A symbolic threshold was crossed in April 2025: for the first time, BYD registered more battery-electric vehicles in Europe than Tesla. The margin was slim — 66 units — but the trend behind it is not.
The Numbers
| Brand | April 2025 | April 2024 | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| BYD | 7,231 | 2,688 | +169% |
| Tesla | 7,165 | 14,043 | -49% |
BYD's surge pushed it to 10th place among European BEV brands for the month, while Tesla fell to 11th. Globally, BYD held a 15.4% BEV market share in Q1 2025 versus Tesla's 12.6%.
What Drove the Shift
Two forces converged. BYD expanded aggressively, launching the Dolphin Surf (its rebranded Seagull) across 15 European countries on May 22 — its 10th model in the region. Prices start well below Tesla's cheapest offering.
Meanwhile, Tesla's European registrations continued their steep decline. April's 49% year-over-year drop extended a pattern that began in January, driven by Model Y transition effects, brand perception challenges, and intensifying competition.
European Context
JATO Dynamics analyst Felipe Munoz called the milestone's implications "enormous," particularly given Tesla's historical dominance and BYD's relatively recent European expansion, which began beyond Norway and the Netherlands only in late 2022.
For European Tesla owners, increased BYD presence means more competition at Supercharger-compatible public chargers (via CCS) and greater pressure on Tesla to maintain competitive pricing and features.
Update (March 2026): BYD's European registrations surged 270% for full-year 2025 while Tesla slipped 27%. BYD's Hungary factory began production in late 2025, further strengthening its European position.