In April 2025, BYD overtook Tesla in electric vehicle sales in Europe for the first time in history. Although the difference in registered cars is less than a hundred, analysts note that this is a "tipping point" for the European car market. This is stated in the JATO Dynamics report.
"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," said Felipe Munoz, global analyst at JATO Dynamics.
Tesla's electric car sales fell 49% in April, while BYD saw a 169% increase over the same period thanks to a broad and competitive range of all-electric cars and hybrids.
In addition, BYD has also been able to overtake some European automakers, in particular, the Chinese company's cars are selling better than Fiat, Dacia and Seat in the UK. BYD also overtook Fiat and Seat in France, Seat in Italy, and Fiat in Spain. Such results were achieved even before the start of production at the new factory in Hungary.
Chinese automakers are not even bothered by additional tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles imposed by the European Union earlier this year. Many Chinese automakers have expanded their offerings with hybrids since the beginning of the year, which are not subject to tariffs.
"China is not only the world leader in BEVs; its automakers are global leaders in plug-in hybrid vehicles too. To gain traction in Europe, its carmakers have responded to the threat posed by tariffs by focusing on other powertrains, such as plug-in hybrids, to maintain the momentum behind their global expansion plans," Munoz added.
JATO Dynamics notes that in April, fully electric cars and hybrids accounted for 26% of new car registrations in Europe, a new record, and it is Chinese automakers that are responsible for this growth. Chinese electric car registrations in April increased by 59% compared to last year, to 15,300 units. At the same time, the growth of hybrids was 546% to 9,649 cars compared to 1,493 in April 2024.
We remind you that the day before, BYD also launched a new electric car, the Dolphin Surf, on the European market, priced from €22,990 and with a range of up to 507 km.