The biggest Chinese EV battery makers compared, 2026

CATL installed 389.2 GWh of EV batteries worldwide from January to September 2026, a 39.1% share, per SNE Research data reported by CnEVPost. CATL says it has ranked No.1 for EV battery installations for nine years running, per its profile.

Its brands are Shenxing (LFP fast charge), Shenxing Pro for Europe, Qilin, Freevoy (hybrid), Naxtra (sodium-ion, in mass production since 2025) and Choco-Swap swap blocks, per its profile. Its passenger EV page claims charging to 80% in as fast as 3 min 44 s, a 280 Wh/kg high-nickel pack and up to 1,500 km of range. It gives no starting charge level for the 3 min 44 s figure.

Every AITO (SERES) model uses CATL cells, over 1.2 million cars so far. The two signed a long-term deal on 10 Oct 2026, with a 10-12 GWh 'plant in plant' at the SERES factory, per CATL. BMW has been a customer since 2012.

In Debrecen, Hungary, CATL started trial cell production on 22 Sep 2026. The site has made 537,000 modules since autumn 2024 and is to become CATL's largest manufacturing base outside China (100 GWh) once complete, per CATL. Its NING SERVICE aftermarket network has 1,394 locations in 85 countries and regions and opened an Oslo centre on 24 Sep 2026, per CATL.

Skip it if: you want to buy cells or a pack yourself: CATL sells only to companies, and repairs go through NING SERVICE partners.

What we saw: There is no price list or self-serve product, only a B2B enquiry form, and the English site's footer still says 2020-2023.

BYD installed 150.9 GWh worldwide in January to September 2026, a 15.2% share, per SNE Research. In China its September installations were 18.29 GWh, all of it LFP, per CABIA.

FinDreams unveiled the second-generation Blade Battery on 5 Mar 2026. It says Blade 2 charges 10-70% in 5 min and 10-97% in 9 min at ambient temperature, and 20-97% in 12 min at -30 C. Energy density is up over 5% on gen 1, and the Denza Z9GT gets up to 1,036 km of range, per FinDreams.

BYD has made lithium-ion batteries since 1996-98 and set up FinDreams in 2019. It opened 16 GWh of its battery business to outside buyers in 2017, and its Thailand plant delivered its first battery batch in 2024, per the FinDreams profile. The profile does not say whether Thailand makes cells or only packs.

A free Chinese-language lookup lists 289 authorised power-battery repair shops, per FinDreams.

Skip it if: you need a battery partner with service outside China: the site lists no overseas service network.

What we saw: The repair-shop lookup opened with no login and listed 289 authorised shops, all in mainland China on the first page, in Chinese only.

CALB installed 50.1 GWh worldwide in January to September 2026, a 5.0% share, per SNE Research. It was third in China in September with 6.04 GWh, and held 6.44% over the first nine months, per CABIA.

CALB's own case list names the Smart #1 and #3, Volvo EX30, SAIC Audi E5 Sportback, GAC Toyota bZ3X, Changan Mazda EZ-6, Leapmotor B10, Xpeng G6 and X9, IM LS6, Changan Origin Q07, Onvo L90 and Lynk & Co 900. Xiaomi named CALB a strategic partner for its Longjia battery on 4 Sep 2026, per CALB.

Its UP All-Weather battery claims 1,000 km of range and 400 km added in 5 minutes, and its PHEV cells claim over 20C discharge. REEV packs are rated for 1,500 cycles, which CALB says supports an 8-year or 300,000 km warranty, per CALB. The page gives no test conditions.

CALB says it has bases in ten Chinese provinces plus industrial bases in Europe and Thailand, per its About page. Its Sines, Portugal plant broke ground in February 2025 and was expected to start production in 2027, per CnEVPost.

Skip it if: you want to buy cells yourself or need published prices or specs: CALB has no shop and sells only by contact.

Gotion installed 50.3 GWh worldwide in January to September 2026, a 5.1% share and fourth place, per SNE Research.

