BYD Overtakes Tesla as the World's Top EV Seller

Tesla has had a long run as the top electric vehicle seller in the world, but that streak appears to be at an end — and it’s been upset by a company that has zero presence in the U.S. automotive market. That automaker is China’s BYD, which reached another impressive milestone — 10 million plug-in vehicles manufactured — just over a year ago.

Writing at the Los Angeles Times, Caroline Petrow-Cohen reports that BYD delivered 2.25 milliion electric vehicles in 2025, as compared to Tesla’s 1.64 million. This represents a year-over-year drop for Tesla, but even if the company had maintained its 2024 levels of EVs delivered — 1.79 million — that would not have been sufficient to overcome BYD’s numbers for the year.

Petrow-Cohen and the analysts she spoke with cite a number of factors for Tesla’s fall from the top of the sales charts. One issue is more and more automakers are expanding their EV offerings; Tesla is no longer the only game in town. Given that Tesla’s one high-profile addition to its lineup is the Cybertruck — which was, let’s say, a touch polarizing — drivers looking for something different from Tesla haven’t had many options.

Or, as iSeeCars.com analyst Karl Brauer told the Times, “Teslas are just starting to look old. You have a bunch of other options, and they all look newer and fresher.”

BYD Just Opened an All-Terrain Course in Zhengzhou

Two similar facilities are in the works

It bears repeating that BYD had been able to hit this mark without a presence in the U.S. or Canadian markets. The company has been increasing its presence elsewhere, however — last month, the company announced the opening of its 125th dealership in the U.K., up from 52 the year before. Between this expansion and things like opening all-terrain parks in China, it isn’t hard to see why BYD is gaining admirers — even as some Tesla owners are raising concerns about their vehicles’ safety.

Meet your guide

Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…