"When the page showed that I had successfully grabbed the coupon, my hands were shaking. I was happier than if I had won the lottery. The salesperson even praised me for my good luck." Zhang Tu (pseudonym), a car buyer in Xi'an, Shaanxi, told China Business Network on the 19th.
Recently, many regions have adjusted their car trade-in subsidy policies. Against this backdrop, a "coupon-grabbing speed contest" has taken place in many places.
"Fancy" ways to grab subsidies
Zhang Tu wanted to buy a new car in July. While searching for a car, he learned that coupons for replacement subsidies in Xi'an were always sold out within seconds. He also frequently saw posts or videos on social media about people who had failed to get coupons. "I decided to learn some tips online about how to get them," he said.
"I read more than a dozen guides on how to grab concert tickets, and combined them with everyone's failed experiences in grabbing (car) tickets. I started practicing on the first Monday of August and tried to grab tickets twice. I summed up a set of experience: the company's Wi-Fi is not as good as the mobile network, domestic mobile phones are better, and the UnionPay App is worse than other ticket-grabbing platforms..." said Zhang Tu.
In early August, Zhang Tu decided on a replacement car and paid a deposit. According to the schedule on the car-buying app, the delivery period for the car was one to four weeks. After paying the deposit, he said his biggest wish was to get the replacement subsidy within the next month.
At 8:50 AM on August 18th, Zhang Tu logged into his account 10 minutes early to start his third attempt at grabbing coupons. "I immediately clicked the button after the stopwatch hit zero. After completing the image verification, the page wouldn't display. I logged out and logged back in. After re-verifying, the page actually showed that I had grabbed a spot. I was completely stunned."
The 2025 Shaanxi Province Car Replacement and Renewal Subsidy Activity Page on the Cloud QuickPass App shows that Shaanxi qualification coupons are issued in limited quantities every Monday at 9:00. The recipients are eligible consumers who purchase a new car between July 16 and December 31, 2025. The issuance period ends on December 31, and the qualification coupons are valid for 30 days.
China Business Network called the Xi'an Municipal Bureau of Commerce on the 19th. The operator said that currently 15 to 20 replacement subsidy quotas and more than 100 scrapping subsidy quotas will be issued every Monday morning at 9 o'clock.
"Because consumers were very enthusiastic in the early stages and the subsidy funds were used up quickly, we set weekly limits based on the remaining funds. The probability of changing the policy in the next few months is relatively small, and the status quo will basically remain until the end of this year. There are still more than a dozen opportunities to participate, and consumers who haven't grabbed one are advised to persist and try again." said the above staff member.
A representative from the Gansu Provincial Department of Commerce told China Business Network on the 20th that there's currently no optimized method for obtaining coupons. A representative from the Baoding Municipal Bureau of Commerce in Hebei Province said that consumers who purchased cars after July 23rd can only obtain subsidies in various regions of Hebei Province by purchasing coupons on a fixed platform.
"Consumers can communicate with the car purchasing store before grabbing the coupons so that the car sales can provide better advice. Judging from the coupon grabbing situation this month, consumers are advised to avoid cities such as Shijiazhuang, Baoding, and Tangshan where coupons are sold out in seconds next month. They can pay attention to Zhangjiakou and Cangzhou, as these places are easier to grab." said the above-mentioned Baoding Municipal Bureau of Commerce staff.
"The subsidy qualification is valid for one month, and I should be able to submit the information before the expiration." Zhang Tu suggested that if anyone wants to grab the Xi'an replacement subsidy, they must practice the image verification process and the speed of clicking buttons online.
Wang Meng (a pseudonym), who lives in Guangdong, finally snagged a replacement subsidy in Shaoguan by repeatedly refreshing the page. "We opened the ticket grabbing channel at 11:00 AM. Once you enter the page and see that all the spots are filled, don't get discouraged. If there are more tickets available, you can continue to grab them. Immediately log out and log back in. After repeating this four or five times, I finally got the ticket at 11:01 AM. It took me several attempts to succeed, and it felt as difficult as getting JJ Lin concert tickets."
"The form of distributing car subsidies through coupons will continue until December 31. Everyone applies under equal conditions. It is recommended to practice your hand speed." said the receptionist of the Shaoguan Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Guangdong Province.
