China's BYD overtakes Tesla as Europe's electric car market leader

In April 2025, Chinese electric car manufacturer BYD overtook American Tesla in terms of sales in Europe for the first time in history. This was a significant milestone for the global auto market and a signal of a change in the balance of power in the European electric vehicle market. This was reported by Bloomberg, citing data from the analytical company Jato Dynamics.

At the end of the month, BYD registered 7,231 new electric cars on the European market - 169% more than in the same period last year. Such a breakthrough allowed the brand to enter the top 10 electric car manufacturers on the European continent for the first time, which was previously achieved only by local or American companies.

Against the background of BYD's success, American Tesla showed a sharp decline. The number of registered electric vehicles of this brand decreased by 49%, which led to a loss of positions in the overall ranking - for the first time in a long time, Tesla ceased to be the undisputed leader in the European electric car market.

Jato Dynamics analyst Felipe Muñoz noted: “Although the monthly gap between Tesla and BYD may seem insignificant, its consequences are extremely important. This is a real break in the structure of the European automotive market.” According to him, the growth of Chinese brands occurs against the background of changes in consumer preferences and high price sensitivity of the market.

Overall, the European electric car market in April 2025 showed growth: the number of registrations of electric cars increased by 28%. Volkswagen Group showed itself especially successfully, its sales increased by 61% year-on-year. Its subsidiary Skoda showed even more impressive results - the number of registered electric cars more than tripled.

It is also worth noting the rapid expansion of the plug-in hybrid segment. According to Jato, if this category of vehicles is taken into account, BYD's total sales in Europe increased by a record 359%, which indicates a systematic strengthening of the Chinese automaker's position in the global market.