European registrations show BYD outsold Tesla for the first time

BYD sold more cars in Europe than Tesla last month, new figures from Jato Dynamics show.

Looking purely at electric vehicle (EV) registrations, the Chinese manufacturer sold 7,231 electric cars in April; beating Tesla's 7,165.

Felipe Munoz, global analyst at Jato Dynamics, said: “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."

In the UK, BYD sees the fleet market as a key driver of growth.

In April, a total of 1,078,521 new cars were registered across 28 European countries - 1,399 more units than the same month in 2024. Year-to-date registrations, covering the period between January and April 2025, totalled 4,467,681 units, or just 6,560 more than during the same period of 2024.

“While the electric vehicle segment was a bright spot for Europe’s new passenger car market last month, these gains were offset by significant declines among ICE vehicles. EV sales need to grow much faster to have a genuine impact on the wider European car market,” Munoz said.

In April 2025, EVs and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) combined accounted for 26% of new car registrations in Europe, a new record, with Chinese car brands behind much of this growth.

EVs accounted for 17% of this total, up from 13.4% in April 2024, while PHEVs represented 9% of monthly registrations, up from 6.9% in the corresponding month last year. Despite the imposition of tariffs by the EU, registrations of electric cars made by Chinese automakers in April rose by 59% year on year, reaching almost 15,300 units. Within this segment, carmakers from Europe, Japan, Korea and the US recorded an increase of 26%.

The PHEV segment saw a notable development, as volumes from Chinese players increased by 546% year on year, from 1,493 units in April 2024 to 9,649 units in April 2025, meaning Chinese car brands now account for almost 10% of the total number of PHEVs registered in Europe. 

The Renaut Clio was Europe’s most registered car in April, with 19,000 units of the French subcompact registered. The Clio has not led the model rankings since June 2020, having lost ground in recent years to its low-cost rival, the Dacia Sandero – Europe’s best-seller in 2024. However, the standout performer of the month was arguably the Volkswagen Tiguan, in fourth position, with registrations up by 32% to 16,300 units.

Other strong performers include the Toyota Yaris Cross, Dacia Duster, Vauxhall Corsa, Peugeot 3008, Jeep Avenger and Mini Cooper. The Skoda Elroq led the EV model rankings for the first time, with 8,000 units – vindicating the brand’s decision to introduce an SUV that sits between the B and C segments. Three Volkswagen models followed in the rankings, while the Volkswagen ID 7 increased its volumes by 640% to occupy third position. Renault registered more than 5,600 units of the Renault 5, the sixth most registered electric vehicle in Europe last month, while Kia’s recently launched EV3 also made the top ten. By contrast, volumes of the Tesla Model Y and the Volvo EX30 dropped by 53% and 57%, respectively.

The UK’s new car market suffered its sixth fall in the past seven months in April, reflecting a fragile economic backdrop and weakened consumer confidence. A total of 120,000 new cars were registered in the UK, in April, marking a 10% decline year-on-year.