<p>Beijing: Call it a different kind of sticker shock.</p><p>The Beijing Auto Show that opened to the public this week is a showcase for how hypercompetition in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/china">China</a> has driven new car prices in the world's largest car market to a fraction of the level of the next-largest market, the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/united-states">US</a>.</p><p>The contrast is stark.</p><p>The average new car in the US in March had a list price of $51,456, according to Kelley Blue Book.</p>.Car maker Maruti Suzuki launches maiden EV.<p>In China, there are more than 200 battery-powered models, including hybrids, for sale at less than the equivalent of $25,000, according to DCar, an information and trading platform.</p><p>Reuters compiled a list of the five best-selling electric vehicles in China that start under $12,000 using DCar data.</p><p>These small EVs aren't available for sale in American showrooms - and may never be - but for about the price of an average new car in the US, a consumer in China could buy all five of these EVs.</p><p>Geely EX2: Starting price, $10,060</p><p>The pure electric Geely EX2 was the top-selling model domestically for any kind of vehicle in 2025.</p><p>The small EV comes with a bevy of nifty features: a front trunk, storage compartments throughout the cabin and a 14.6-inch central touchscreen running on a system that Geely developed. The top-trim version has a range of about 255 miles on the Chinese test standard.</p><p>Known as the "Star Wish" in China, the EX2 was a hit from its 2024 launch and Geely began sales in Brazil, Indonesia and Thailand last year.</p><p>"When you get in, you don't feel like you are in a small car," auto analyst Felipe Munoz said. "It feels better in terms of quality and bigger in terms of size."</p><p>Wuling Hongguang MiniEV: Starting price, $6,560</p>.Reframe India's EV policies to serve public.<p>Of the top-selling budget EVs, the MiniEV leans heaviest on the cheap-but-cheerful aesthetic of older, low-cost cars.</p><p>Wuling has stretched the micro car for 2026 to accommodate four doors and a bit more seating room in the back for adults. But the boxy city car remains tiny by American standards.</p><p>You could park two of the previous-generation MiniEVs in the space needed for a regular Ford F-150, the top-selling US vehicle.</p><p>Marketed for its cute quotient and cost, the basic model has a top speed equivalent to just 62 miles per hour and a China-rated battery range of just 127 miles.</p><p>Wuling also has a larger subcompact EV that starts at just over $8,000 in China. The retro-looking Bingo Pro is designed for highway travel with a battery range of 250 miles based on Chinese testing standards.</p><p>BYD Seagull: Starting price: $10,200</p><p>BYD Yuan UP: Starting price: $10,945</p><p>BYD Qin Plus DM: Starting price: $11,675 (not pictured)</p><p>BYD is China’s biggest player in small EVs. The firm's top three models starting under $12,000 accounted for 700,000 vehicle sales over the past 12 months in China.</p><p>The Seagull was an immediate sensation when it was released three years ago, stunning analysts with its performance, styling and above all its price.</p><p>The 2026 Seagull comes with an optional lidar remote sensing system for driving assistance including automated lane changing, a new fast-charge feature and a battery range of about 314 miles on the premium version, according to Chinese testing standards.</p><p>BYD economized on the Seagull at launch by equipping it with a single "monoblade" windshield wiper. Some analysts hailed that as a smart way to make savings. Some drivers complained it did not handle heavy rain.</p><p>The 2026 model gets a standard set of two wipers.</p>
<p>Beijing: Call it a different kind of sticker shock.</p><p>The Beijing Auto Show that opened to the public this week is a showcase for how hypercompetition in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/china">China</a> has driven new car prices in the world's largest car market to a fraction of the level of the next-largest market, the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/united-states">US</a>.</p><p>The contrast is stark.</p><p>The average new car in the US in March had a list price of $51,456, according to Kelley Blue Book.</p>.Car maker Maruti Suzuki launches maiden EV.<p>In China, there are more than 200 battery-powered models, including hybrids, for sale at less than the equivalent of $25,000, according to DCar, an information and trading platform.</p><p>Reuters compiled a list of the five best-selling electric vehicles in China that start under $12,000 using DCar data.</p><p>These small EVs aren't available for sale in American showrooms - and may never be - but for about the price of an average new car in the US, a consumer in China could buy all five of these EVs.</p><p>Geely EX2: Starting price, $10,060</p><p>The pure electric Geely EX2 was the top-selling model domestically for any kind of vehicle in 2025.</p><p>The small EV comes with a bevy of nifty features: a front trunk, storage compartments throughout the cabin and a 14.6-inch central touchscreen running on a system that Geely developed. The top-trim version has a range of about 255 miles on the Chinese test standard.</p><p>Known as the "Star Wish" in China, the EX2 was a hit from its 2024 launch and Geely began sales in Brazil, Indonesia and Thailand last year.</p><p>"When you get in, you don't feel like you are in a small car," auto analyst Felipe Munoz said. "It feels better in terms of quality and bigger in terms of size."</p><p>Wuling Hongguang MiniEV: Starting price, $6,560</p>.Reframe India's EV policies to serve public.<p>Of the top-selling budget EVs, the MiniEV leans heaviest on the cheap-but-cheerful aesthetic of older, low-cost cars.</p><p>Wuling has stretched the micro car for 2026 to accommodate four doors and a bit more seating room in the back for adults. But the boxy city car remains tiny by American standards.</p><p>You could park two of the previous-generation MiniEVs in the space needed for a regular Ford F-150, the top-selling US vehicle.</p><p>Marketed for its cute quotient and cost, the basic model has a top speed equivalent to just 62 miles per hour and a China-rated battery range of just 127 miles.</p><p>Wuling also has a larger subcompact EV that starts at just over $8,000 in China. The retro-looking Bingo Pro is designed for highway travel with a battery range of 250 miles based on Chinese testing standards.</p><p>BYD Seagull: Starting price: $10,200</p><p>BYD Yuan UP: Starting price: $10,945</p><p>BYD Qin Plus DM: Starting price: $11,675 (not pictured)</p><p>BYD is China’s biggest player in small EVs. The firm's top three models starting under $12,000 accounted for 700,000 vehicle sales over the past 12 months in China.</p><p>The Seagull was an immediate sensation when it was released three years ago, stunning analysts with its performance, styling and above all its price.</p><p>The 2026 Seagull comes with an optional lidar remote sensing system for driving assistance including automated lane changing, a new fast-charge feature and a battery range of about 314 miles on the premium version, according to Chinese testing standards.</p><p>BYD economized on the Seagull at launch by equipping it with a single "monoblade" windshield wiper. Some analysts hailed that as a smart way to make savings. Some drivers complained it did not handle heavy rain.</p><p>The 2026 model gets a standard set of two wipers.</p>