Tesla Is Dethroned as the World's Top EV Seller

UPDATE Jan 2, 2026 8:37 AM CST

Tesla is no longer the world's leading seller of electric vehicles. Numbers reported by Elon Musk's company on Friday came in as expected: Tesla sold 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, reports the AP. Earlier in the day, China's BYD reported selling more than 2.2 million. It's the first time the Chinese automaker has beaten Tesla.

Jan 2, 2026 5:47 AM CST

The electric car market is on the brink of a milestone shift: China's BYD is poised to unseat Tesla as the world's top seller of EVs, reports the BBC. The company said Thursday that sales of its battery-only vehicles jumped nearly 28% in 2025 to more than 2.25 million, a tally that would put it comfortably ahead of Tesla's expected total. Tesla is due to report its full-year numbers later Friday, but the company last week circulated analysts' projections pointing to around 1.6 million vehicles sold in 2025, per the Wall Street Journal.

This would mark the first time BYD has surpassed its US rival on annual sales after years of fierce competition. Tesla spent much of the past year wrestling with cooling demand for some models, blowback to Elon Musk's political involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency, a tepid response to newer offerings, and a growing slate of lower-cost challengers not only from BYD but other Chinese companies such as Geely. A figure of 1.6 million would be a drop of about 8% from the previous year and represent the company's second straight annual decline, notes CNBC.

The pressure comes as Musk pursues an enormous incentive deal that could be worth up to $1 trillion if he hits aggressive targets for Tesla's market value and sales over the next decade. The package also ties some of his compensation to selling a million humanoid robots, as Tesla pours money into its "Optimus" robot and self-driving "robotaxi" technology. Still, the company's stock soared last month to an all-time high of nearly $490 when Musk announced the company was testing driverless vehicles in Austin, Texas, notes CNBC.