Summary of Research Results
☑ Changes in output value and service visits
▶ In 2025, China's automotive aftermarket displayed a downturn across both core metrics, with cumulative output value and service visits both declining by 5% YoY. In Q4, both output value and service visits also fell by 5% YoY.
▶ The year 2025 saw a notable divergence in performance across different segments of the aftermarket. Fast fit specialists emerged as the most resilient segment, with service visits down by only 3% YoY. In contrast, tire specialists and car dealers bore the brunt of the downturn, each experiencing a significant 8% YoY decline in service visits.
▶ During 2025, the output value of essential services, namely tires, maintenance, and repairs, demonstrated relative resilience, with YoY declines within 5%. This highlights their stronger risk resistance compared to segments like automotive refinishing, which faced greater pressure on output value contraction.
☑ Category sales
▶ In 2025, service visits for gear oil recorded a 2% YoY growth; however, its sales volume remained flat compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, service visits for automatic transmission oil declined by 3% YoY, while its sales volume experienced a more pronounced drop of 7%.
▶ In Q4, multiple product categories, including engine oil and spark plugs, faced across-the-board declines in sales nationwide. Growth opportunities for shock absorbers were primarily concentrated in the Northwest China, Central China, and East China regions, whereas the potential for batteries was mainly focused in Northeast China.
▶ In Q4, seven categories, including brake pads and engine oil, struggled to achieve growth across all city tiers, exposing widespread weakness in consumer demand. However, passenger car tires found a breakthrough in Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities, achieving growth of 2% to 4%.
☑ Vehicle Brand
▶ Among major automotive brands in 2025, BYD led in YoY growth of service visits with a 10% increase. This stood in stark contrast to Chevrolet, Kia, and Hyundai, which all saw substantial declines of 13% in service visits YoY.
▶ The year 2025 witnessed a comprehensive surge in the aftermarket for NEVs. All core NEV brands achieved positive growth in service visits, demonstrating robust demand in the aftersales service sector.
▶ In 2025, conventional vehicles saw a 7%YoY decline in both output value and service visits, while NEVs of various power types maintained strong growth momentum.
☑ Industry trends
▶ In Q4 2025, the passenger car market experienced a sales slowdown; however, the full-year sale volume still achieved a 4% YoY growth.
▶ In Q4 2025, the proportion of service visits from NEVs continued its upward trend, approaching 11%.
▶ Throughout the year, the cumulative aftermarket output value never reached a turning point for recovery, with the overall market characterized by operations that were "lingering at low levels, lacking momentum for an uplift."
Interpretation of Key Data
01、Output Value/Service Visits YTD YoY
Reviewing the full-year development trend of 2025, China's automotive aftermarket displayed a downturn across both metrics, with cumulative output value and service visits both declining by 5% YoY.
02、Service Visits YTD YoY by Store Type
The year 2025 saw a notable divergence in performance across different segments of the aftermarket:
Fast fit specialists emerged as the most resilient segment, with a modest 3% YoY decline highlighting the stability advantage of essential services.
Non-fast-fit specialists generally faced greater downward pressure, with declines all exceeding 5%. Among these, tire specialists and car dealers were the hardest hit, becoming the primary areas of significant decline.
03、Output Value YoY/QoQ by Service Type in Q4
In Q4 2025, the output value across all business segments in the aftermarket faced downward pressure and declined YoY. Among them, the tire business demonstrated the strongest resilience with a YoY decline of only 2%. Extending the view to the full-year cycle, the three core essential services—tires, maintenance, and repairs—all showed relative resilience, with their output value declines contained within 5% YoY. This highlights their stronger risk resistance. In contrast, segments such as automotive refinishing faced greater pressure, experiencing more significant contraction in output value.
04、Service Visits YTD YoY of Selected Categories
In 2025, among the categories listed below, gear oil was the only one to achieve YoY growth, with a 2% increase. Demand for batteries remained stable at last year's level, while all other categories saw YoY declines. Of particular note is that service visits for engine oil and oil filters both declined by 7% YoY. This data directly confirms the contraction in vehicle owners' demand for basic maintenance throughout the year.
05、Output Value/Service Visits YTD YoY of Vehicles by Power Type
In 2025, conventional vehicles experienced a 7% YoY decline in both output value and service visits, while NEVs still demonstrated strong growth momentum. Specifically, EREVs and PHEVs showed notable YoY increases in both output value and service visits, both exceeding 30%.
06、Service Visits YTD YoY of Selected NEV Brands
In 2025, the aftermarket for NEVs witnessed a comprehensive surge, with all core brands achieving positive YoY growth in service visits. Tank led the industry with an 83% YoY increase, closely followed by XPeng with 55% growth. Brands including AITO, Geely, Zeekr, and GAC Aion also all achieved over 40% YoY growth, demonstrating robust and flourishing demand in the aftersales service sector.
07、Industry Trends in Q4 2025
In Q4 2025, the passenger vehicle market experienced a sales slowdown; however, the full-year sale volume still achieved a 4% YoY growth.
→ The Passenger Vehicle Market Experienced a Sales Slowdown in Q4
Specifically, in terms of passenger vehicles, retail sales volume declined by 0.5% YoY in October 2025, by 8.1% in November, and by 13% in December, marking declines in three consecutive months. The intensified stimulus policies at the end of last year boosted replacement demand, leading to a market surge. This year-end, with some policy support tapering off, the market is gradually reverting to rigid purchasing demand, making the growth slowdown an expected outcome. However, full-year cumulative sales still reached 23.779 million units, representing a 4% YoY growth. This was primarily driven by the accumulated benefits of favorable policies during the first three quarters.
→ Purchase Tax Phase-out: Automakers Offer Incentives to Stabilize Demand
Starting January 1, 2026, the purchase tax exemption for NEVs will be adjusted from a full exemption to a 50% reduction, with a cap set at a maximum of 15,000 RMB per vehicle. In response to this policy adjustment, several major automakers, including GAC, Seres, and XPeng, have launched "purchase tax guarantee" or equivalent subsidy programs. These initiatives involve automakers absorbing the cost difference to offset the impact of the policy phase-out on consumer purchase costs.
→ Vehicle Trade-in Policy to Continue in 2026
According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, the 2025 "Vehicle Trade-in" policy achieved significant results, driving sales of over 11.5 million vehicles, accounting for more than one-third of total vehicle sales and serving as a core driver of annual growth. At the National Fiscal Work Conference in December, Minister of Finance Lan Fo'an stated that in 2026, fiscal policy will vigorously boost consumption, further implement special campaigns to stimulate consumption, continue to allocate funds to support the trade-in of consumer goods, and adjust and optimize subsidy scopes and standards.
→ Six Government Departments Issue Notice: Activating Emerging Consumption in the Automotive Aftermarket
On November 25, 2025, six departments, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the People's Bank of China, and the State Administration for Market Regulation, jointly issued the "Implementation Plan on Enhancing the Supply-Demand Adaptability of Consumer Goods to Further Boost Consumption." The notice proposes to expand automotive aftermarket consumption in areas such as vehicle modification, RV camping, and motorsports. This initiative is expected to activate emerging sectors like modification and drive the transformation of the aftermarket from a "vehicle repair business" towards a "lifestyle economy."
