Did the Xiaomi SU7 really outsell the Tesla Model 3 in China?

Yes. Per China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data, in 2025 the Xiaomi SU7 delivered 258,164 units in China against the Tesla Model 3's 200,361, putting the SU7 nearly 30 percent ahead. It was the first time any rival outsold the Model 3 in China on a full-year basis since it launched there in 2019. Source: CPCA data, reported by Electrek, ArenaEV, Carscoops, and CnEVPost, January 2026. Note that outselling a rival does not automatically make a car the right one for you, which still comes down to whether you value price, battery, and range more, or brand, service network, and ecosystem more.

Which is cheaper and has the bigger battery, the Tesla Model 3 or the Xiaomi SU7?

The Xiaomi SU7 Standard leads on both: a lower starting price and a larger pack. On reference prices the Model 3 RWD is around RMB 235,500 while the SU7 Standard opens from around RMB 215,900 (with the 2026 generation from around RMB 219,900), so the SU7 is cheaper; on usable battery capacity the SU7 Standard is also clearly larger than the Model 3 RWD, which is why it claims the longer range. Source: CnEVPost, carnewschina, Wikipedia, 2025 to 2026. Always confirm the current price and exact trim with a dealer in China, since EV pricing and promos in this class move fast. You can put price and charging cost side by side on this site's calculator at /cn.

How different is charging speed between the Model 3 and the SU7, and is battery care the same?

On charging speed this site cites only measured figures. The Tesla Model 3 RWD is Tier-1, meaning it has measured charging data: it charges from 10 percent to 80 percent in about 24 minutes, with a DC peak around 175 kW (source: ev-database.org car/3186, as of 2026-06-03). The Xiaomi SU7 Standard is Tier-2, and this site has no authoritative measured curve strictly matched to its battery version, so it gives the SU7 no specific charge-time or peak-power figure and makes no who-is-faster cross-comparison, to avoid presenting an unmeasured number as a fact. On battery care, both are LFP (lithium iron phosphate), both tolerate routine charging to 100 percent, and the care rules are identical, so it is not a tiebreaker. For the exact charging cost on your own tariff, use the calculator at /cn.

Tesla Model 3 vs Xiaomi SU7: Which Electric Sedan Fits You in China

The Tesla Model 3 and the Xiaomi SU7 are the most talked-about pair of electric sedans (battery electric vehicles, or BEVs) in China right now. This matchup is headline news because in 2025 the Xiaomi SU7 outsold the Tesla Model 3 in China for the first time: per China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data, the SU7 delivered 258,164 units against the Model 3's 200,361, about 29 percent ahead, the first time any rival outsold the Model 3 in China since it launched there in 2019. Both cars are pure electric, so neither ever needs petrol. But they represent two different choices. On one side sits Tesla's brand, its own Supercharger network, and a mature service footprint. On the other sits Xiaomi's lower price, bigger battery, longer claimed range, and a deeply integrated ecosystem and tech stack. This guide weighs them qualitatively from the angle you actually feel: price, range, charging, battery care, and the trade-off between brand-and-service versus ecosystem-and-tech. The exact figures (cost, time, and realistic range adjusted by test cycle) live on this site's comparison tool and per-car pages.

By mht-dev, Frontend Engineer & Creator

A frontend engineer who bought a first electric car in March 2026 and built EV Charge Calculator while working out the real cost of charging it, writing every guide from an everyday new EV owner's perspective.

The 2025 headline: the SU7 outsold the Model 3 for the first time

This comparison matters because it rewrote a record. Since the Tesla Model 3 launched in China in 2019, it had been the sales benchmark among high-profile electric sedans there, until 2025, when a rival whose maker's first-ever car came from the smartphone world overtook it. Per CPCA data, the Xiaomi SU7 delivered 258,164 units in China across 2025, against the Model 3's 200,361, putting the SU7 nearly 30 percent ahead. That was the first time any rival outsold the Model 3 in China on a full-year basis. (Source: CPCA data, reported by Electrek, ArenaEV, Carscoops, and CnEVPost, January 2026.)

Outselling a rival does not automatically make a car the right one for you, but it tells you something: in the China market, a growing number of buyers feel the SU7 offers strong value for the money. To turn that into your own buying decision you still have to look at the specifics: price, battery and range, how you charge, battery care, and whether you value brand and service network more, or tech and ecosystem more. The rest of this guide takes them one at a time.

Price, battery, and range: the SU7 is cheaper, bigger, and claims more range

On the figures that matter most, the Xiaomi SU7 Standard wins on three fronts at once. On price, the SU7 Standard opens below the Model 3 RWD (reference prices: Model 3 RWD around RMB 235,500; SU7 Standard from around RMB 215,900, with the 2026 generation from around RMB 219,900. Source: CnEVPost, carnewschina, Wikipedia, 2025 to 2026). On battery, the SU7 Standard carries the larger pack, with a usable capacity clearly above the Model 3 RWD. On range, the SU7 also claims the longer figure. In short, you get a bigger battery and longer range for a lower price, which is the plainest logic behind the SU7's sales upset.

One honest caveat applies to both: their ranges are quoted on China's CLTC test cycle. Because both use the same cycle, the comparison between them is fair and neither gains a brochure advantage. But CLTC is optimistic, so both claimed ranges sit above what either car will actually do on China roads with the air-conditioning on and a full load aboard. Lean on the realistic-range estimates this site shows, which discount each maker's claim by its test cycle rather than printing the raw brochure figure. The Model 3 is not without answers: it has its own reputation for driving feel, efficiency, and brand pedigree. But on the three hard numbers of price, battery size, and claimed range, the SU7 genuinely leads.

