• BYD's new car registrations in Europe reached 18,242 units in January, higher than Tesla's 8,075 units.
• BYD's market share in Europe surged from 0.7% in January last year to 1.9%, while Tesla's share declined from 1.0% to 0.8%.

BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) maintained robust growth in European new vehicle registrations in January, while its main competitor Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) continued its downward trend, highlighting the increasingly divergent performance of the two EV giants in the European market.

Data released Tuesday by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) showed that in the broader European market — covering the EU, EFTA, and the UK — BYD's new vehicle registrations reached 18,242 units in January, surging 165.0% from 6,884 units in the same period last year.

The robust performance propelled BYD's market share in the region to 1.9% from 0.7% in January 2025.

In contrast, Tesla registered only 8,075 vehicles in the same European market in January, marking a 17.0% year-on-year decline. Its market share fell to 0.8%, not only below the 1.0% recorded in the same month last year but also significantly lower than the 3.0% achieved in December 2025.

Trend divergence intensifies

BYD achieved year-on-year growth exceeding 200% in most months of 2025 for its European registrations.

Although January's 165% increase marked the company's first dip below the 200% mark since at least June last year, it still maintained exceptionally strong growth momentum.

In July last year, BYD surpassed Tesla in new vehicle registrations in Europe.

In contrast, Tesla failed to reverse its downward trend in the European market, continuing its weak performance with year-on-year declines in all months.

EU market performance

For the EU market, the divergence between the two companies is equally pronounced.

In January, BYD registered 13,982 vehicles in the EU, surging 175.3% year-on-year, with its market share jumping from 0.6% to 1.7% compared to the same period last year.

During the same period, Tesla's EU registrations dipped slightly by 1.6% to 7,187 units, maintaining its market share at 0.9%.

ACEA data further indicates that despite a 3.9% year-on-year decline in overall new vehicle registrations across the EU in January, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) captured a 19.3% market share — up from 14.9% in the same period last year — demonstrating the ongoing potential of the electrification transition.

From a global macro perspective, BYD's pure electric vehicle (BEV) sales in 2025 grew by 27.86% compared to the previous year, while Tesla's declined by 8.56%.

Notably, BYD's sales portfolio includes a substantial lineup of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), whereas Tesla focuses exclusively on BEV models.

Tesla loses BEV crown to BYD in 2025 as global deliveries drop 15.61% in Q4

BYD's full-year 2025 BEV sales reached 2,256,714 units, surpassing Tesla's 1,636,129 units for the first time.

Tesla

Jan 2, 2026