BYD outsells Tesla in Europe for the first time this April

Chinese automaker BYD has outsold Tesla in Europe for the first time this April, according to JATO Dynamics’ data for 28 European nations.

The data shows that BYD registered 7,231 BEVs in Europe last month, while Tesla registered 7,165 units.

Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO Dynamics, commented: “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.”

Tesla reported another monthly drop in April, with total volumes down 49% year on year. In contrast, BYD saw an increase of 359% over the same period thanks to its broad and competitive line up of fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

BYD’s rapid expansion has already pushed it ahead of established European car brands – outselling Fiat, Dacia, and Seat in the UK; Fiat and Seat in France; Seat in Italy; and Fiat in Spain. This growth comes even before production begins at its new plant in Hungary.