On the first day of collective price increases for electric vehicles, an on-site visit to Aima and Ninebot stores: prices increased by up to 400 yuan, with some dealers saying sales have already dropped by 30% this year.

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（Source: Times Finance）

This article is sourced from Times Finance. Author: Wu Jiamin, Lin Xinlin

Photo source: Pexels

“Xiaodian” scooters collectively raised prices.

Recently, news has continued to circulate that multiple leading electric two-wheeler brands will raise their end-user retail prices starting April 1. On the morning of April 1, Times Finance visited offline stores of mainstream electric bicycles in Beijing, including Yadea, Ninebot, AIMA, and Niu, and found that some electric vehicle end-user pricing has indeed been adjusted. Overall price increases fall in the range of 100-400 yuan.

Among them, Niu and Ninebot have already adjusted the prices of some models. Yadea and AIMA, however, have not yet implemented the price hikes, waiting for the manufacturers’ final pricing plans.

Behind the price increase are multiple factors, including a surge in raw material prices and the implementation of supplementary clauses for the new national standard. However, since last year, sales conditions in the electric two-wheeler market have continued to decline. Multiple dealers told Times Finance that currently the profit on a single electric vehicle is about 200-300 yuan, with a gross margin of roughly 10%.

First day of the price hike: Niu and Ninebot’s price changes land, expected to rise up to 400 yuan

On April 1, Times Finance visited the end-user stores of several major brands in Beijing one after another and found that the price tags of some brands have been updated, while others are still waiting for the manufacturers’ final notification.

Among them, AIMA’s store price adjustments were the most pronounced. At an AIMA store in Dianmen, Xicheng District, sales staff said directly, “Some models increased by as much as four hundred yuan.” According to their description, this round of price adjustments covers most models. For the basic models of simple electric bicycles, the increase is the lowest at about 200 yuan. For mainstream lithium-battery models, the increase is about 250-350 yuan.

Ninebot’s price adjustment was relatively more moderate.

At a Ninebot end-user store also located on Dianmen, staff were changing price tags, and some models had already completed the price adjustment on April 1. A store salesperson introduced a model, saying, “(This model) has already gone up by 100 yuan. This car used to sell for 4,599 yuan; now online it’s already listed at 4,699 yuan.” Overall, at that brand’s store, the price increases for mainstream models cluster around 100-200 yuan, while for high-end intelligent models the increase is about 300 yuan.

In sync with the price hike, purchase subsidies and discount coupons that brands had previously offered have ended one after another in recent days.

The staff at the Ninebot store stated that the existing online coupons have now been canceled. This means that the consumer’s “final in-hand price” increases further. The staff member said that the manufacturer has currently only raised the price slightly, and future price adjustments will depend on market reaction. They do not rule out the possibility of further price increases. While there may be price-reduction promotions around promotional events like 618 and Double Eleven, prices will not be lowered within this month.

Another major brand, Yadea, is also pushing through its price adjustments.

A salesperson at a Yadea store said that although there had not yet been an official price increase on the morning of April 1, that day the dealers would hold related meetings. “After the meeting, the price will definitely go up. I received the news yesterday—the purchasing costs have already increased. Tires, batteries, and these accessories are all getting more expensive.” The salesperson said the expected increase is 200-300 yuan.

Some of Niu’s models completed the price adjustment at the end of March. Photo by Times Finance

As for Niu, known as a “two-wheeler Tesla,” some stores have already carried out a round of price increases. At a Niu store on Dianmen in Beijing, staff said that on April 1 the online channels had completed the price increase, and the offline stores’ price tags had just been updated. “Today we just swapped the labels, and basically all models increased by 100 yuan.” They said that earlier, some Niu models had already increased by 100 yuan on March 28 and 29, which falls under “staggered price increases.”

With electric vehicle market activity sliding, some dealers say, “It’s hard to sell even two units a day”

Behind the collective price hikes, the electric two-wheeler market doesn’t look that great either.

According to data from AVC (AVC) production and sales statistics (PSI), in 2025 the production scale of China’s electric two-wheeler market reached 63.16 million units, up 14.8% year over year. But judging from the full-year trend, growth momentum in the market gradually weakened from the second half.

The data shows that in November 2025, domestic electric two-wheeler sales fell 28.7% year over year. Entering 2026, January sales declined 3.6% year over year. In February, due to the combined effects of the new national standard being fully implemented and the Spring Festival off-season, the decline widened further to 37.9%.

“It’s hard to sell even two units a day.” A salesperson at a mainstream brand store told Times Finance.

From what Times Finance learned through its visits, sales staff and dealers across multiple brands all reported that sales conditions at many electric-vehicle stores are generally lackluster at present. This situation is driven by multiple factors. Among them, at the end of last year the new national standard gradually took effect and was fully implemented. The new rules for new-national-standard models in terms of speed, range, and payload, combined with advance consumption that had already been consumed during the clearance period of the old-standard inventory, have further led to a phase of cautious waiting in the market.

At the same time, the updated national standard imposes higher requirements on vehicle safety performance, material flame-retardancy, anti-tampering systems, and more. This drives up both single-vehicle costs and end-user retail prices across the board, suppressing demand from price-sensitive consumers.

A salesperson at an AIMA store also pointed out that currently AIMA’s new-national-standard models have higher costs than last year due to material upgrades—fewer plastic parts, more metal parts—and added features and functions such as positioning and smart functions. As a result, end-user retail prices have risen accordingly.

But amid a continued upward trend in large-scale raw material prices, the pressure from price hikes is difficult to ease for now.

One dealer recalled that this year the scale of electric vehicle price increases is clearly higher than in previous years. “Last year we also raised prices two or three times, but the increase wasn’t this big.”

In a price adjustment letter, Yadea also stated plainly that the core reason for the price increase is the sustained and significant rise in the prices of large-scale raw materials, including aluminum, copper, and iron, whose metal material price increases exceed 40%. Prices of chemical raw materials such as plastic pellets even rose as much as 80%. The sales staff and dealers interviewed also said that the rise in raw material prices is the core factor driving this round of price adjustments.

A person engaged in research on precious metals and bulk commodities also told Times Finance that on the one hand, battery components have become more expensive. On the other hand, prices of non-ferrous metals required for electric vehicle production—such as aluminum, copper, and silver—have risen as well, further pushing up manufacturing costs for electric vehicles.

This puts brand end-user sales under short-term pressure.

An AIMA staff member at a Beijing store said that since 2026, the store’s sales volume has declined by at least 30%. Previously, the peak season for the store could reach more than 100 units per month, and even in the off-season the store could still sell 30-40 units. This year, sales are far below the level seen earlier.

Photo by Times Finance, an AIMA store in Beijing

Another dealer disclosed that since last year, terminal retail profits have continued to fall. Currently the sales profit on a single vehicle is about 200-300 yuan. Based on entry-level models priced at more than 2,000 yuan, gross margins are only about 10%. This has also caused many brand dealers to reduce their willingness to purchase inventory. “The risk of stocking up is too high. If I can’t sell it, it’s a loss. I’d rather purchase based on demand.”

As for future price trends, industry insiders predict that in the short term electric bicycle prices may remain stable. But if raw material prices continue to stay at high levels, further price adjustments cannot be ruled out, though the increase would likely be relatively moderate. However, some dealers also said, “At present, market acceptance is limited. We expect manufacturers to be more cautious with subsequent price increases.”

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