Average Chinese EV is under 2 years old — 90% replaced within five years

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The typical Chinese EV has been on the road for less than two years.

Nine in ten of the country’s EVs get replaced in under five years.

Seven in ten gas cars in China stay beyond the five-year mark.

I’ve been using my trusty Samsung smartphone for three years and have never owned a car that wasn’t at least seven years old when I purchased it. Things are different in China , where it’s been revealed that the average age of EVs on local roads is less than the length of time most people keep a smartphone.

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A recent report from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers and Hejun Consulting, cited by Bloomberg , puts the average age of EVs on Chinese roads at just 1.8 years. The average combustion car in the country is about 8.2 years old by comparison. Across every powertrain, the typical vehicle is under 7 years old, versus 12.8 years in America. None of this means buyers are grabbing an EV, running it for two years, and flipping it for something new.

Read: The Average Chinese Car Is Under 7 Years Old, America’s Is Nearly 13, And That Helps Its 2030 EV Push

Electric vehicles only really surged in popularity across the country after 2021, ultimately reaching a 60 percent penetration rate of the new car market in 2026. As such, it makes sense that the typical EV on the road in China is less than two years old.

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How Long Are People Owning Them For?

A white paper last year found that 70 percent of fuel-powered vehicles in China stay with their owners for more than five years before replacement. Flip to the other side, and Sohu reports that 90 percent of new energy vehicles, EVs included, get swapped out in under five years.

There are several reasons for this, but perhaps the most important is that EVs now behave more like tech products. Many ICE cars built in 2000 had engines and transmissions very similar to those produced in 2010, so there was often no need for car owners to upgrade their vehicles quickly. In the EV world, things are different.

Batteries, electric motors, electronic controls, self-driving systems, and on-board technologies have developed rapidly in recent years, meaning an EV launched in China just three years ago may feel dated compared to a brand-new alternative. Additionally, the development cycle of EVs is much faster, especially in China, than that of ICEs, allowing car manufacturers to introduce all-new models much more quickly than previously possible.

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