Chinese car maker BYD has overtaken Tesla to become the biggest seller of electric vehicles across the globe – and that means full battery electrics, not the plug in hybrids that further boost its sales.
The telling graph is seen below, provided by analyst Nat Bullard in his compelling annual 200-slide presentation on climate, energy and transport issues, which you can find here.
As the graph shows, it is really no contest. BYD sales continue to surge while Tesla has stalled, as The Driven illustrated in Tuesday’s story. See:Â Peak Tesla? The decline in Tesla EV sales, and its brand reputation
Why might this be so? Partly because of diminished reputation, but also because of fierce competition. Chinese car makers are building EVs at a price that simply cannot be matched by US and European car makers, and this graph below – again from Bullard – illustrates why.
It shows how Chinese EVs – at every price point – are beating the US competitors on range, still a key factor in consumer choice when they think about an EV.
As Bullard notes, Chinese EVs have significantly great range at any price point – and particularly so at the $30,000 to $60,000 price point, and EVs available below $30,000 that simply don’t exist in the US-made portfolio.
Which leads us to the final graph. On Tuesday, we highlighted how Tesla sales are suffering most in Europe, accounting for the majority of its 140,000 drop in sales in 2025, compared to 2024.
Now look at how BYD is doing in the same market, despite the resistance from local car makers and governments, who are desperately trying to stem the flow.
Over the last year, BYD sales have totalled 100,000 sales in the 15 major European car markets, roughly equivalent to the fall in the same market of Tesla sales. Change is coming.
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Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of The Driven, and also edits and founded the Renew Economy and One Step Off The Grid web sites. He has been a journalist for nearly 40 years, is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review, and owns a Tesla Model 3.