Chinese EVs gain popularity in Egypt

After years of using a gasoline-powered car, Poula Mounir, an electric vehicle (EV) seller in the Egyptian capital Cairo, decided to acquire a Chinese-made EV following a series of careful comparisons.

Currently driving a Chinese BYD Song L SUV, Mounir expressed admiration for the quality of Chinese EVs, noting that Chinese electric cars are distinct from European ones in terms of technology and battery quality.

"I noticed a big difference in terms of cost, maintenance, and efficiency," he told Xinhua, praising the batteries of BYD cars as his car has a range of over 600 kilometers on a single charge.

The Egyptian market is witnessing remarkable growth in the number of electric cars, with many Chinese-made EVs traveling on Egyptian roads.

From BYD and Geely to ZEEKR and NIO, Chinese manufacturers provide various models of electric cars that are gaining global popularity among Egyptians, Mounir told Xinhua.

In the first quarter of 2024, electric car sales witnessed a boom in Egypt with more than 1,419 electric vehicles licensed, nearly one-third of the number of electric cars licensed in the past three years, according to data from the Egyptian Compulsory Motor Insurance Pool.

The number of electric cars grew from the beginning of July 2021 until the end of June 2024, bringing the total number of licensed electric vehicles to 7,213, with BYD as the second most-selling vehicle, according to the data.

"There is a growing demand for Chinese-made electric cars," Tamer Sabry, owner of an agency that sells EVs in Cairo, told Xinhua.

"In light of the difficult economic conditions in Egypt and the world, people tend to buy electric cars that are less expensive and have good quality at the same time," Sabry said, noting that customers could find all these characteristics in Chinese brands, making Chinese-made cars among the most popular ones in Egypt.

Meanwhile, Osama Aboul-Magd, head of the Egyptian Automotive Dealers Association, said that Chinese EVs in Egypt are gaining influence rapidly.

"Chinese electric cars have had a significant impact on the development of the industry in the world and moved it to new horizons," Aboul-Magd said.

Regarding the future of cooperation in the field of the electric car industry, Aboul-Magd said he believes that opportunities for cooperation in this field abound.

As a leading country in the field of EV manufacturing, "China has helped many countries manufacture electric cars, and future cooperation in EV manufacturing with China will boost Egypt's strategy and efforts to localize the EV industry," he said.