Battery care: both are LFP, so the rules are the same

On battery care, the two cars are level. The Model 3 RWD uses an LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery, and the Xiaomi SU7 Standard is also LFP (supplied by BYD's FinDreams and by CATL, since Xiaomi dual-sources the entry pack randomly from both, both LFP and to the same spec. Source: CnEVPost, 27 May 2024; Wikipedia). LFP chemistry is robust, tolerates routine charging to 100 percent without the accelerated-wear worry that some other chemistries carry when charged full daily, and tends to age gracefully, which is exactly what you want in a car you plug in every night. The practical result is that the battery-care rules are identical on both cars, and you do not have to change your charging habits switching between them.

Stating this plainly matters, because it takes battery care off the tiebreaker list entirely. With chemistry no longer a dividing line, what genuinely decides the choice falls back to price, battery and range, the charging experience, and the brand-and-service versus tech-and-ecosystem question.

Charging: the Model 3 has measured data, the SU7 leans on the public network

Charging is the one area where this pair sits at different tiers and needs careful wording. The Model 3 RWD is Tier-1 on this site, meaning it has measured charging data: by EV Database measurement it charges from 10 percent to 80 percent in about 24 minutes, with a DC fast-charge peak around 175 kW (source: ev-database.org car/3186, as of 2026-06-03). That is the Model 3's own measured figure and is safe to cite. The Xiaomi SU7 Standard is Tier-2 on this site: we do not have an authoritative measured charging curve strictly matched to its battery version, so this site does not give the SU7 a specific charge-time-in-minutes or peak-power figure, and it does not make a who-is-faster cross-comparison between the SU7 and the Model 3. This is deliberate restraint, so an unmeasured number is never presented as a fact.

Setting specific numbers aside, the bigger charging difference between the two in China is the network ecosystem. Tesla runs its own Supercharger network, an integrated plug-and-charge experience that is a genuine advantage built up over years. The Xiaomi SU7 leans mostly on China's vast third-party public network, paying by the kWh after scanning a QR code with WeChat Pay or Alipay, which is wide-reaching but means installing aggregator apps. Either way, the cheapest daily routine is to top up at home on AC and save the dearer public DC fast charging for trips. To see how much a public fast charge versus a home charge actually differs on your own electricity tariff, put both rates into the charging cost calculator at /cn. For operators, payment, and supercharging or battery-swap detail in China, see this site's public EV charging in China guide.

Which suits you: brand and service network, or tech and ecosystem

Pull the breakdown into one honest verdict. If you most value a proven brand, the convenience of an in-house Supercharger network, and a mature, settled service operation, the Tesla Model 3 RWD is still very persuasive, with its reputation for driving feel and efficiency as a bonus, at the cost of a higher price and a relatively smaller battery and shorter claimed range. If you want a bigger battery and longer range for less money, and you value Xiaomi's deeply integrated tech and ecosystem, the Xiaomi SU7 Standard is the more natural pick, and its 2025 sales upset in China shows that trade resonated with a lot of buyers.

Because both are LFP BEVs, battery care is equal between them and is not a tiebreaker, and on charging this site cites only the Model 3's own measured data and makes no cross-comparison of charging speed. To close your decision with real numbers, open the comparison tool prefilled with the Model 3 and the SU7 side by side, read the Model 3's own page and the SU7's own page for the full spec and realistic-range breakdown, then run the charging cost calculator at /cn to see what each car costs to charge on your own electricity tariff.

Frequently asked questions

Did the Xiaomi SU7 really outsell the Tesla Model 3 in China?: Yes. Per China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data, in 2025 the Xiaomi SU7 delivered 258,164 units in China against the Tesla Model 3's 200,361, putting the SU7 nearly 30 percent ahead. It was the first time any rival outsold the Model 3 in China on a full-year basis since it launched there in 2019. Source: CPCA data, reported by Electrek, ArenaEV, Carscoops, and CnEVPost, January 2026. Note that outselling a rival does not automatically make a car the right one for you, which still comes down to whether you value price, battery, and range more, or brand, service network, and ecosystem more.
Which is cheaper and has the bigger battery, the Tesla Model 3 or the Xiaomi SU7?: The Xiaomi SU7 Standard leads on both: a lower starting price and a larger pack. On reference prices the Model 3 RWD is around RMB 235,500 while the SU7 Standard opens from around RMB 215,900 (with the 2026 generation from around RMB 219,900), so the SU7 is cheaper; on usable battery capacity the SU7 Standard is also clearly larger than the Model 3 RWD, which is why it claims the longer range. Source: CnEVPost, carnewschina, Wikipedia, 2025 to 2026. Always confirm the current price and exact trim with a dealer in China, since EV pricing and promos in this class move fast. You can put price and charging cost side by side on this site's calculator at /cn.
How different is charging speed between the Model 3 and the SU7, and is battery care the same?: On charging speed this site cites only measured figures. The Tesla Model 3 RWD is Tier-1, meaning it has measured charging data: it charges from 10 percent to 80 percent in about 24 minutes, with a DC peak around 175 kW (source: ev-database.org car/3186, as of 2026-06-03). The Xiaomi SU7 Standard is Tier-2, and this site has no authoritative measured curve strictly matched to its battery version, so it gives the SU7 no specific charge-time or peak-power figure and makes no who-is-faster cross-comparison, to avoid presenting an unmeasured number as a fact. On battery care, both are LFP (lithium iron phosphate), both tolerate routine charging to 100 percent, and the care rules are identical, so it is not a tiebreaker. For the exact charging cost on your own tariff, use the calculator at /cn.