European vehicle registration data for 2025 show sharply different performances by China's BYD and U.S. electric car manufacturer Tesla, against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding but still minority electric car market, according to figures released by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).
BYD registered 187,657 new vehicles across Europe in 2025, covering the European Union as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. That marked a 268.6% increase from 50,912 units in 2024, ACEA data showed.
Tesla, by contrast, recorded higher absolute volumes of 238,656 registrations across the same region, but that represented a 26.9% decline from 326,525 vehicles a year earlier.
The contrasting results come as electric vehicle adoption in the EU continues to accelerate faster than the overall car market. A total of 1,880,370 battery-electric cars were newly registered across the EU in 2025, up 29.9% from 2024, ACEA said. Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 17.4% of all new registrations, compared with 13.6% a year earlier. By comparison, the overall EU passenger car market expanded by just 1.8% in 2025 and remains below pre-pandemic levels.
Monthly data underline the divergent momentum between the two automakers. BYD posted year-on-year growth exceeding 200% in most months of 2025, while Tesla recorded declines in every month. In December, BYD registered 27,678 vehicles across Europe, up 229.7% from the same month in 2024, lifting its market share to 2.4% from 0.8%. Tesla registered 35,280 vehicles in December, down 20.2% year on year, with its market share falling to 3.0% from 4.1%.
Within the EU alone, BYD's registrations rose to 128,827 vehicles in 2025, a 227.8% increase from 39,303 units a year earlier. Tesla's EU registrations fell 37.9% to 150,504 vehicles from 242,436 in 2024.
December figures in the EU showed a similar pattern. BYD registered 18,008 vehicles, up 167.1% year on year, reaching a 1.9% market share. Tesla's EU registrations declined 31.9% to 21,485 vehicles, with its share slipping to 2.2% from 3.5%.
At the global level, BYD also overtook Tesla in battery-electric vehicle sales for the first time in 2025. BYD sold 2,256,714 BEVs worldwide during the year, compared with Tesla's 1,636,129 units. BYD's global BEV sales rose 27.9% from 2024, while Tesla's declined 8.6%.