VIDEO: I Drove China's Best Selling Car. It's Really Good
The Geely Xingyuan, or EX2, beat out BYD and Tesla for a reason. In China, I found out just how Geely did it.
- The Geely EX2 (Xingyuan, as it's known in China) is China's best selling car.
- In 2025, Geely sold about 470,000 units in China alone.
- Geely plans to bring the EX2 to markets outside of China, like Australia, Mexico and the UK. It is already on sale in places like Malaysia and Brazil.
Years ago, non-Chinese brands dominated the top of the country’s sales charts. Eventually, China got its act together and started making good cars, especially electrified ones. And now it's largely Chinese EVs that are battling for supremacy in their home market. Last year, China's best-selling car was this: the Geely EX2, or Xingyuan as it’s known there.
Earlier this year, I got a chance to get behind the wheel and film a short video that gives you guys an idea of what exactly China’s best-selling car is like. It may be small and relatively inexpensive, but it’s actually really impressive.
Geely EX2
The EX2 is petite, about the same size as the old Chevrolet Sonic. It's a big bigger than the BYD Seagull, another top seller, and I'd wager that's part of what makes it so popular. It seats five instead of four, and its rear-wheel-drive design allows for a sizable frunk. Not many cars in this car’s size class and price range can do that.
My time with the EX2 was limited to a couple of laps on a tiny autocross circuit outside of Geely’s headquarters in Hangzhou, China. But it was enough to get an impression of what this car can do. Dynamically, the EX2 is soft, comfortable, and not very engaging, but I don’t think most of this car’s target drivers will be whipping it full throttle around a series of cones. The EX2’s real ace-in-the-hole is just how much space, comfort, value, and quality it offers for such a low price.
Chinese market pricing isn’t necessarily representative of what anyone would get here in other markets, but it’s helpful to remember that the Xingyuan starts at just under $10,000, which is a reasonable price for China's working-class population. As tested, our units were closer to $13,000, given the upgraded battery and larger motor. Still, even as the Xingyuan makes its way out of China, it’s often right in the ballpark of other cheap, small EVs from all over the globe.
As usual, there isn’t much of a chance that the EX2 will make it to U.S. shores anytime soon. However, it is starting to show up in markets outside of China. The EX2 (or Star Wish as it's also sometimes called) is already in Malaysia and Brazil, and the brand has already announced plans to bring it to the UK, Mexico, and Australia.
Will the EX2 continue to be China’s best-selling car? Maybe not. Sales are already down compared to last year. China’s market is hyper-competitive; since the EX2’s introduction, a gaggle of competitors has come along. The Leapmotor A10 starts at the same price as the Geely EX2, and it's already starting to catch up.
Still, the EX2 is a very compelling package. Give our video above a gander to learn more.
Contact the author: Kevin.williams@insideevs.com
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