NIO ES8 tops 160,000 deliveries, powering brand sales

The flagship electric SUV accounted for more than 60% of the company’s main marque volume in January–September, underscoring its commercial importance  

NIO’s third-generation ES8 has reached 160,000 cumulative deliveries, with the large electric SUV remaining a key sales driver for the company's main brand more than 1 year after launch. 

NIO announced on Friday that it delivered the 160,000th third-generation ES8 in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, in northwestern China, to a local couple who run a high-end equipment manufacturing business. The owners chose the ES8 for its suitability for business hospitality and long-distance travel. NIO's battery swap network was also a key factor in their decision. 

The third-generation ES8 was launched on September 20, 2025, with deliveries beginning the following day. It reached 150,000 cumulative deliveries on September 20 this year, its first anniversary. The latest 10,000 deliveries took 33 days, slightly longer than the 30 days needed to climb from 140,000 to 150,000. 

In the first 9 months of this year, the ES8 lineup recorded 110,494 deliveries, accounting for 60.71% of the NIO main brand's volume and 36.79% of the company's total across its 3 brands. NIO said in its latest announcement that the third-generation ES8 had captured nearly 20% of Xi'an's large SUV market so far this year, ranking first in the segment. 

Every milestone up to 120,000, reached on June 22, came from the six- and seven-seat ES8 alone, including the 11- to 14-day stretches of the winter. The five-seat version, launched on July 9 with deliveries from July 10, has been on sale throughout the three latest stretches and for most of the one before. The 130,000th ES8, handed over in Jinhua in July, was a five-seater, according to NIO. 

NIO said that the ES8 “continues to set new delivery records for high-end pure-electric SUVs.” It also said the ES8 ranked first by residual value among new energy SUVs priced above 350,000 yuan ($52,500), citing a September 2026 report by the China Automobile Dealers Association and appraisal firm Jingzhengu, which measured one-year-old vehicles across fully electric, plug-in hybrid and range-extender models. That report put the ES8’s one-year residual value at 77.5%, according to Chinese media coverage of its release earlier this month.