Gotion was founded in 2006 in Hefei and makes LFP and NCM materials, cells, packs and storage systems. It says Volkswagen Group is its largest shareholder after a 2021 investment, and that it is the first nominated supplier of VW's Unified Cell, per its profile. It names its solid-state cell the Gemstone Battery.

Its passenger vehicle page shows the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV, Chery QQ Bingjiling, Leapmotor T03, Changan Oshan X7, BAIC EC180 and JAC iEV7L and iEV6EL. These are older models.

Gotion bought its Göttingen, Germany plant from Bosch in 2021 and says it is building twenty overseas manufacturing sites, per its profile. It spends over 10% of yearly revenue on R&D.

Skip it if: you want current product specs from its site: it shows older models and news from January 2025, so use filings and news instead.

What we saw: The English home page's newest news items were all dated Jan 17, 2025, and the company history stopped at 2021.

EVE Energy installed 36.0 GWh worldwide in January to September 2026, a 3.6% share and up 60.4% year on year, per SNE Research. It was fourth in China in September with 5.03 GWh, per CABIA.

EVE lists prismatic LFP and NCM, pouch NCM and EV cylindrical cells, per its home page. Its passenger vehicle page claims LFP systems at 160 Wh/kg+ and NCM systems at 200 Wh/kg+, from its own lab. It names no car models.

EVE's timeline lists a designation letter from BMW Group and a nomination as a BMW and DAYUN supplier. The same page lists a Malaysia production base but does not mention Hungary. EVE is building a plant in Debrecen, Hungary for BMW, per CnEVPost; its Malaysia plant makes small cells for tools and e-bikes, not cars, per CnEVPost.

EVE sells energy-storage cells (LF105, MB31 314Ah, LF230, LF304) and 21700 cells through EVEMALL, shipping from a Chinese factory or an EU warehouse. Prices need a login.

Skip it if: you want EV pack prices or a car named by its maker as using EVE cells: the site lists only platforms, and EV cells are sold by enquiry.

What we saw: Signed out from a US IP, EVEMALL showed no price for the LF105 cell, and the cart said items appear only after login.

Sunwoda ranked tenth worldwide in H1 2026 with 14.5 GWh and a 2.4% share, per SNE Research, but it was not in the January to September top 10. In China it was sixth in September with 3.24 GWh, per CABIA.

SEVB says it has been China's No. 1 HEV battery seller for five years running and was global No. 1 for HEV batteries in Q2 2026, per SEVB.

Li Auto is investing RMB 2.65 billion for 8.79% of SEVB's new shares, taking its total holding to 11.17% (announced 4 Sep 2026), per SEVB. The same day Xiaomi named SEVB a strategic partner for its Longjia battery. SEVB makes the cells on a dedicated line, and Xiaomi runs 'shadow factory' checks (8,000+ check points), per SEVB.

SEVB lists eleven manufacturing bases, eight in China plus Hungary, Morocco and Thailand, and sells in 15 countries and regions to 260+ customers, per its About page.

Skip it if: you need English information from the maker: the EV battery site is mostly Chinese and the parent's English site did not load for a US visitor.

SVOLT installed 25.7 GWh worldwide in January to September 2026, a 2.6% share, per SNE Research. Its China figure in September was 1.71 GWh, per CABIA.

SVOLT was founded in 2018 in Jintan, Changzhou, from a power battery project team started in 2012, per its profile. Its own history does not name Great Wall Motor. It claims 14 production sites, 3 R&D centres and 11,000+ patent applications, per its home page.

Its history lists short-blade stacking cells, the Fortress off-road battery (2025) and its 1,000,000th pack (2025). Its only overseas site named there is a Thai module and pack plant, built from 2023 with a first batch delivered in 2024, per the profile.

Trade press names Great Wall, Geely, Stellantis and MINI as customers, per Gasgoo. SVOLT's English site names none of them.

Skip it if: you want product details from the maker: SVOLT's English passenger vehicle page shows almost no text and names no car models.