Chinese-Owned Electric Vehicle Brands Gain Traction in Europe, Together Surpassing Tesla in Sales | Carscoops

      Total electric vehicle (EV) sales in the region increased by 26 percent in February, but Tesla experienced a 44 percent decline in deliveries.

      Chinese-owned brands surpassed Tesla in the European automotive market in February.

      Tesla recorded 15,700 EVs sold last month, compared to 19,800 sold by Chinese brands.

      BYD, Polestar, and XPeng all made significant gains in Europe while Tesla lost market share.

      What a difference a year can make. If we look back to early 2024, Tesla’s European division was reveling in the achievement of being the best-selling electric brand in the region for all of 2023, as well as being the first company to have an EV – the Model Y – reach the top of the overall sales leaderboard.

      Recent sales data from 28 key markets, including the EU, UK, Norway, and Switzerland, indicates that not only have Tesla's sales decreased, but the American EV brand is also being outperformed collectively by Chinese-owned manufacturers.

      Reports from Jato Dynamics show that Tesla sold 15,700 vehicles in February 2025, down from 28,100 a year prior, marking a 44 percent decline in a market where EV sales rose by 26 percent to 164,100 units. Chinese-owned brands achieved 19,800 sales in February, clearly showing that China is making significant progress in the European automotive market, and this trend has only begun.

      Tesla's declining performance has reduced its market share to 9.6 percent, the lowest February figure in five years. The automaker's year-to-date market share has fallen from 18.4 percent to 7.7 percent when compared to figures from 2024. One contributing factor to this decline is the recent launch of the refreshed Model Y ‘Juniper,’ revealed in January, but not yet available in Europe, leading many buyers to wait for the updated SUV.

      Model Y sales plummeted 56 percent to 8,800 units, whereas Model 3 sales decreased by a less drastic (but still concerning) 14 percent to 6,800 units. Jato suggests that Tesla's overall decline is less about negative sentiment towards Elon Musk and more about the upcoming release of the new Model Y.

      In February 2025, EV sales by brand showed that VW and Chinese brands are intensifying their competition against Tesla. BYD's sales grew by 94 percent to 4,436, Polestar's increased by 84 percent to 2,405, and newcomer XPeng achieved 1,034 sales, a 259 percent rise from February 2024.

      VW emerged as the top-performing brand in terms of EV sales, with registrations surging 180 percent to 19,600. The German brand’s ID.4 was the third-best-selling EV, following the Model 3 and Model Y, while VW's ID.7 and ID.3 ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, just behind Renault's award-winning 5.