Hainan Set To Become China's First Province To End Gasoline Car Sales

Hainan is moving toward ending sales of gasoline-powered cars by 2030, a step that would make the island province the first in China to stop selling fuel vehicles, according to a provincial plan released today.

The Hainan provincial government issued its plan for its ecological development during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) period, saying it would steadily advance the 2030 target.

Under the plan, new-energy vehicles are expected to account for 45 percent of all vehicles in Hainan by 2030, up from 23.75 percent in 2025.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Hainan deepened its push to build itself into a clean-energy island. New energy became the province's largest source of power, while Hainan ranked first among provincial-level regions in new-energy vehicle market penetration and second in the share of such vehicles on the road.

In transport, all newly added or replaced vehicles in public services and commercial operations, except special-purpose vehicles, are expected to use clean energy by 2030. All newly added or replaced private passenger cars are expected to be new-energy vehicles.

That would cover government vehicles, sanitation vehicles, passenger transport vehicles and new or replacement private cars, excluding special-operation vehicles.

Hainan also plans to expand charging infrastructure. By 2030, the province aims to keep the vehicle-to-charger ratio below 2.5:1 to ease charging pressure.

The sales halt would not amount to a road ban. Existing gasoline vehicles with license plates would still be allowed to pass inspections and operate legally after 2030.

Hainan first proposed the 2030 target in 2019, according to public information. By August 2025, the province had 483,700 new-energy vehicles, accounting for 21.86 percent of its vehicle fleet.