Chinese EV heavyweight BYD achieved a landmark victory in Europe last month, recording 7,231 pure battery-electric registrations compared with Tesla’s 7,165, according to Jato Dynamics. While Tesla’s volume plunged 49 percent year-on-year amid an ageing Model Y lineup and mixed consumer sentiment, BYD’s BEV sales surged 169 percent. Including plug-in hybrids, BYD’s monthly registrations climbed an impressive 359 percent.
“This is a watershed moment for Europe’s car market,” said Felipe Munoz, global automotive analyst at Jato Dynamics, noting that Tesla had dominated the region until BYD’s official expansion beyond Norway and the Netherlands in late 2022. BYD has since introduced eight models across more than 30 European markets, from its budget-friendly Seagull hatchback (starting at €22,990) to the recently launched Dolphin Surf.
Tesla’s European decline has coincided with aggressive launches by legacy brands Renault, Stellantis, Volkswagen, Audi and BMW all of which outsold Tesla in April with their new, more affordable BEVs. Regulatory pressure from tightened EU emissions standards has accelerated mainstream manufacturers’ EV rollouts, narrowing Tesla’s early-mover advantage.
Globally, BYD has already surpassed Tesla as the world’s largest EV maker, buoyed by sustained demand in China. In Europe, its rapid growth has alarmed incumbents, especially as BYD leverages plug-in hybrids exempt from the EU’s 45 percent import tariff on Chinese-made BEVs to broaden its offering. April registrations of Chinese-brand plug-in hybrids rocketed nearly eight-fold to 9,649 units, while all Chinese-brand EVs climbed 59 percent to 15,300.
Jolin Zhang, BYD Europe’s deputy managing director, told the FT’s Future of the Car summit that the company’s strategy is to deliver “high technology and innovation” across a “full spectrum” of electrified models to meet diverse consumer needs. To mitigate tariff impacts, BYD is building production hubs in Hungary and Turkey, though its Hungarian gigafactory faces an EU subsidy investigation, and its planned Mexican plant has encountered regulatory scrutiny over technology controls.
As BYD’s European footprint deepens, its performance in April underscores the intensifying competition in the region’s EV market once Tesla’s stronghold and signals a shifting landscape in the race to electrify Europe’s roads.