Many netizens will share screenshots of car subsidy coupons on social platforms.
On social platforms, netizens from different regions shared their experiences of successfully grabbing coupons. For example, in Chongqing, there is no limit on the number of account logins, so it is easier to grab coupons with the whole family; many Guangdong netizens posted that the success rate of grabbing coupons on a computer is higher than on a mobile phone.
Car buyers from other provinces join the competition of speed
In this "coupon grabbing competition", participants not only compete with fellow villagers from the same province, but also with car buyers from other provinces.
Qiuqiu (a pseudonym), a consumer from Hunan, didn't qualify for the replacement subsidy in her province, but the car salesperson assured her she would definitely receive it. "The salesperson said they were a directly-operated store and could issue invoices nationwide, so I ended up getting the Chongqing subsidy."
On August 15, the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce issued a document stating that in order to continue to play the role of policy incentives, Chongqing has allocated an additional 300 million yuan in budget funds for automobile replacement and renewal subsidies in the third quarter of 2025, and will implement it in a monthly manner, with 200 million yuan allocated in August and 100 million yuan allocated in September, and implementing the declaration principle of "total amount control, first come first served, and use up on a first-come, first-served basis".
The application process will open at 9:00 AM on August 16th and will stop accepting applications once all applications for the current month's quota have been filled. Consumers who have secured subsidies have until midnight on January 10th, 2026, to complete their applications, leaving ample time.
"Subsidies in some areas have specific conditions, but there are not too many restrictions on subsidies in Chongqing. However, the subsidy amount is only 7% of the ticket price, which is lower than many places. But if you can grab it, you will make a profit." Qiuqiu said.
Fortunately, Qiuqiu snagged Chongqing's replacement subsidy in August. She believes Chongqing's subsidies are easier to grab than those in other provinces and cities, at least they won't be sold out in seconds. "I started filling out the application form 20 minutes after the channel opened. The sheer volume of people caused a system error when entering my bank card information. I tried again several times and finally finished at 11:00. By 11:20, the page indicated there were no available applications."
Chongqing's August subsidy channel shows that the amount of application progress has reached 99%. Screenshot from the AutoGo App
"If you replace your car nationwide this year and buy a new car from a car sales company within Chongqing, you are eligible to grab the coupons." When talking about the subsidy recipients, the staff of the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce said that as long as they meet the above requirements, non-local consumers also have the right to apply for car replacement subsidies.
The reception staff of the Department of Commerce in Hebei, Guangdong, Gansu and other provinces also said that as long as they meet the application rules, consumers from all over the country can apply for relevant subsidies in the form of coupons on designated platforms.
Subsidies in Qiuqiu's hometown were suspended at the end of July. This practice of invoicing or picking up cars in different locations for local car purchases has become a new option for consumers in many cities where provincial subsidies have been suspended.
For example, the above-mentioned staff of Xi'an Municipal Bureau of Commerce said that Xi'an's replacement subsidies do not restrict applications from consumers from other provinces, "as long as the replacement requirements are met, everyone can grab the coupons."
A salesperson of domestic new energy vehicles in Hebei said that there have been more online inquiries from consumers from other places recently, especially during the first few days of the month when Hebei Province distributed subsidies.
"Our provincial subsidy amount is relatively high, and the maximum subsidy for replacing new energy vehicles is 15,000 yuan. A large proportion of customers come to me from neighboring provinces. I currently have three potential customers from other places who are ready to wait until early September to grab the subsidies. Once they get them, they will place an order with me." said the above-mentioned car salesperson.
The China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) announced in a statement on August 20th that from August 1st to 17th, China's new energy passenger vehicle market saw retail sales of 502,000 units, a 9% increase compared to the same period last August and a 12% increase compared to the same period last month. The report also noted that the third round of subsidies had been distributed across the country in late July, with trade-in programs gradually restarting in some regions and more diversified subsidy methods expected to improve August's growth rate.
A relevant official from the National Development and Reform Commission stated at a press conference in early August that the third batch of 69 billion yuan of ultra-long-term special treasury bonds to support the trade-in of old consumer goods has been allocated this year, and the fourth batch of 69 billion yuan will be allocated as planned in October, completing the annual allocation plan of 300 billion yuan.