BYD registrations jump 162% in Europe, beating Tesla again

• BYD's new car registrations in Europe reached 17,954 units in February, narrowly surpassing Tesla's 17,664 units once again.
• Cumulative data for the first two months of the year shows BYD is cementing its lead.

BYD's new car registrations in the European market surpassed Tesla once again in February, as competition between the two electric vehicle giants intensifies in the region.

In the broader European market covering the European Union, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), and the UK, BYD's new car registrations reached 17,954 units in February, surging 162.3% from 6,844 units a year earlier, according to data released Tuesday by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA).

Driven by this strong performance, BYD's market share in the region climbed significantly to 1.8% from 0.7% in February last year.

In contrast, Tesla's registrations in the European market stood at 17,664 units in February, up 11.8% year-on-year, outperforming its downward trend in January.

This lifted Tesla's share in the broader European market to 1.8% from 1.6% a year earlier.

Despite Tesla returning to growth, its monthly registrations still trailed BYD, marking the second consecutive month it has fallen behind the Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) giant.

Looking solely at the EU market, the performance of the two companies also showed a stark contrast.

In February, BYD's registrations in the EU reached 15,438 units, a massive year-on-year increase of 185.3%.

BYD's market share in the EU jumped to 1.8% from 0.6% in the same period last year.

Over the same period, Tesla's EU registrations grew by 29.1% to 13,740 units, with its market share rising to 1.6% from 1.2% a year earlier.

It is worth noting that BYD's sales mix includes a massive volume of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) models.

Meanwhile, Tesla's product lineup focuses only on battery electric vehicle (BEV) models.

Looking at the cumulative data for the first two months of the year, BYD is cementing its lead.

BYD's year-to-date registrations in the broader European market reached 36,069 units, a substantial year-on-year increase of 162.7%.

Tesla's cumulative registrations during the same period stood at just 25,753 units, up a slight 0.9% year-on-year.

ACEA data also showed that overall new car registrations in the EU fell by 1.2% year-on-year in the first two months, easing the challenging start to the year witnessed in January.

The market share of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in the EU reached 18.8%. This is up from 15.2% a year earlier, highlighting the continued potential for further growth.

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) dominated with a 38.7% market share, remaining the preferred powertrain choice among EU consumers.

Meanwhile, the combined market share of petrol and diesel cars experienced a significant decline, falling to 30.6% from 38.7% over the same period in 2025.

China-Canada EV deal expected to benefit Tesla, Volvo, BYD first

As part of the agreement, Transport Canada will certify new Chinese EVs within just eight weeks, Bloomberg reported.

Tesla

Jan 19, 2026