10 Chinese Electric Cars We'd Love To See In The United States – TopSpeed

While the United States has its fair share of standout electric vehicles in 2024, some of the very best models come from China. Just as American brands such as Lucid Motors and Tesla set new standards, the key Chinese EV manufacturers are finding their own ways to push the technology further, expanding their reach to the rest of Asia and Europe.

However, due to various factors, Chinese manufacturers aren’t too focused on bringing their EVs over to the States to compete with the mentioned brands. Considering how affordable some of the standout electric cars are out of China, they could still be just as relatively affordable even after the price increase after being imported. Sometimes offering incredible amounts of performance and efficiency, here are 10 Chinese electric cars that could compete at the top of their segments in 2024.

1 BYD Seal

While there are quite a few standout brands based in China that are pushing the boundaries for the EV industry, none can match the impact that BYD is having, particularly in the Chinese domestic market. Currently the best-selling EV manufacturer in China, BYD produces a fleet to rival the best we have stateside, with the fastback-style Seal sedan at the forefront of the brand’s image. Unfortunately, BYD has no plans to sell their vehicles in the U.S. anytime soon.

2023 BYD Seal Performance Specifications

Introduced to several Asian and European markets throughout 2023, the BYD Seal quickly established itself as a key competitor to the likes of the Tesla Model 3. Sharing a similar price tag, the Seal also delivers competitive performance and efficiency, reaching 60 MPH in 3.8 seconds and offering 354 miles of range, as per the WLTP.

Considering how dominant Tesla is throughout the United States, it isn’t a massive surprise to see BYD aim to take on the American startup on the global stage rather than in Tesla’s domestic market. If BYD does one day decide to sell vehicles in the U.S., it would introduce another affordable, high-tech EV vying for the top spot in the ever-growing segment.

2 GAC Aion Hyper SSR

Moving over to the electric supercar segment, this industry area isn’t anywhere near as dense as what we have for SUVs and sedans. Still, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some of the most eyebrow-raising cars coming out of countries from around the world, with China now included. In 2023, GAC Aion launched the Hyper SSR supercar in China and began to release the flagship model to the Southeast Asian market later that year.

Considering the outstanding capabilities that the Aion Hyper SSR has, its equivalent price tag of just $176,400 makes us seriously wish we had it available Stateside. This isn’t exactly affordable, but even compared to the best electric sedans on the market, like the Lucid Air Sapphire and Taycan Turbo GT, it’s considerably less. Looking at the electric supercars currently available in the U.S., the Rimac Nevera costs a whopping $2.2 million at its lowest, which is around 12.5 times more expensive than the Chinese supercar EV.

Performance Specifications

The Hyper SSR is available in three different trims, with the two higher models capable of a 0 to 60 MPH time of 1.9 seconds. Featuring a tri-motor setup, the Chinese supercar produces 1,208 horses. and 8,851 pound-feet of torque. These numbers around quite as high as the likes of the Rimac Nevera, but it most definitely keeps the Hyper SSR in the hunt, particularly when it costs a fraction of the price.

3 Zeekr 009

At the opposite end of the Chinese market to the Hyper SSR supercar sits the Zeekr 009, one of the largest EVs you can buy on the other side of the world. Zeekr as a brand has expanded globally throughout 2024, most notably in Mexico, but there’s no word on whether the popular Chinese brand will also enter the United States. Even so, the Zeekr 009 minivan isn’t one of the models that’s available in Mexico, making the chances of it coming Stateside even slimmer.

Designed to be the most luxurious electric minivan you can buy, the Zeekr 009 has everything going for it to be massively popular in the U.S. on paper. With three throws of seating with plenty of space, the 009 comes with Nappa leather to ensure the utmost comfort no matter your seat.

Performance Specifications

Alongside comfort, the Zeekr 009 minivan also boasts some impressive performance, producing 536 horses from its dual-motor setup. It’s also more than equipped to take on long journeys, with the manufacturer estimating a 511-mile range capability. This puts the electric minivan ever-so-closely behind the record-breaking .

4 Nio ET7

Releasing its first car in 2018, Nio has cemented itself as one of the most competitive EV startups coming out of China. Mostly popular in its home country, Nio has slowly been establishing itself throughout the European market to compete with the likes of Tesla and BMW, but we don’t have the option to choose from the brand’s current fleet in the U.S. after the brand stepped back on plans to enter the States by 2025.

The Nio ET7 is another Chinese electric sedan priced at $59,063, which puts it at the high end of the market. It could give the Lucid Air and the BMW i5 a run for their money. Inside, the Nio ET7 follows the same minimalist design philosophy combined with high-quality materials and doesn’t sacrifice performance.

Performance Specifications

Powered by dual electric motors, the Nio ET7 produces an impressive 644 horses and 627 pound-feet of torque, which is over 200 horses more than the base Lucid Air Pure trim. The Grand Touring trim for the Lucid Air gained headlines for its 516-mile EPA-estimated range, but the ET7 even tops that, with Nio completing a 648-mile run on a single charge, thanks to its cutting-edge 150 kW battery pack. Even then, it still had three-percent of charge by the end.

