesday.

From January to June, traffic authorities under the ministry registered more than 5.19 million NEVs and 10.51 million automobiles in total, as well as 5.11 million motorbikes, the ministry said.

By the end of June, China had 476 million vehicles, including 371 million automobiles, and 567 million licensed drivers, with 533 million of them being automobile drivers.

NEVs totaled 48.97 million, accounting for 13.19 percent of all automobiles in China, while 68.77 percent of the NEVs were pure electric vehicles.