The Beijing Auto Show that opened to the public this week is a showcase for how hypercompetition in China has driven new car prices in the world’s largest car market to a fraction of the level of the next-largest market, the U.S.
The contrast is stark.
The average new car in the U.S. in March had a list price of $51,456, according to Kelley Blue Book.
In China, there are more than 200 battery-powered models, including hybrids, for sale at less than the equivalent of $25,000, according to DCar, an information and trading platform.
Reuters compiled a list of the five best-selling electric vehicles in China that start under $12,000 using DCar data.
These small EVs aren’t available for sale in American showrooms – and may never be – but for about the price of an average new car in the U.S., a consumer in China could buy all five of these EVs.
The pure electric Geely (0175.HK), opens new tab EX2 was the top-selling model domestically for any kind of vehicle in 2025.
The small EV comes with a bevy of nifty features: a front trunk, storage compartments throughout the cabin and a 14.6-inch central touchscreen running on a system that Geely developed. The top-trim version has a range of about 255 miles on the Chinese test standard.
Known as the “Star Wish” in China, the EX2 was a hit from its 2024 launch and Geely began sales in Brazil, Indonesia and Thailand last year.
“When you get in, you don’t feel like you are in a small car,” auto analyst Felipe Munoz said. “It feels better in terms of quality and bigger in terms of size.”
Of the top-selling budget EVs, the MiniEV leans heaviest on the cheap-but-cheerful aesthetic of older, low-cost cars.
Wuling (0305.HK), opens new tab has stretched the micro car for 2026 to accommodate four doors and a bit more seating room in the back for adults. But the boxy city car remains tiny by American standards.
You could park two of the previous-generation MiniEVs in the space needed for a regular Ford F-150, the top-selling U.S. vehicle.
Marketed for its cute quotient and cost, the basic model has a top speed equivalent to just 62 miles per hour and a China-rated battery range of just 127 miles.
