A report by JATO Dynamics indicates that Chinese carmaker BYD has outsold Tesla in Europe, shifting 7,231 EVs against the 7,165 units the US maker registered.

According to data for 28 European nations, registrations of BEVs and PHEVs were up by 28 per cent and 31 per cent, respectively as new passenger car registrations remained stable last month. In April, a total of 1,078,521 new cars were registered, 1,399 more units than the same month in 2024. Year-to-date registrations, covering the period between January and April 2025, totalled 4,467,681 units, or just 6,560 more than during the same period of 2024.

“While the electric vehicle segment was a bright spot for Europe’s new passenger car market last month, these gains were offset by significant declines among ICE vehicles. EV sales need to grow much faster to have a genuine impact on the wider European car market,” said Felipe Munoz, global analyst at JATO Dynamics.

Tariffs imposed by the EU on electric vehicles made in China earlier this year had an initial negative impact on the sales of Chinese makers, forcing these carmakers to look for other solutions. Many of its carmakers selling cars in Europe have since responded by expanding and diversifying their European line-up with the introduction of plug-in hybrids, which have not yet been targeted by EU tariffs.

The PHEV segment saw a notable development, as volumes from Chinese players increased by 546 per cent year on year, from 1,493 units in April 2024 to 9,649 units in April 2025, meaning Chinese car brands now account for almost 10 per cent of the total number of PHEVs registered in Europe. “It remains to be seen whether the EU will respond to the boom in Chinese-made PHEVs by imposing tariffs on these vehicles too,” Munoz added.

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