5 XPeng Mona M03

Founded at the same time as Nio in 2014, XPeng is a brand that offers EVs at the opposite end of the market, offering ultra-affordable models that are even cheaper than the brand-new gas-powered vehicles that come in at the lowest price. Only released on August 27th, the XPeng Mona M03 is set to become one of the more popular budget EVs on the road, and by budget, it comes in at a price tag equivalent to $16,890. Of course, the price tag tends to be higher when exported, which ought to be taken into account.

Performance Specifications

Despite being so cheap, the new XPeng Mona M03 still offers solid performance capabilities. Its base guise, fitted with a 140 kWh battery, produces 188 horses. If you want a little more power, upgrading to the 160 kWh battery version gives you a higher output of 215 horses. The two battery packs also offer different range ratings, with the 140 kWh pack able to go for 320 miles and the 160 kWh pack able to go for a further 385 miles.

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6 GWM Ora Good Cat

Another incredibly cheap Chinese electric car is the Ora Good Cat. The compact Chinese electric car has four doors, like many other models on this list, but it’s unique in that it’s a hatchback rather than a saloon. The small EV costs the equivalent of $16,000, even less than the XPeng Mona M03.

Performance Specifications (Base Trim)

Due to its compact nature and affordable price tag, it isn’t surprising that the Ora Good Cat falls short of other entries on this list regarding performance. Overall, the Ora Good Cat produces 143 horses in the base trim and 173 horses in the GT trim from a single electric motor. While this may not seem like much, the compact four-door hatchback is more than capable of tackling urban environments, whether you’re in Chinese cities or the European locations where Great Wall Motors currently sells the Good Cat.

7 BYD YangWang U9

Shifting focus back to the supercar EV segment, BYD has also recently dived head-first into the high-performance scene with the YangWang U9; deliveries began throughout the summer of 2024. While BYD’s vehicles are sold in over 70 countries now, there’s no saying whether the YangWang brand will be sold in the same international market. Being priced at around $232,000, it’s more expensive than the GAC Aion Hyper SSR, but puts more attention towards the luxury side of things without forgetting about performance.

Performance Specifications

Kitted out with cutting-edge technology at top-quality materials, the YangWang U9 could appeal to a wider market than the Hyper SSR, with customers willing to pay a little extra for the increased levels of comfort inside. It still comes in at a price significantly less than the Rimac Nevera and still manages to reach 60 MPH in 2.4 seconds and 233 MPH in a track test. Total power output comes in at a whopping 1,300 horses and 1,239 pound-feet of torque from its four electric motors.

8 Nio EL6

Alongside the ET7 sedan, Nio also produces the EL6 SUV, which most definitely upholds the brand’s standards. With no plans to sell in the U.S. until 2025 at the earliest, the EL6 is another electric SUV that would compete at the very top of the segment with its price tag of approximately $75,000. With this sort of value, the EL6 would compete with the likes of the Kia EV9 and Rivian R1S, which are both pushing the boundaries for the segment.

Performance Specifications

Putting two electric motors to good use, the new Nio EL6 manages to produce a solid 483 horses, which is well over the Kia EV9 GT-Line’s 379-horsepower output. The EL6 is a little shorter than the Kia, however, falling in between the Mercedes EQB and the EV9 regarding overall length. This puts the Nio in a unique space within the electric SUV segment, offering the performance of the larger competitors and better maneuverability of the mid-size Mercedes.

9 Zeekr 001

The 001 model was the Chinese brand’s first electric car, released in 2001, keeping Zeekr competitive across multiple segments. In 2024, the refreshed Zeekr 001 takes a much more sporty and high-end approach to its design. It falls into the compact SUV segment and comes in four trims that all offer something different. At its base, the Zeekr 001 costs an equivalent of $37,500, going up to $45,800 for the top-spec YOU 4WD trim.

Performance Specifications

Three of the four trims come with a 100 kWh battery pack, whereas the second cheapest offers a slightly smaller 95 kWh pack. If performance is the top priority, the top-spec trim comes with an electric motor on both the front and rear axle, combining for a solid power output of 544 horses. You can also rocket to 60 MPH in 3.8 seconds, as well as a respectable 385-mile range rating from the WLTP. Its hatchback nature may not go down as well as electric SUVs, but it would offer solid competition to the likes of the Kia EV6.

10 GAC Aion LX Plus

Another all-electric Chinese SUV that has the potential to compete at the top of the U.S. car market is the GAC Aion LX Plus, which falls into the ever-growing midsize crossover segment. If the LX Plus were released in the States, it would go up against models such as the Lexus RZ, as the Chinese EV ensures to offer a refined interior with cutting-edge tech and high-quality materials throughout. However, the LX Plus has a great deal of performance to put it ahead of the pack.

Performance Specifications (Base Trim)

Starting at around $45,000, the base trim for the Aion LX Plus offers a decent 240 horses to give it enough power for everyday living. If you want the most power, the LX Plus can deliver up to 725 horses for the higher trims. Despite this, the headline feature comes with the ‘Thousand Miles’ trim, which actually offers 626 miles of range. This would still put it well ahead of the very best we have in the United States, which would have everyone playing catchup if the Chinese electric SUV were to make it over the Pacific Ocean one day.