BYD Hits Another Milestone as It Sold More BEVs Than Tesla in Europe Last Month

According to a report from JATO Dynamics, in April BYD surpassed Tesla in battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations in Europe for the first time. It is yet another milestone for the Chinese giant after having dwarfed Tesla’s global deliveries in 2022.

According to JATO Dynamics, 7,231 BYD BEVs were registered in Europe in April, which was 169% higher than March. Tesla’s sales meanwhile fell 49% to 7,165 units as the Elon Musk run company continues to face a slump in Europe.

Notably, while Tesla sells only BEVs, BYD sells both BEVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) with the sales of the latter outstripping the former.

BYD Sold More BEVs Than Tesla Last Month in Europe

Musk’s embrace of right-wing politicians seems to have alienated many potential Tesla car buyers which is reflected in its falling sales in Europe where it is fast losing ground to Chinese automakers as well as European auto giants like Volkswagen which reported a 61% rise in its BEV volumes last month.

“Although the difference between the two brands’ monthly sales totals may be small, the implications are enormous. This is a watershed moment for Europe’s car market, particularly when you consider that Tesla has led the European BEV market for years, while BYD only officially began operations beyond Norway and the Netherlands in late 2022,” said Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO Dynamics.

Chinese EVs Face Tariffs in Europe

Notably, while BYD cars in Europe attract a tariff which the E.U. imposed last year, Tesla has a manufacturing plant in Germany which makes it somewhat immune from the tariff even as the company does import some vehicles from China to Europe.

While the tariffs had an initial negative impact on sales of Chinese EVs in Europe, they have since recovered. Chinese companies like BYD offer attractive models at compelling prices which has helped drive their sales in global markets. BYD’s international sales have hit consecutive record highs for five months now.

BYD Surpassed Tesla’s Sales in 2022

BYD surpassed Tesla’s total sales in 2022, even as the US EV giant retained the title of the biggest seller of NEVs. It hit yet another milestone when its 2024 revenues surpassed those of Tesla. BYD’s annual revenues rose 29% YoY to $107 billion last year, while Tesla’s revenues were around $97.7 billion. The steep rise in BYD’s sales was led by a record 4.27 million deliveries, which was well ahead of Tesla, which reported a YoY fall in its 2024 deliveries – the first in the company’s history.

BYD Looks Set to Become Biggest BEV Seller in 2025

In Q1 2025, BYD sold over 1 million cars, and its BEV sales were ahead of Tesla despite the first quarter being seasonally weak in China due to the Lunar New Year Holidays.

BYD continued its lead in April and sold a total of 380,089 NEVs. For the first time in many months, their BEV deliveries surpassed plug-in hybrid electric vehicle sales. BEV sales saw a significant 45.6% year-over-year increase, while PHEV sales experienced a slight 0.4% decline to 176,875 units last month.

Looking at the strong growth in the first four months of the year, BYD looks set to become the world’s biggest seller of BEVs in 2025 and hit yet another milestone.

Notably, in 2011, Tesla CEO Elon Musk laughed at the possibility of BYD becoming a competitor to Tesla. However, the Chinese company has proven critics wrong and has emerged as a serious competitor to Tesla, not only in China but also in global markets.

Musk has Been All Praise for Chinese EV Companies

Musk, meanwhile, has been all praise for Chinese EV companies for the last couple of years. During Tesla’s Q4 2022 earnings call, Musk said, “We have a lot of respect for the car companies in China. They are the most competitive in the world. That is our experience.”

He added, “They work the hardest and they work the smartest. And so, if I were to guess, probably some company out of China is the most likely to be second to Tesla.”

Previously also the billionaire praised Chinese workers for burning the 3 a.m. oil, while criticizing American workers for “trying to avoid going to work at all.”

In 2023, he praised BYD and termed it “highly competitive.” Last year, during Tesla’s Q4 2023 earnings call, Musk said, “Frankly, I think, if there are not trade barriers established, they will pretty much demolish most other companies in the world.”

The billionaire added, “The Chinese car companies are the most competitive car companies in the world. So, I think they will have significant success outside of China depending on what kind of tariffs or trade barriers are established.”

Musk even opposed the 100% tariff that the Joe Biden administration imposed on imports of Chinese EVs. While these tariffs virtually shut the US market for Chinese EV companies like BYD, they have been expanding in other global markets.

BYD Partnered With DeepSeek

In February, BYD released an assisted driving system in partnership with DeepSeek, the Chinese startup that made waves with its low-cost artificial intelligence (AI) model.

The driving system which is named “DiPilot” would be offered free along with BYD cars. This would make BYD the only automaker offering assisted self-driving in cars priced below $10,000.

DeepSeek anyway created a storm with its low-cost AI model which the company says it developed at a fraction of what Western rivals like OpenAI build their models for. Through the partnership with DeepSeek, BYD might be able to disrupt the EV industry also as no other player offers advanced self-driving features at this price range.

Analysts believe that BYD offering assisted driving features in budget cars would help increase EV adoption in China which is anyways the world’s biggest market for electric cars.