Romania registered 871 new battery-electric cars in September 2026, 16.8% more than a year earlier, in a new-car market that fell 11.5% to 10,952 units. Tesla accounted for 19 of them.
That is a fifth of Tesla's September 2025 total, according to Autocritica's analysis of official DGPCI registration data, and it brings Tesla to 24 new cars for August and September combined, after 100 in July. On the same count, BYD has overtaken Tesla as the brand with the most new electric cars registered in Romania this year, by 20 units.
The September numbers
| Romania | September 2026 | Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| New cars, all powertrains | 10,952 | −11.5% |
| Battery-electric cars | 871 | +16.8% |
| Battery-electric share | 7.9% | 6.0% a year earlier |
| Plug-in hybrid share | 17% | registrations +131% |
| New cars, January–September | 96,261 | −10.5% |
| Battery-electric, January–September | about 7,900 | +45.4% |
The totals are APIA's; the electric figures are DGPCI data as analysed by Autocritica. Apart from hybrids, electric cars were the only segment that grew.
Autocritica links the third monthly fall in a row to the EU's GSR2 safety rules. Since 7 July 2026, every new car must carry additional driver-assistance systems, so importers registered non-compliant stock early: June rose 52%, then July and August fell. It expects most cars bought through Romania's Rabla scrappage programme, which opened on 20 July and reopened on 25 August, to reach the registration data only in the coming months.
Where Tesla stands
| New electric cars, January–September 2026 | Units |
|---|---|
| Tesla Model Y | 886 |
| BYD Dolphin Surf | 686 |
| Tesla Model 3 | 676 |
The Model Y is still Romania's best-selling electric car of the year, according to APIA's table, but the Dolphin Surf has passed the Model 3 for second place. In September alone, BYD and MG led the electric brands, one unit apart, and the MG4 Urban was the best-selling electric model for the second month running, with 140 cars. Three of September's top four electric models were Chinese; the Ford Puma was third.
Neither APIA nor Autocritica gives a reason for Tesla's two weak months.
A second count
LEKTRI.CO's monthly index counts every electric registration in Romania, not only new cars: its September total across all powertrains is 42,571 cars and vans, against APIA's 10,952 new cars. On that count, 151 Teslas were registered in September, including 71 Model 3s, 59 Model Ys and 18 Model S.
The gap between 151 and 19 is consistent with Teslas arriving second-hand from other countries, although LEKTRI.CO does not split its figures into new and used. It puts Tesla's share of Romania's active electric fleet at 18.3%, or 13,869 vehicles, second only to Dacia's 18,581.
Chinese brands close in
Chinese brands took 38.8% of Romania's new electric cars in September, against just over 18% for German brands and 15% for Japanese ones. Over nine months, American brands still lead with 31.3%, against 29.3% for Chinese brands, and Autocritica expects that order to flip by the end of October.
BYD rose to fourth among all brands in September with 708 cars, its best month of the year and 532% more than a year earlier, according to APIA's figures. Most of its volume is plug-in hybrids: 2,570 of its 4,173 cars this year.
What it means
Romania is a small market for Tesla, and two thin months of new-car registrations are not yet a trend. The change is in the competition: LEKTRI.CO notes that the top places in Romania's electric ranking are no longer automatically Tesla's and Dacia's, and on new cars, BYD now holds the brand lead for the year.