China's BYD overtakes Tesla as world's biggest electric car seller

"China's BYD overtook Tesla as the world's largest electric carmaker in 2025, after the US company run by Elon Musk reported a slump in deliveries at the end of the year. BYD sold 2.26m battery electric cars during the year, easily outstripping the 1.63m deliveries reported on Friday by Tesla for the same period. The switch is a symbolic moment in the rise of China's car companies, which have used the transition to electric cars to try to dominate the global automotive industry."

"Electric car sales have continued to grow in the past two years, but the rate of growth has been slower than expected. Electric carmakers have been forced to cut prices aggressively, and governments around the world have rolled back targets on the shift away from petrol. Tesla's sales appear to have suffered in large part because of the withdrawal of electric vehicle (EV) subsidies by Donald Trump. The US president has also removed emissions regulations that incentivised electric car production."

"Tesla's deliveries slumped to 418,200 in the final quarter of the year, below the average forecasts of analysts. Sales for 2025 were down by 9% compared with 2024. An average compiled by Bloomberg had suggested that Tesla would deliver 441,000 vehicles during the quarter, but Tesla took the unusual step before the new year of publishing its own consensus estimate for the first time, apparently in an effort to guide investors that sales were expected to be lower."

BYD sold 2.26 million battery-electric vehicles in 2025, surpassing Tesla's 1.63 million deliveries and becoming the world's largest electric carmaker. Chinese automakers such as BYD, SAIC and Chery have increased exports and market presence, aided by brands like Omoda and Jaecoo. Electric vehicle sales continued to grow but at a slower-than-expected pace, prompting aggressive price cuts and some governments to scale back transition targets away from petrol. Tesla's deliveries fell 9% year-on-year, with a fourth-quarter slump to 418,200, and shifts in US policy removing EV subsidies and emissions incentives contributed to weaker sales.

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