Chinese car maker BYD has sold more EVs in Europe than Tesla for the first time, in a major step for China’s global electric car push.
The latest market report from market research firm JATO Dynamics shows that BYD – as car maker Build Your Dreams is known – shifted 7,231 battery powered electric vehicles in Europe last month.
That compares to the 7,165 cars Tesla managed to register.
While the difference in EV sales between the two is thin, it was described as a ‘watershed’ moment by JATO, as Elon Musk’s once dominant brand is outstripped by a Chinese car maker that only joined the European market three years ago.
BYD saw its BEV sales jump 169 per cent between April 2024 and 2025 versus Tesla’s plunge of 49 per cent, leading BYD to leapfrog into the top 10 EV brands as Tesla fell down behind to 11th place.
This is despite BYD having to navigate around the EU’s stringent tariffs on electric vehicles made in China but is also potentially down to a major Tesla model change.
China’s BYD has overtaken Tesla as the best performing EV maker in Europe for the first time
Volkswagen, BMW and Skoda took top place in most popular new cars overall. China’s SAIC, which owns MG, was tenth
Although BYD beat Tesla on overall EV sales, it didn’t make it into the top ten most registered car makers for the month. However, another Chines car maker SAIC, which owns MG, did make the list in tenth place.
Meanwhile, an individual BYD car didn’t make the top 25 individual models sold list, whereas Tesla’s Model 3 was in 24th place.
The most sold individual electric car model last month in Europe was Skoda’s Elroq, followed by the VW iD3 and iD7, in second and third position.
Tesla’s sales slide goes against the trend of accelerated growth in Europe’s EV segment, where registrations rose 28 per cent industrywide.
The losses have been partly attributed to the Model Y – the global best-selling car in 2023 – having a refresh earlier this year.
The 25 most popular EV models. BYD didn’t make this list for individual cars but its overall sales were high
The overall pictiure on Europe’s car sales
Schmidt Automotive Research says a backlash from CEO Elon Musk’s political positioning as Trump’s right-hand man has also heavily contributed to Tesla’s rapid fall in sales.
In the JATO May report, Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO Dynamics, said: ‘Although the difference between the two brands’ monthly sales totals may be small, the implications are enormous.
‘This is a watershed moment for Europe’s car market, particularly when you consider that Tesla has led the European BEV market for years, while BYD only officially began operations beyond Norway and the Netherlands in late 2022.’
BYD going from ‘strength to strength’ is even clearer when plug-in hybrids are included, the JATO report shows. Adding this in, BYD’s total sales soared 359 per cent in April from a year earlier.
Chinese car makers have had to shift their approach since the EU imposed high tariffs on Chinese-made EVs of up to 35 per cent last year.
Instead of focusing on only zero-emission models, BYD started pushing plug-in hybrids as part of a ‘two pillar’ approach to counteract the EU’s measures.
Overall, despite these tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, registrations of Chinese EVs increased 59 per cent April 2025 compared to April 2024.
European, Japanese, South Korean and American EVs recorded 26 per cent growth.
Musk came out fighting earlier this week, saying that Tesla has seen a ‘major rebound in demand’ after a typical period of low demand, in which Tesla took the opportunity to shutdown factories across the world to ‘retool’ in order to make the ‘new version of the Model Y that came out’.
The rebound has yet to materialise, but an official Tesla UK update for April put sales issues down to ramping up new Model Y production in the UK.
The UK’s SMMT data predominantly reported Model 3 deliveries, as the old Model Y is sold out which would mean low registration figures. It’s also down to the fact that Tesla does not pre-register cars, resulting in a lag in sales, the update says.
Elon Musk’s role as an advisor to Trump has been a factor in Tesla’s recent poor sale
Which BYD cars can you buy in the UK?
BYD arrived in 2023 and brought with it three models which undercut European brands by offering high levels of quality, tech, and battery advancements for a more affordable price: the Atto 3, the Dolphin and the Seal which cost £37,705, £26,205 and £45,705 respectively.
The forthcoming Atto 2 compact SUV will arrive later this year and is set to start at £30,000.
But in big news that will shake up the cheap EV market, BYD has announced its Dolphin Surf city EV will go on sale later this year and offer ‘the best value’ in its class while costing less than £20,000.
As of March, there are 60 dealer locations and counting.
The cheapest New Model Y is the Rear-Wheel Drive which starts at £44,990 and does 311 miles on a single charge
The New Tesla Model Y – what to expect
The Tesla Model Y’s 2025 makeover is the first time it has been refreshed in the five years since it’s been on sale.
New lightbars front and back, a sharper and less bulbous shape than before, and a longer body are the main exterior changes.
There are tech improvements including a touch infotainment screen in the rear, Bluetooth and wifi throughout, and useful exterior features like an improved camera that self-washes.
The cheapest New Model Y is the Rear-Wheel Drive which starts at £44,990 and does 311 miles on a single charge. The Long Range RWD jumps up to £48,990 with 387 miles of range and the Long Range AWD price bumps up again to £51,990 with 364 miles of range.
The Launch Series Long Range All-Wheel Drive does 353 miles and costs £60,990.
